The Threshold Thread v. Divided Lines

[The Walrus]

Bah.

I suppose it doesn't matter, you're right. That's just something that tossed around in my head while I was reflecting on the albums. There aren't many bands I like who make me feel so polarized on their discography. This is worse than Helloween, and that's REALLY all over the place 

[Lethean]

Firewings, do you think Lost is as beautiful and awesome as I do?

[The Walrus]

Firewings, do you think Lost is as beautiful and awesome as I do?

As much as you? Oh, probably not.  But it's great. And it's only a few minutes long, it gets right to the point. It's a lovely song. The production + Glynn's voice really sound great.

I didn't know until recently it was a bonus track. Spotify doesn't note which tracks were originally bonus tracks, so it just has the definitive edition of Psych with 13 tracks and 5 live ones.

[Lethean]

Firewings, do you think Lost is as beautiful and awesome as I do?

As much as you? Oh, probably not. 

  You totally do!

But it's great. And it's only a few minutes long, it gets right to the point. It's a lovely song. The production + Glynn's voice really sound great.

Don't know if I have anything to say about the production, but agree with the rest.   Still remember the first time I heard it.

I didn't know until recently it was a bonus track. Spotify doesn't note which tracks were originally bonus tracks, so it just has the definitive edition of Psych with 13 tracks and 5 live ones.

My Psychedelicatessen is the Inside Out version, which is 11 tracks (the bonus 2 being Lost and Intervention) + the Livedelica.  But I got the last 2 tracks on a totally cool compilation. 

[The Walrus]

Sometime after PP when I can afford to buy CDs again I'm going to try to pick up Psych and the other ones I really like, ideally all with the bonus material.

[Lethean]

I say you buy it before PP and bring it with you so I can look it over...   I know I've mentioned either here or on the mp forum that I mostly buy digital and don't need cds collecting dust, but I feel like I want those definitive versions even if I already have all the tracks...

How do you like the last two bonus tracks, by the way?

[jingle.boy]

Sometime after PP when I can afford to buy CDs again I'm going to try to pick up Psych and the other ones I really like, ideally all with the bonus material.

I hope you've saved up for PP.  I think I walked away with 20 or so albums from the merchant tables when I went.

[The Walrus]

I say you buy it before PP and bring it with you so I can look it over...   I know I've mentioned either here or on the mp forum that I mostly buy digital and don't need cds collecting dust, but I feel like I want those definitive versions even if I already have all the tracks...

How do you like the last two bonus tracks, by the way?

I plan on leaving Atlanta with a ton of CDs, so I'm saving all my spending money for the vendor room and record stores. Maybe get an Angra and PP shirt, too.

I have 3 other bonus tracks on Psych on Spotify. Intervention, Fist of Tongues, Half Way Home. Intervention is okay, but a bit too long. Fist of Tongues is my jam, a nice faster track. Half Way Home is inoffensive, doesn't really do much for me but it isn't bad. Lost and FoT are definitely my favorites of the 4.

@chad: I haven't been able to save up much (living alone is expensive, and I'm losing $100 next month for my car registration - boooo), but that's why I plan on raiding the record stores for even cheaper albums. Even the big record store in my nearby city has fuck all in terms of metal and prog so I'm psyched to see what Atlanta has sitting around waiting to be bought. (Plus you fuckers majorly increased my backlog with the roulette. With any luck I'll find some Leprous to buy )

[Lethean]

I say you buy it before PP and bring it with you so I can look it over...   I know I've mentioned either here or on the mp forum that I mostly buy digital and don't need cds collecting dust, but I feel like I want those definitive versions even if I already have all the tracks...

How do you like the last two bonus tracks, by the way?

I plan on leaving Atlanta with a ton of CDs, so I'm saving all my spending money for the vendor room and record stores. Maybe get an Angra and PP shirt, too.

I have 3 other bonus tracks on Psych on Spotify. Intervention, Fist of Tongues, Half Way Home. Intervention is okay, but a bit too long. Fist of Tongues is my jam, a nice faster track. Half Way Home is inoffensive, doesn't really do much for me but it isn't bad. Lost and FoT are definitely my favorites of the 4.

Shockingly, I love all 4 bonus tracks.  Can you rank the songs on Psychedelicatessen?  I'm guessing that my favorite tracks will probably be your least favorites, as you will think they are too long.    But I'm curious about your ranking; ties are fine.

Yeah, you definitely need an Angra shirt and a PP shirt.

@chad: I haven't been able to save up much (living alone is expensive, and I'm losing $100 next month for my car registration - boooo), but that's why I plan on raiding the record stores for even cheaper albums. Even the big record store in my nearby city has fuck all in terms of metal and prog so I'm psyched to see what Atlanta has sitting around waiting to be bought. (Plus you fuckers majorly increased my backlog with the roulette. With any luck I'll find some Leprous to buy )

Some years I've purchased quite a bit from the vendor room, but lately I haven't been.  I certainly did find some Leprous after being blown away by them, and they are indeed a band for which I want the physical cds.

[The Walrus]

Although I've listened to Psych several times I'm not sure I could rank the songs just yet. I could tell you my favorites, though - Sunseeker, Will To Give, Under the Sun, Into the Light, Lost and Fist of Tongues (if counting bonuses). The first half is stronger than the second imo. The rest of the songs all kind of sound too similar for me to rank. (EDIT: Tension of Souls would be up there but, as usual, it's too long - the second half is awesome, the first half kinda bores me)

[Lethean]

Glad to see that Into the Light is up there.   I'd looooove them to pull that one out now that Glynn is back in the band.   I would have a hard time ranking the tracks too, but I think Into the Light would take the top spot.  I love the beginning of A Tension of Souls; I think it sets up the song really nicely.  FYI, Fist of Tongues and Halfway Home were recorded in 2008 or 2009. 

Maybe I should ask for a Dead Reckoning ranking instead though...

[The Walrus]

Would that be with Damian or Mac on vocals? That's interesting. DR is the one album I can do a 100% ranking for certain, give me a few minutes...

[Lethean]

Would that be with Damian or Mac on vocals? That's interesting. DR is the one album I can do a 100% ranking for certain, give me a few minutes...

No - with Glynn on vocals on the version that you've been listening to.    He went in to record those 2 songs for a compilation that they put together in 2009.

[The Walrus]

Oh, that's even better! Good guy, Glynn

1. Pilot in the Sky of Dreams (the best Threshold song)
2. Slipstream (the second best Threshold song)
3. This Is Your Life
4. Fighting For Breath
5. One Degree Down
6. Safe to Fly
7. Disappear
8. Elusive
9. Hollow

1-5 are all freaking awesome. 6-9 could all switch places with each other honestly, they're all good songs but the top 5 are that much better, and they sound a bit similar to each other, so that's where they fall.

[Lethean]

I was curious if you seemed to have a song writer preference, but between this and Psychedelicatessen, there's really no pattern. (Not for me either).

Hollow would definitely be way higher on my list, as well as Safe to Fly, but I'm not sure I have a definitive order.  I can agree with #1 though (but would call it "one of the" best Threshold songs).

[The Walrus]

I wish they had more songs like Pilot. I'm still disappointed that there's nothing else quite like it in their catalog. None of their longer tracks sound like it or have the elements I enjoy in it (although Sanity's End does have the tastiest lead synth sound from all their albums, in my opinion).

[Lethean]

Maybe that's part of what makes it so special.  But for me, their longer track often tend to be my favorites, and I like how most of them are quite different from each other. 

[Nick]

Just adding that Pilot is without a doubt the best Threshold song. Very few bands will I make a statement about a single song and say it clearly separates itself from an otherwise large and good catalog, but that song does it.

[T-ski]

"Pilot" does nothing for me.

[Lethean]

"Pilot" does nothing for me.

Are you feeling OK?

[The Walrus]

I've made a point to say how little Threshold's lyrics generally resonate with me, because Pilot's lyrics are insanely good to me. I love the story it tells, I love the theme, how poetic the choice of words tends to be ("in heavy consternation" is not a line I would normally think is good, but it sounds so natural and elegant as a way to start the song, for example). Coupled with the great balance of keyboards and guitars with this really 'cool' atmosphere it creates... Specifically the vocal melody in the verse over the simple guitar chords. Just a real masterpiece. I'm sad for T-ski that it does nothing for him

[jingle.boy]

"Pilot" does nothing for me.

I wouldn't say it does nothing, but I don't fellate all over it the way many others do.

[T-ski]

my first taste of Threshold was Hypothetical. 

"Light and Space" hooked me big time.  I also think "Narcissus" is one of their best songs ever.

[Lethean]

my first taste of Threshold was Hypothetical. 

"Light and Space" hooked me big time.  I also think "Narcissus" and one of their best songs ever.

Hypothetical for me too, and both of those songs are incredible, and among my favorites.

[Lethean]

Firewings, I'm surprised how much you like those lyrics, but I'm glad you do.

For me, the lyrics are a piece of the whole Threshold puzzle and those I don't relate to, I'm usually at least intrigued by.  I bet you totally relate to Sanity's End, which might explain some of your opinions...

[The Walrus]

Firewings, I'm surprised how much you like those lyrics, but I'm glad you do.

For me, the lyrics are a piece of the whole Threshold puzzle and those I don't relate to, I'm usually at least intrigued by.  I bet you totally relate to Sanity's End, which might explain some of your opinions...

I'm going through their albums right now trying to figure out who wrote the music and lyrics. I've been wondering (since I finished Clone, Hypothetical, and CM) if there's a single songwriter and I'm just not clicking with their lyrics. So far I've noticed a lot of songs tend to just meander and I don't think they have anything interesting to say, particularly in the 90s material. The lack of powerful melodies (to me) plays a massive part in that though, if a melody doesn't sound strong to me the lyrics are harder to swallow. Still looking, though. Songs like This Is Your Life and Fighting For Breath and Slipstream do exactly what I like, so do several songs on Shires like Small Dark Lines and Stars and Satellites.

EDIT: Wow, Mac didn't write anything? I could have sworn I learned he was a big part of the songwriting... It's all Groom, West, and Jeary (until Jeary left). Yeah, I guess I'm just not big on the way those guys write lyrics.

[Lethean]

I don't think there's a pattern to the music song writing based on your rankings.  Are there lyrics you dislike on your top 5 albums?

[The Walrus]

Well, there aren't actually any lyrics I dislike, to be fair. It's more that there are just a crapton of lyrics that I just don't care about, that don't resonate with me whatsoever. I hesitate to use the word 'boring' so as not to offend fans as I'm sure there is no shortage of lyrics I enjoy that click with me that I'm sure some people would also scoff at, so I get it, but that about sums it up to me. Outright 'bad' lyrics to me are things like 'day after day, night after night, replaying the events, did they ever see the red light' but there's nothing in Threshold's catalog that hits me like that. There seem to be lyrical themes to the band that just don't do anything for me, so that could be why.

Whew. That was longwinded. So, to answer the question, assuming by 'don't like' it means 'lyrics that just sound like filler to me' - oh yeah, definitely. As much as I love DR, the bottom 4 songs in my ranking leave me cold.

[Lethean]

Mac wrote Do Unto Them, which is a great song. He did write with other bands, but I think his work with Threshold is the best.  I believe he made the songs different than they would have been without him, regardless of writing credits, if that makes any sense.

[Lethean]

Well, there aren't actually any lyrics I dislike, to be fair. It's more that there are just a crapton of lyrics that I just don't care about, that don't resonate with me whatsoever. I hesitate to use the word 'boring' so as not to offend fans as I'm sure there is no shortage of lyrics I enjoy that click with me that I'm sure some people would also scoff at, so I get it, but that about sums it up to me. Outright 'bad' lyrics to me are things like 'day after day, night after night, replaying the events, did they ever see the red light' but there's nothing in Threshold's catalog that hits me like that. There seem to be lyrical themes to the band that just don't do anything for me, so that could be why.

Whew. That was longwinded. So, to answer the question, assuming by 'don't like' it means 'lyrics that just sound like filler to me' - oh yeah, definitely. As much as I love DR, the bottom 4 songs in my ranking leave me cold.

In that case there's no pattern, since Richard wrote all of the lyrics on Dead Reckoning. Maybe at some point others will resonate as the melodies grow, or a line catches your ear in a new way.

[The Walrus]

That ship is quickly leaving the harbor because I found a prog metal album this morning that's blowing me away and you may get it in the last round of the roulette

[Lethean]

I'm not talking about something like that happening right now.

[The Walrus]

Oh then yeah it's highly likely it'll never happen. You know that Vulture Industries song I sent you? Had that album on my hard drive for 11 years. Never went back to it until the roulette, and I still haven't played it. 

[Lethean]

Yeah, but you'll be listening to Threshold again, even if it's just your top 5, and those lyrics may catch you.

[The Walrus]

Yeah, but you'll be listening to Threshold again, even if it's just your top 5, and those lyrics may catch you.

Oh lord. Don't let anyone ever say you aren't persistent...