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On stage: Threshold



- W.O.A. - Aug. 1999 - Wacken (D) -
- Threshold & Ark - Sep. 2001 - Helmond (NL) -
- Threshold & Serenity - Oct. 2009 - Essen (D) -


www.thresh.net












- Threshold & Serenity -
- October 29th 2009 - Essen (D), Zeche Carl -





Serenity live in Essen

Serenity live in Essen

Threshold live in Essen

Threshold live in Essen

Threshold live in Essen

Threshold started back in 1988 and Karl Groom and his mates are still enjoy playing live and so they hit the road again. One more time they brought Austrian band Serenity with them, but for the opening slot of the Essence Of Progression Tour got Spheric Universe Experience.
I missed the opener, coz we had food ordered at Malakov and it took a bit longer then expected - but it was delicious!
Later I heard from some people that the French were playing technically on a high level, but couldn't really move the people...
In June Serenity played a few shows with Kamelot and already announced that they will be back with Threshold. When Serenity entered the stage more people were waiting for them and during the set it became obvious that quite a few came to see Serenity and Threshold! Due to the short stage time they focused on the current album Fallen Sanctuary incl. Rust Of Coming Ages which they played early in their set. The band had just played a tour with their fellow countrymen Edenbridge and so the play like clockwork. Singer Georg Neuhauser was communicating with the fans between the songs, but didn't waste time. The people's reaction when Georg announced Coldness Kills made the band smile. And they enjoyed being on stage and most bands would have taken the ballad of the set list, but I guess their fans would have loudly demanded Fairytales incl. an a cappella part where Georg Neuhauser was joined by drummer Andreas Schimpflinger and keyboarder Mario Hirzinger. Very cool! After Sheltered By The Obscure the had to come to an end. The fans wanted more and so Georg was telling them to come to Aschaffenburg... Anyway, a new album is on it's way and so they sooner or later will be back on tour! Thanks for a great show, even if it was way too short!
After a change over it was time for one of the best progressive metal bands - Threshold! They kicked off with Under The Sun and Fighting For Breath. The stage set up wasn't the usual, drummer Johanne James and keyboarder Richard West were placed at the sides leaving the mid-stage open - and so more room for the others to move around - and to give the fans a better view onto the video screen. The last album were recorded with singer Andrew 'Mac' McDermott and their returned singer Damian Wilson has a totally different voice and way to sing. Both are masters, but they are so different that it was interesting to see Damian Wilson handling the songs from the last releases. Many fans saw them lately with Wilson, but for some it was a new experience. Personally I prefer Mac on mic, but that's simply a matter of taste. Karl Groom had put together a set list with songs from their early days til now. Highlights of the show were songs like Critical Mass, Avalon, The Art Of Reason and my personal highlights were Pilot In The Sky Of Dreams, Long Way Home and Slipstream. The video projections showed some artworks, some scenes from the streets and the logo. At Pilot In The Sky Of Dreams the video was shown on the big screen. At longer instrumental passages Damian Wilson left the stage and walked through the audience shaking hands. At one of these trips he climbed up to the balcony and greeted everybody up there. Slipstream was the last song of the regular set, but the fans wanted more and after a few moments the British returned for two more songs. And with Paradox they had chosen another highlight for the encore. After about 2 hrs the band left the stage, with 2 support bands it was getting quite late and so many fans left immediately. A few were lingering a bit longer and so got the chance to get a photo with Damian Wilson.




Claudia Ehrhardt

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Threshold & Ark
- September, 15th 2001 - Helmond (NL), Plato -




Since the festival season is over not many bands hit the European roads. Now two very interesting bands touring together, both are linked to the progressive metal scene. So I made the quick decision to go to Helmond on a Saturday night to see Ark and Threshold.
The band of guitarist Tore Østby, former Conception, is a kind of all-star band and is called Ark. When they entered the stage some fans were irritated by the make-up of singer Jorn Lande, but it's part of the show / story. Unfortunately the sound wasn't very good and the voice was too loud. Anyway, the band presented most of the tracks from their 2nd album Burn The Sun. They started with the opening track of the album which is called Heal The Waters and showed right from the start the talent, the skills of the band members. Many will know Jorn Lande and drummer John Macaluso from their time with Yngwie Malmsteen, but beside Lande's voice the most important part of the Ark sound is guitarist Tore Østby. Songs like Burn The Sun, Resurrection and Absolute Zero couldn't show their whole beauty due to the unbalanced sound. But the fans wanted to have a good time and they had a good time. Unfortunately Ark just played about 50 min.... Hopefully they will return to the European stages soon to present more!
After a break the British prog metal band Threshold came on stage and the fans gave them a warm welcome. Luckily the Plato has a bigger stage than most of the clubs, coz so they had the chance to move. Singer Mac and his companions started with Sunseeker. The band of guitarist Karl Groom and Nick Midson were out on the road to promote their latest album Hypothetical which got great critics everywhere. It's the 2nd album with former Sargant Fury singer Mac who fit well into the sound of Threshold. New songs like Turn On, Tune In and Sheltering Sky as well as older material like Mother Earth and Devoted moved the fans. It was obvious that the band had a lot of fun and so the fans. Luckily the sound was much better when Threshold played. The tight rhythm section build a perfect playground for the guitars and Mac's vocals. After presenting six new and 6 old songs which included the more than 10 min. long opus The Ravages Of Time from Hypothetical the band left. But the Dutch fans wanted more. The band returned to play two more tracks before they finally left.
It was a great package and beside the sound problems a fantastic show. As usual the bands spend some time in the bar talking with fans until they had to leave, heading to their next stop of the tour.



Claudia Ehrhardt

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