Threshold (band)

Threshold

Threshold 2009 L-R: Richard West, Johanne James, Pete Morten, Damian Wilson, Steve Anderson, Karl Groom
Background information
Origin England
Genres Progressive metal
Years active 1988–present
Labels Giant Electric Pea
Nuclear Blast
Inside Out Music
Website http://thresh.net
Members Karl Groom
Damian Wilson
Richard West
Johanne James
Steve Anderson
Pete Morten
Past members Nick Midson
Jon Jeary
Tony Grinham
Pete Crawford
Ian Bennett
Glynn Morgan
Nick Harradence
Jay Micciche
Mark Heaney
Andrew "Mac" McDermott

Threshold is a progressive metal band, formed in Surrey, UK in the late 1980s.

History

1988 - 1992

Threshold began their career in 1988, initially playing covers of metal groups like Ratt and Testament. As they continued playing together, they began to write their own songs, and eventually stopped playing covers altogether. Early recordings were released locally on cassette under the band name "If Not, Why?". They played their first gig at The Compasses in Egham, Surrey, with Jon Jeary on vocals and Ian Bennett on bass. In 1992, they signed their first record deal, and after adding vocalist Damian Wilson to the group alongside guitarists Karl Groom and Nick Midson, bassist Jon Jeary and drummer Tony Grinham, produced their first commercial recording, "Intervention," which was released on a Dutch progressive rock compilation album. Shortly afterwards, keyboardist Richard West joined the band, and he remains with them to this day.

1993 - 1999

The band's debut album, Wounded Land, was released in 1993, taking its name and some thematic elements from Stephen R. Donaldson's novel of the same name. Wilson was unavailable to join the band for the follow-up tour, and so Glynn Morgan was recruited to replace him. He sang on the band's 1994 second recording, Psychedelicatessen, which spawned a music video for the song "Innocent," the band's first. The following year, Morgan and the band toured Europe and recorded some of their performances for the short live album, Livedelica.

Threshold took a break before their next effort, during which time Morgan and then-drummer Jay Micciche left to form Mindfeed. Rather than finding an unknown singer to replace him, the band turned again to Damian Wilson, and together they recorded 1997's Extinct Instinct. They followed this with another tour of Europe, this time supported by Enchant. Additionally, Johanne James, the band's current drummer, played with them for the first time during this tour. Wilson was unavailable for their next album, so former Sargant Fury vocalist Andrew "Mac" McDermott, joined to record Clone and would remain with them until 2007.

2000 - 2005

In 2001, Threshold released Hypothetical, which saw Johanne James firmly cemented as the band's permanent drummer. Another lineup change occurred in 2003, when bassist Jon Jeary left and was replaced by Steve Anderson. Around this time the band also re-released their first three studio albums in Special Editions, with bonus tracks, a remastered sound, expanded liner notes and, in the case of Wounded Land and Psychedelicatessen, special CD-ROM content. Their newer albums, starting with Hypothetical, were released in Limited Editions, with similar bonus content. The albums Critical Mass (2002) and Subsurface (2004) followed, interspersed by the double live album and DVD Critical Energy.[1]

Karl Groom and Pete Morten, 2015
2006–Present

Threshold left their longtime label, InsideOut Music, in 2006 to join Nuclear Blast Records. The band released Dead Reckoning which spawned a music video for an edit of the song 'Pilot In The Sky Of Dreams'. The song also appeared on the 2008 movie soundtrack In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale. This marks the first occasion of a song by the band appearing in a motion picture.

In July 2007 vocalist Mac left the band and original singer Damian Wilson returned as Threshold's frontman for the first time in nearly a decade for the band's tour dates which extended into 2009.

InsideOut Music released the first official Threshold compilation in November 2007. The album, titled "The Ravages of Time," is a two-disc set, covering all of the band's official albums from Wounded Land to Dead Reckoning.

In 2009 the band released a limited edition eight-disc singles box set, including previously unreleased b-sides and brand new re-recordings of old demo songs released in other forms before, including Smile At the Moon, (which was debuted live on the 2009 Essence of Progression Tour), Shifting Sands, Half Way Home and Fist of Tongues.

On 3 August 2011, former vocalist Andrew McDermott died of kidney failure.

On 24 August 2012, Nuclear Blast announced the release of March of Progress. It was the first album to feature Damian Wilson on vocals since 1997. The album was followed on 19 September 2014 by the band's 10th studio album "For The Journey".[2]

Style

The band's style is progressive metal featuring a combination of heavy guitars and sweeping keyboards, underscored by tight drumwork and bass. The band's lyrical content is concerned with subjects such as life, religion, science, politics and the environment.

Personnel

Current members
  • Karl Groom - guitars (1988–present)
  • Damian Wilson - lead vocals (1992-1993, 1996-1998, 2007–present)
  • Richard West - keyboards (1992–present)
  • Johanne James - drums (2000–present)
  • Steve Anderson - bass (2003–present)
  • Pete Morten - guitars (2007–present)

Former members
  • Nick Midson - guitars (1988-2006)
  • Jon Jeary - lead vocals (1988-1992), bass (1992-2003)
  • Tony Grinham - drums (1988-1993)
  • Pete Crawford - bass (1990-1992)
  • Ian Bennett - bass (1988-1990)
  • Glynn Morgan - lead vocals (1993-1996)
  • Nick Harradence - drums (1993-1994)
  • Jay Micciche - drums (1994-1996)
  • Mark Heaney - drums (1996-2000)
  • Andrew "Mac" McDermott - lead vocals (1998-2007; died 2011)

Timeline

Discography

Studio albums

Year Album details Peak positions
GER
[3]
NLD
[4]
SWI
[5]
SWE
[6]
FIN
[7]
AUT
[8]
FRA
[9]
UK
[10]
UK (Rock)
[11]
1993 Wounded Land
1994 Psychedelicatessen
1997 Extinct Instinct
1998 Clone
2001 Hypothetical
2002 Critical Mass 78
2004 Subsurface 66
2007 Dead Reckoning 64 95 37
2012 March of Progress 28 70 30 43 55 102 23
2014 For the Journey 33 74 19 33 71 118 116 3
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

Compilations

Live albums

DVD

Singles

Music videos

Remixes and rarities album

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Threshold.
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