Ok, so with Crazy's list almost a week without an update, and Doc busier than a one-legged-man in an ass-kicking contest, I'm gonna go since there's only Rich's list active.
22) Threshold – Subsurface (2004)
Tracks to try ...
Ground Control, Mission Profile, Pressure
So I get this PM out of the blue from Doc late in 2011 saying I should check these guys out, and he links me to Dead Reckoning. I have a listen, and while it was really good, I wasn’t floored at first. I was intrigued enough to check out the rest of them though, and it dawned on me that this was the band that Damian Wilson (who at the time I loved predominantly through his contributions to Star One and Ayreon) was accredited too. But Dead Reckoning didn’t sound at all like Wilson
. A little investigation was due. Little did I know that there were 8 studio albums under their belt. Went and sampled a few (ironically, I first landed on a compilation CD)... and I was sold – hook, line and sinker. I can’t believe that I didn’t dig deep into them given my love for Wilson’s voice. There are two school’s of fandom for Threshold... those that prefer Mac, and those that prefer Wilson. I’ll go with the latter, but just by a smidge. Subsurface is the fourth album with Mac’s vocals, and this one settled in the zone that I most love – great heavy tracks, a couple of slower paced ones, a 10 minute monster, and even a ballad. Karl Groom (Guitars) and Richard West (keys) do the bulk of the writing and production, and here they combine a great blend of heavy guitars, flowing keyboards, and an ultra-tight rhythm section. Seriously, they are so tight on this album, it almost stings... but in a good way. The first two opening tracks (Mission Profile and Ground Control) are as good as any opening pair, ever.
Related Honorable Mention: Clone. You’d think with my love of concept/thematic albums, Clone would be here, but there’s a certain ‘je ne sais quoi’ that leads me to prefer Subsurface. Clone is damn good though.
21) Roswell Six – Terra Incognita:Beyond the Horizon (2009)
Tracks to try ...
The Winds of War, I Am The Point, Beyond the Horizon
April 1st, 2012. No fooling. Last year’s spring sale at TheRecordLabel.net provided a few awesome haul’s (some showing up on the list and honorable mentions), this being the best of the bunch (oh, and this year's sale just started - go there nao!). I was actually looking at the second Roswell Six album, as it was musically composed by Henning Pauly, but Nick insisted this was crucial as well... and with JLB as one of the lead vocalists, how can one resist? This album has a rather unique story behind it. It was actually the brainchild of novelist Kevin J. Anderson – along with his wife Rebecca, Shawn Gordon (owner of the label), Erik Norlander, Lana Lane, and bassist Kurt Barabass (see Amaran’s Plight, #42)... they all met in Roswell, NM, hence the name Roswell Six. The album is based on Anderson’s novel “The Edge of the World”, the first in a fantasy trilogy. It has an incredibly impressive lineup... musically you’ve got Gary Wehrkamp, Chris Quirarte (Prymary), Chris Brown (Ghost Circus) accompanying Kurt. Vocally, Lane and LaBrie as mentioned, along with Michael Sadler (Saga) and John Payne (one-time with Asia). All deliver stunning performances. I had heard some of Norlander’s music before casually, but this album cemented me as a fan – and wow... Lana Lane. Her nickname ‘Queen of Symphonic Rock’ is pretty spot on (rock, not metal... lest the Simone/Floor/Sharon fans offer an argument). Norlander is heavy into the keyboards, along with grand and sweeping melodies both on the keys and all manner of strings. This is a great symphonic album, with lots of recurring melodies, diverse range of songs – ballads, instrumentals, moody/soulful, upbeat/rockin... all perfectly accompany Anderson’s lyrical adaptation of the novel. I ended up loving the album so much, that I bought the novels – which are fantastic if you’re a sci-fi/fantasy reader.
Related Honorable Mention: Terra Incognita: A Line in the Sand. Henning Pauly’s written contribution to the novel trilogy - for the second book. There are some lineup changes, with additional contributions from Steve Walsh, Arjen Lucassen, Alex Froese, and one of my fave female vocalists ever, Canadian Sass Jordan.