Threshold is an English progressive metal band formed in Surrey in the late… Read Full Bio ↴Threshold is an English progressive metal band formed in Surrey in the late 1980s. They began their career in 1988, initially playing covers of metal groups like Ratt and Testament. As they continued playing together, they began to write their own songs, and eventually stopped playing covers altogether. Early recordings were released locally on cassette under the band name "If Not, Why?". They played their first gig at The Compasses in Egham, Surrey, with Jon Jeary on vocals and Ian Bennett on bass. In 1992, they signed their first record deal, and after adding vocalist Damian Wilson to the group alongside guitarists Karl Groom and Nick Midson, bassist Jon Jeary and drummer Tony Grinham, produced their first commercial recording, "Intervention," which was released on a Dutch progressive rock compilation album. Shortly afterwards, keyboardist Richard West joined the band, and he remains with them to this day.

1993–1999
The band's debut album, Wounded Land, was released in 1993, taking its name and some thematic elements from Stephen R. Donaldson's novel of the same name. Wilson was unavailable to join the band for the follow-up tour, and so Glynn Morgan was recruited to replace him. He sang on the band's 1994 second recording, Psychedelicatessen, which spawned a music video for the song "Innocent," the band's first. The following year, Morgan and the band toured Europe and recorded some of their performances for the short live album, Livedelica.

Threshold took a break before their next effort, during which time Morgan and then-drummer Jay Micciche left to form Mindfeed. Rather than finding an unknown singer to replace him, the band turned again to Damian Wilson, and together they recorded 1997's Extinct Instinct. They followed this with another tour of Europe, this time supported by Enchant. Additionally, Johanne James, the band's current drummer, played with them for the first time during this tour. Wilson was unavailable for their next album, so former Sargant Fury vocalist Andrew "Mac" McDermott, joined to record Clone and would remain with them until 2007.

2000–2005
In 2001, Threshold released Hypothetical, which saw Johanne James firmly cemented as the band's permanent drummer. Another lineup change occurred in 2003, when bassist Jon Jeary left and was replaced by Steve Anderson. Around this time the band also re-released their first three studio albums in Special Editions, with bonus tracks, a remastered sound, expanded liner notes and, in the case of Wounded Land and Psychedelicatessen, special CD-ROM content. Their newer albums, starting with Hypothetical, were released in Limited Editions, with similar bonus content. The albums Critical Mass (2002) and Subsurface (2004) followed, interspersed by the double live album and DVD Critical Energy.

2006–2011
Threshold left their longtime label, InsideOut Music, in 2006 to join Nuclear Blast Records. Guitarist Nick Midson left the band in early 2007 for unknown reasons. The band released Dead Reckoning which spawned a music video for an edit of the song "Pilot in the Sky of Dreams". The song also appeared on the 2008 movie soundtrack In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale. This marks the first occasion of a song by the band appearing in a motion picture. In July 2007 vocalist Mac left the band and original singer Damian Wilson returned as Threshold's frontman for the first time in nearly a decade for the band's tour dates which extended into 2009. Pete Morten replaced Midson as guitarist for the tour and later albums. InsideOut Music released the first official Threshold compilation in November 2007. The album The Ravages of Time is a two-disc set covering all of the band's official albums from Wounded Land to Dead Reckoning. In 2009 the band released a limited edition eight-disc singles box set, including previously unreleased b-sides and brand new re-recordings of old demo songs released in other forms before, including Smile at the Moon, (which was debuted live on the 2009 Essence of Progression Tour), Shifting Sands, Half Way Home and Fist of Tongues. On 3 August 2011, former vocalist Andrew McDermott died of kidney failure.

2012–2017
On 24 August 2012, Nuclear Blast announced the release of March of Progress. It was the first album to feature Damian Wilson on vocals since 1997. The album was followed on 19 September 2014 by the band's tenth studio album For the Journey. The following year the band released the double live album "European Journey" recorded during their November 2014 tour. In February 2017, Pete Morten left Threshold to focus on his own projects, and the following month Threshold announced that they had parted ways with Damian Wilson.

2017–present
Glynn Morgan, the band's former vocalist from 1994 to 1996 replaced Damian Wilson for the album Legends of the Shires released in September 2017. The album entered the top 20 of the national album charts in Germany and Switzerland and spawned a music video for the song "Small Dark Lines". The following year the band released the live album "Two-Zero-One-Seven" recorded during their 2017 European tour. In July 2021 Threshold announced that they were back in the studio recording their twelfth studio album, teasing that "if Legends of the Shires had a slightly darker, moodier older brother then this would be it". In July 2022, the band announced their 12th album would be titled Dividing Lines, and it was released on 18 November 2022.

Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Threshold_(band)

Studio albums
Wounded Land (1993)
Psychedelicatessen (1994)
Extinct Instinct (1997)
Clone (1998)
Hypothetical (2001)
Critical Mass (2002)
Subsurface (2004)
Dead Reckoning (2007)
March of Progress (2012)
For the Journey (2014)
Legends of the Shires (2017)
Dividing Lines (2022)

In the past there have been other bands who used the name Threshold:

1. An R&B band. Fronted by singer Angela Carole Brown, and led by composer/guitarist Linda Taylor, Threshold includes drummer Laval Belle (Earth, Wind & Fire), bassist Del Atkins (Alicia Keys, Mary J. Blige), organist Mikal Majeed (Rick Zunigar), keyboardist Ed Roth (Coolio, The Brothers Johnson), and singers Catte Adams (Chaka Khan, Natalie Cole) and Janelle Sadler (Natalie Cole, Ozzy Osbourne).

2. Finnish progressive rock band/project Threshold released their lone album "Paradise Now" in 1981. The band was a brainchild of (Pelle Miljoona's bassist) Ari Taskinen who wrote all the songs and plays keyboards and 12-string guitar here. Others participating were Vando Suvanto, Esa Kotilainen, Yari, Rubberduck Jones, Stefan Jones, Pia Noponen and Jone Takamäki.

3. A Progressive Thrash Metal band from France. The band formed in 1988 and released an album in 1991 entitled: "Within the Expanse". Band members include: Stein Guitton - Guitar, Tristan Leroy - Guitar, François Morgues - Bass, and Regis Lebrun - Drums.

4. An Atlanta-based religious punk band from the 80s. Threshold is an obscure band who appears on "The View: An Atlanta Compilation 1984-1990."

A Tension of Souls
Threshold Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I have lost the unobtainable I am faithless and afraid
My emotions are unstable control is hanging by a thread
And the misery of the world
Is weighing heavy on my shoulders
My belief has not unfurled and I'm not getting any older
No I'm not getting any older and the world is turning colder

there's a gathering storm eating up the night

There's a tension of souls can you feel it bite?
It is because we're not living on our own terms
Swept on a wave branded with society's burns
We're not happy with this unnatural law
We've moved into check into a corner of flames
Half of us staled in a late mating game
We're just trying just crying for

the right to give / fail / fall / live / have feelings
The right to see / be / need / feed / give meanings
The right to love / care / share / sow / show the right signals
The right to fight / spite / do / lose / find the right answers

I am nailed to the cross of my own pernicious anguish
Collapsing at a loss into some kind of selfish languish
Bribed by irresistible strangled by the air
Blind and still equivocal dispossessed by heir

I have no faith I have no unbelief
There is no neutral ground there is no relief
I didn't get what I expected to receive
Don't let them tell you what they want you to believe

and I'm searching for some space in my life
While people all around me multiplying just like flies
The whispering millions, their hunger it is loud
A silent frustration breeds in every crowd

I have no faith I have no unbelief
There is no neutral ground there is no relief
I didn't get what I expected to receive
Don't let them tell you what they want you to believe

and I'm drowning in a sea of my own futility

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of the song A Tension of Souls by Threshold speaks of a loss of faith and control over emotions. The singer has lost the unobtainable, which has made them faithless and afraid. The misery of the world is weighing heavily on their shoulders, and they are not getting any older while the world turns colder. The first verse sets the tone of the song with its somber and gloomy lyrics.

In the second verse, the lyrics speak of a gathering storm that's eating up the night. The tension of souls can be felt everywhere because people are not living on their own terms. Society has branded them with unnatural laws, and they've been swept into a wave of conformity. Half of them have failed in finding love and are stuck in the mating game. They're all crying and trying to have the right to give, fail, live, love, fight, and do. The lyrics are a desperate plea for individuality and acceptance of differences.

The third verse speaks of the singer's struggle with anguish and selfish languish. They feel strangled by the air, blind, and dispossessed by heir. There is no neutral ground, no relief, and no faith or unbelief. They didn't get what they expected, and they're searching for some space in their life while surrounded by people multiplying like flies. The hunger of the whispering millions is loud, and frustration breeds in every crowd.

Line by Line Meaning

I have lost the unobtainable I am faithless and afraid
I have given up on something that is impossible to achieve, I don't have any faith left and I'm filled with fear

My emotions are unstable control is hanging by a thread
I can't control my emotions, and the little control I had is about to break

And the misery of the world Is weighing heavy on my shoulders My belief has not unfurled and I'm not getting any older No I'm not getting any older and the world is turning colder
The misery in the world is making me feel heavy, my beliefs haven't changed and I'm getting older while the world is getting worse

there's a gathering storm eating up the night There's a tension of souls can you feel it bite?
There's a threatening situation that's consuming the night, can you feel the tension between people?

It is because we're not living on our own terms Swept on a wave branded with society's burns
The tension is because we're not living life on our own terms, instead, we're following society's rules and getting burned

We're not happy with this unnatural law We've moved into check into a corner of flames Half of us staled in a late mating game We're just trying just crying for
We're not content with this unnatural lifestyle, we're stuck in a dangerous situation, and some of us have lost in life's game, we're just trying, and crying for...

the right to give / fail / fall / live / have feelings The right to see / be / need / feed / give meanings The right to love / care / share / sow / show the right signals The right to fight / spite / do / lose / find the right answers
The right to express ourselves freely and fully, the right to perceive and be perceived, the right to love and be loved, and the right to take action, even if it's not always successful

I am nailed to the cross of my own pernicious anguish Collapsing at a loss into some kind of selfish languish Bribed by irresistible strangled by the air Blind and still equivocal dispossessed by heir
I'm feeling an intense, self-inflicted pain, and I'm giving in to a feeling of indifference. I'm being tempted by things that I can't resist and I feel choked, blind, and unsure of my place in the world

I have no faith I have no unbelief There is no neutral ground there is no relief I didn't get what I expected to receive Don't let them tell you what they want you to believe
I don't have faith or disbelief, there is no escape from this situation, I didn't get what I wanted, don't let others dictate your beliefs

and I'm searching for some space in my life While people all around me multiplying just like flies The whispering millions, their hunger it is loud A silent frustration breeds in every crowd
I'm seeking some personal space while people around me keep multiplying like pests. The constant noise of the masses is deafening, and their hunger is unbearable, which gives way to silent frustration

and I'm drowning in a sea of my own futility
I'm overwhelmed by my own uselessness and lack of effectiveness

Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: JON JEARY, KARL GROOM

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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