Dead Reckoning

Nuclear Blast

England’s leading Progressive Metal outfit Threshold are most assuredly the U.K.’s definitive answer to Dream Theater and rightly so. The bands most recent work comes via the album Dead Reckoning which is currently available through Nuclear Blast records and promises to be a powerhouse assault on the genre’s genetic makeup. I couldn’t be happier with this release in terms of production and writing ability. When it comes to making a band sound good, I don’t believe in limitations as long as the artist is able to maintain an organic feel in their creative endeavors and in my book Threshold have nailed it. While they do boast an overtly polished sound there remains a unfalteringly human provision in their overall conveyance.

Surprisingly the albums first single “Pilot In The Sky Of Dreams” is the weakest song on the CD with a rather soft ballad like premise that is somewhat unbefitting for a Metal band if you ask me. Vocalist Mac McDermott sounds vaguely reminiscent of Barry Manilow in this stripped down fashion that is predominately him and the piano. A better first offering would have been the albums opener “Slipstream” which actually incorporates some very admirable Death Metal growls, thus sending the listener the message that what they are in store for is not for the faint of heart and will unquestionably pack one hell of a punch. This insinuation is a pretty accurate assumption for the most part with only a couple of the songs backing down along the way including the aforementioned first single and ”Fighting For Breath”. Heavy rockers such as “This is Your Life”, and “Elusive” which again taps into the Death Metal vocal style are the songs that truly carry this CD.

Epic - well composed and utterly entertaining in every aspect, Dead Reckoning is without a doubt the most accomplished material that Threshold have created within their two decades of existence. The band are scheduled to play the Prog Power VIII festival October 8th, 2007 in Atlanta, Georgia but there are high hopes of them doing a full scale North American tour. I know the fans would surely appreciate it.    

-Priest