MY SOLILOQUY - The Interpreter (2013)

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Guitarist, singer & composer Pete Morten is - as many of you are aware, one of the new members of UK wonders Threshold, and his musical skills can be heard prominently featured on the band's great album from last year.
Pete's been in many projects over the years including his own band MY SOLILOQUY since 2002, playing all over Europe and sharing stages with big names of the prog metal field.
Now, after all these years and surviving multiple line-up changes they've finally put out their stunning debut full-length album "The Interpreter".

This recording is sure to spark the interest of Threshold, Circus Maximus and Fates Warning fans and they won't be disappointed once they hear My Soliloquy's excellent modern Progressive Metal.
But it also will appeal listeners from other genres, as apart of symphonic keyboards and shredding guitar leads, the melodies and riffs leans many times into elaborated Neo-Prog and even Hard Rock, all packed in a powerful delivery, of course.
Morten is so much more than a skilled guitarist and he really shows what a versatile talent he is taking care of lead vocals, guitars, bass and keyboards, in fact the only instrument he doesn't play on The Interpreter are the drums. Getting back to those vocals and Pete has quite a range and diversity that works good here, although his singing is an acquired taste.

The word that just keeps coming to my mind after listening to "The Interpreter" is 'craft'. The craft of great songwriting, the craft of finding just the right notes and textures to fit the mood of the song and most of all, the craft of one of the most expressive voices in metal, progressive or otherwise. All of the songs on "The Interpreter" are in the five-seven minute range which allows the musicians to put in enough great ideas to augment the basis of each piece.
The CD begins with "Ascension Pending", a track that introduces the sound of the band, has a requisite amount of heaviness and a few softer parts that allow Pete to show his full, dramatic vocal range.
"Flash Point" starts right up with a killer heavy riff punctuated by Morten’s trademark punchy guitar accents, has a driving intense vocal melody, a wonderful softer acoustic mid-section followed by a beautiful guitar solo and a heavy and highly epic finish.

After that intensity, we get the beautiful and slightly complex "Corrosive De-Emphasis" which begins in a Neo-Prog style but then about halfway through, changes gears completely into a soft pensivity before resolving the piece in an almost middle-eastern sounding motif and restating the beginning theme. A highlight.
"Fractured" is one of the heaviest and moving pieces on the album and has a very cool short theme that is played and varied throughout the song (by both keys and guitars) to provide a lot of effect.
Next we get the beautiful and somewhat melancholy power ballad "Six Seconds Grace" and the jumping yet atmospheric of "Dream In Extremis". Follower "Inner Circles" is a quirky, melodic piece that juxtaposes some of Pete’s most expressive vocals as well as his great guitar tone.
The CD then closes with the stunning "Star", an incredibly beautiful and dramatic ending to the album that reminds me of some of the best work that I.Q.’s done over the years. To close out the album, this Neo-Prog song has the band pulling out all of the emotional stops, with a slow, languorous guitar over several different vocal parts before finishing so improbably and so beautifully with just piano and strings.

"The Interpreter" is an awe-inspiring piece of art quite difficult to classify into any particular genre, but that's a good thing in my book. Like Threshold, My Soliloquy is a band that wants to make you feel rather than bowl you over with chops.
What's so nice is that while this is definitely a Prog Metal album in many aspects, the roots of the sound are very much influenced by the melodic inventiveness and accessibility of the Neo-Progressive movement of the '80s primarily exemplified by the U.K. bands Marillion and IQ. It's not at all surprising as the album was co-produced, mixed, mastered by Rob Aubrey who's also worked with Marillion in the past.
Everyone should check "The Interpreter" no matter which musical genre you like most, this a superbly crafted piece of music.
Easily Recommended.


01 - Ascension Pending
02 - Flash Point
03 - Corrosive De-Emphasis
04 - Fractured
05 - Six Seconds Grace
06 - Dream In Extremis
07 - Inner Circles
08 - Star

Pete Morten - vocals, guitars, bass, keyboards
Damon Roots - drums, percussion
Mike Gilpin - add. guitars, vocals
Andy Berry - add. keyboards
Chris Sharp - add. bass



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THRESHOLD - Wounded Land [Definitive Edition] (2012)

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"Wounded Land" is the British prog metal band THRESHOLD's debut album released in 1993. And what a debut! It is not too common to find a debut release that blow you away like this one.
Hot in the heels of their stupendous recent new CD 'March Of Progress', the band is re-releasing "Wounded Land" fully remastered and with 3 killer bonus tracks.

Damian Wilson (later in Ayreon and Star One) was the original singer of the band, and for many, their best ever.
"Wounded Land" is an impressive album in all aspects: from songwriting to the lyrics to Wilson's vocals to the production and the guys' talents on their instruments.
Guitarist Karl Groom particularly shines here and the rhythm section is absolutely superb delivering deep bass lines and dynamic drumming. Keyboardist Richard West is very versatile too, he goes from an Arabic/Middle Eastern sounds (check out the opening song "Consumed To Live"), to killer fast solos, to ambient synths creating a magic atmosphere.

Musically, "Wounded Land" is pretty straight rocking for a prog album. It was conceived in a time when prog metal wasn't a genre for itself. Threshold were determined that the mixture of hard rock/metal and progressive rock would sound good, and guess what? It does.
Many has compared this album with Queensryche - the good one of Operation Mindcrime - on steroids, with more complex instrumentation yet extremely melodic and accesible.
While 'Wounded Land' isn't anything too unique in style, there's slight insinuations towards more individual, Threshold's trademark delivery.


"Wounded Land" is Threshold's debut, but it has been heralded as a milestone of Progressive Metal.
Crowned by a fantastic artwork it contained quite demanding, very intelligently arranged pieces, which, contrary to many other Prog Metal bands, always remained accessible with the song clearly stood in the foreground, there was no need for superfluous solo-show-offs.
This remastering sounds absolutely incredible, including as bonuses 3 tracks: "Intervention", which is taken from the CD original Japanese release, plus two tracks that didn't make it on the album, recorded at the beginning of the nineties with bass player Jon Jeary handling the vocals. All quality stuff.
"Wounded Land" is not an ordinary Progressive Metal album; it's melodic, crispy, almost catchy in its delivery.
Highly Recommended.


01 - Consume To Live
02 - Days Of Dearth
03 - Sanity's End
04 - Paradox
05 - Surface To Air
06 - Mother Earth
07 - Siege Of Baghdad
08 - Keep It With Mine
09 - Intervention (bonus track)
10 - Conceal The Face (bonus track)
11 - Shifting Sands (bonus track)


Damian Wilson - lead & backing vocals
Karl Groom - guitars, bass pedals
Richard West - keyboards, synths, orchestration
Jon Jeary - bass, acoustic guitar, vocals
Nick Midson - guitars
Tony Grinham - drums & percussion



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tinyurl.com/nuclear-blast-records-wound012

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THRESHOLD - March Of Progress [Limited Edition] (2012)

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After long five years, UK prog-metallers THRESHOLD are back with a brand-new studio album entitled "March Of Progress" with original singer Damian Wilson rejoining the band.
Threshold has always been a different beast in the Prog Metal scene, crafting their very own trademark style that is a far cry from the typical contemporary sound in the genre.
"March of Progress" is an all encompassing effort, blending the atmosphere and edge of the band's earlier albums - particularly the use of massive arrangements with the commercial gloss and almost Melodic Hard Rock accessibility.

This is a colossal album at over an hour in length plenty of different atmospheres, arrangements and thought provoking lyrics. A majestic, grandiose effort that pours out the speakers flooding and drenching the room thanks to a vibrant, crystalline mix.
Damian Wilson sounds the best he's ever sounded, age has done nothing but favours to him stepping from strength to strength over the years and it's about time he received unanimous praise. Not only does Wilson sound great, but as Threshold have grown as a band so has the way they write their vocal melodies.
This means Damian is singing some of the best vocal lines of his career coupled with the band's highly professional and massively enjoyable style of backing vocals (which I would say unique to the band).
Take a listen at the sublime opener "Ashes" or the majesty of "Colophon" for proof.

Musically, "March Of Progress" is an amalgamation of Threshold's discography with the band shifting dynamics right the way through the record. From atmospheric, quasi ethereal progressive backdrops, to some of the band's very heaviest riffage, with melodious passsages in between for a perfect balance.
Guitarist Karl Groom laid down some of the finest riffs he's ever wrote as well as some of his most awe-inspiring leads while Richard West proves his skill as a musician on every level, with excellent piano style pieces, flawless synth fills and some technically tasty leads.
The addition of former Power Quest axe-slinger Pete Morton on rhythm guitars really helps round out the guitar sound giving a good deal of crunch. The rhythm section of Johanne James and Steve Anderson is tighter the the bark on a tree, with Johanne's tasteful stick work demanding of your sole attention and Steve's bass having a perfect spot in the mix, always relevant and anchoring everything perfectly.
I have extensively described the musicianship here because if you never heard Threshold, you should notice they're brilliant in this department.

And what about the songs (writing). As on all Threshold albums, "March Of Progress" works best listened to in one go for the experience, and I will also say that just about every track is ultimately a standout.
Special attention has to go to "Don't Look Down" which is up there with the best songs the band have ever wrote and it could stand as the flagship-song for Threshold; superb vocals, stupendous musicianship that is heavy and never overtly indulgent, meaty melody and subtle dynamic shifts. In short; all what Threshold is all about.
Also particularly remarkable is the longest track here, "The Rubicon". The song has superb dynamics and breaks with a very dark vibe, especially when it busts into an absolutely punishing dirge towards the end.


If you care at all about Progressive Metal (and much more in-between), with "March Of Progress" prepare yourself for an incredibly stunning release.
I doubt anything is going to come out this year in the genre and match the quality displayed on this CD. It boasts depth in spades, it's intelligent, thought provoking and masterfully crafted in all aspects.
It is a long journey clocking over an hour but flowing easily if you want to, however, it's an album worthy of investing a good amount of time and concentration and I can assure you the more time you invest, the greater the bearing fruits become.
"March Of Progress" sees Threshold catapulted to the very top of their genre, and I hope the guys see a lot of success with this release as it is completely deserved.
Close to perfection.


01 - Ashes
02 - Return Of The Thought Police
03 - Staring At The Sun
04 - Liberty, Complacency, Dependency
05 - Colophon
06 - The Hours
07 - That's Why We Come
08 - Don't Look Down
09 - Coda
10 - The Rubicon
11 - Divinity (digi bonus track)


Damian Wilson - vocals
Karl Groom - guitar
Pete Morten - guitar
Steve Anderson - bass
Richard West - keyboards
Johanne James - drums



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