Nuclear Blast
2012
1. Ashes
2. Return of the Thought Police
3. Staring At The Sun
4. Liberty Complacency Dependency
5. Colophon
6. The Hours
7. That's Why We Came
8. Don't Look Down
9. Coda
10. Rubicon
March Of Progress is an album which I wasn't quite sure what to make of going into listening and reviewing it. I like Threshold and they had not long ago found a really good sound on their most recent effort, Dead Reckoning. I was feeling like the band was in a pretty good place when suddenly Andrew McDermott left the band and passed away. The band pursued a logical course from there and got back with earlier singer Damien Wilson on vocals, but I have to say that I've always favored Mac and the material with him more. At the same time, it's not like I can blame the band for him not being in Threshold anymore and I'd certainly like this to be good. It's also not that I disliked Wilson... just preferred Mac. Given that preference I just couldn't help worrying about a bit of a regression.
Overall, listening to March Of Progress I didn't have much to worry about. While it is true I still prefer McDermott, Wilson is no slouch and the band continues on with good melody and strong songwriting. The fundamentals for everything that make Threshold good haven't really changed. March Of Progress doesn't sound far removed at all from the style the band has been doing and does just sound more like a progression of the same style. In terms of frontman changes this one seems pretty seamless and comes off without a real hitch. If you like Threshold's brand of progressive with a strong focus on melody and memorable songs then there's just no reason not to like this in my book. Threshold have always struck me as finding that great balance of being technical and having variation in the music while still keeping melody and a good flow in mind. That is just what they do again here. One band that comes to mind for me is Evergrey who have had a similar approach, especially in more recent years. Royal Hunt would be another band that comes to mind at times.
In terms of songs, I do tend to like the album when it picks up the pace a bit more. I guess in the end I am a metal guy. Ashes starts off the album as a good up beat opener and ends up being a highlight. Also worth mentioning is The Hours which has kind of a dark vibe to it between the heavy guitar and some good utilization of keyboard. That one is probably my favorite the album has to offer. On the other end of the spectrum though is the almost ballad-ish That's Why We Came which is extremely well done. It also shows off the fact that Damien Wilson is a pretty gifted singer. Nice range displayed on this one and it basically becomes a strong vocal showcase.
Overall, I'm pretty pleased with the results. Threshold still sounds like Threshold and Damien Wilson does an admirable job retaking the vocal reins. I'm a McDermott fan and I accepted it so I can imagine both McDermott fans and of course Wilson fans enjoying this. If you like Threshold you shouldn't hesitate to get this one and if you're a fan of melodic progressive metal you should check this out.
Highlights: The Hours, Ashes, That's Why We Came
Rating - 3.5/5
2. Return of the Thought Police
3. Staring At The Sun
4. Liberty Complacency Dependency
5. Colophon
6. The Hours
7. That's Why We Came
8. Don't Look Down
9. Coda
10. Rubicon
March Of Progress is an album which I wasn't quite sure what to make of going into listening and reviewing it. I like Threshold and they had not long ago found a really good sound on their most recent effort, Dead Reckoning. I was feeling like the band was in a pretty good place when suddenly Andrew McDermott left the band and passed away. The band pursued a logical course from there and got back with earlier singer Damien Wilson on vocals, but I have to say that I've always favored Mac and the material with him more. At the same time, it's not like I can blame the band for him not being in Threshold anymore and I'd certainly like this to be good. It's also not that I disliked Wilson... just preferred Mac. Given that preference I just couldn't help worrying about a bit of a regression.
Overall, listening to March Of Progress I didn't have much to worry about. While it is true I still prefer McDermott, Wilson is no slouch and the band continues on with good melody and strong songwriting. The fundamentals for everything that make Threshold good haven't really changed. March Of Progress doesn't sound far removed at all from the style the band has been doing and does just sound more like a progression of the same style. In terms of frontman changes this one seems pretty seamless and comes off without a real hitch. If you like Threshold's brand of progressive with a strong focus on melody and memorable songs then there's just no reason not to like this in my book. Threshold have always struck me as finding that great balance of being technical and having variation in the music while still keeping melody and a good flow in mind. That is just what they do again here. One band that comes to mind for me is Evergrey who have had a similar approach, especially in more recent years. Royal Hunt would be another band that comes to mind at times.
In terms of songs, I do tend to like the album when it picks up the pace a bit more. I guess in the end I am a metal guy. Ashes starts off the album as a good up beat opener and ends up being a highlight. Also worth mentioning is The Hours which has kind of a dark vibe to it between the heavy guitar and some good utilization of keyboard. That one is probably my favorite the album has to offer. On the other end of the spectrum though is the almost ballad-ish That's Why We Came which is extremely well done. It also shows off the fact that Damien Wilson is a pretty gifted singer. Nice range displayed on this one and it basically becomes a strong vocal showcase.
Overall, I'm pretty pleased with the results. Threshold still sounds like Threshold and Damien Wilson does an admirable job retaking the vocal reins. I'm a McDermott fan and I accepted it so I can imagine both McDermott fans and of course Wilson fans enjoying this. If you like Threshold you shouldn't hesitate to get this one and if you're a fan of melodic progressive metal you should check this out.
Highlights: The Hours, Ashes, That's Why We Came
Rating - 3.5/5
No comments:
Post a Comment