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."
Opium
Threshold Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Lost in the haze so far away who's going to guide us home
I've struggled to get near it to backwards engineer it
But all I find is a smoke and mirror game
The recondite monopolise the airwaves
Till all believe there is no other way
Till finally they watch us fade away
Our lifeless generation is going to the wall
A languid demonstration of daze before a fall
A preconceived condition imagined long ago
But will we ever know all that lies below
They'll print it on the front page to synthesise an outrage
But all we find is a decoy once again
Duplicity and trickery surround us
Till all believe there is no other way
And this is how we fall asleep their opium is running deep
Till finally they watch us fade away
Our lifeless generation is going to the wall
A languid demonstration of daze before a fall
A preconceived condition imagined long ago
But will we ever know all that lies below
Waiting to play are we the pawns in this game
Paving the way watching the kings make their claim
Martyrs and spies although we don't realise
Falling away under the watch of their eyes
This is the way we've chosen to be
This is the road that we go down
As clear as the day but still we don't see
We'll only know when it's over
Lost in the haze so far away how can we get back home
Lost in the haze so far away who's going to guide us home
And this is how our nation died our opium has satisfied
And finally they watch us fade away
Our lifeless generation is going to the wall
A languid demonstration of daze before a fall
A preconceived condition imagined long ago
But will we ever know all that lies below
"Opium" by Threshold is a song that addresses the modern society's dependence on media for information and the way information is presented. The lyrics express the idea of how society is "lost in the haze" and needs guidance to "get back home." The "opium" mentioned in the lyrics refers to the media specifically, which is used as a tool to control and manipulate the masses. The song suggests that media present a "smoke and mirror game," which is controlled by the "recondite" or those in power. The media "monopolizes the airwaves," resulting in people believing that there is no other source of truth.
The song suggests that the current generation is going to the wall and is a "languid demonstration of daze before a fall." This refers to how society is blindly following propaganda without realizing the underlying intention of those in power. The lyrics state that everything presented in the media is a "decoy" and a combination of "duplicity and trickery." The song ends on a melancholy note by stating that "finally they watch us fade away."
Overall, "Opium" is a reminder to society that we need to be more conscious of the information that is presented to us and to question everything rather than blindly following what we're presented.
Line by Line Meaning
Lost in the haze so far away how can we get back home
Feeling lost and directionless, how can we find our way back to where we belong?
I've struggled to get near it to backwards engineer it
I've tried to understand it by breaking it down, but it's difficult to comprehend
But all I find is a smoke and mirror game
However, all I see is deception and trickery meant to distract and confuse me
The recondite monopolise the airwaves
Those in the know control what messages are broadcasted to the masses
Till all believe there is no other way
Until everyone buys into their narrative, thinking it's the only possible one
And this is how we live our lives our opium is televised
Television has become our escape from reality, keeping us content despite the turmoil around us
Till finally they watch us fade away
Until we become so numb and apathetic that we're easily controlled and eventually forgotten
Our lifeless generation is going to the wall
Our generation is headed straight towards destruction, without any passion or vitality
A languid demonstration of daze before a fall
Our laziness and lack of action is a clear sign that disaster is imminent
A preconceived condition imagined long ago
Our situation was planned and set in motion long before we were even aware of it
But will we ever know all that lies below
Will we ever uncover the hidden truths and secrets that led us down this path?
They'll print it on the front page to synthesise an outrage
Those in power manipulate the media to create outrage and control public opinion
But all we find is a decoy once again
However, the stories they present are often misdirections from the real issues
Duplicity and trickery surround us
Deception and deceit are all around us, making it hard to trust anyone or anything
And this is how we fall asleep their opium is running deep
Their propaganda puts us in a trance-like state, making us passive and disconnected
Martyrs and spies although we don't realise
We are being used and manipulated as pawns without even realizing it
Falling away under the watch of their eyes
We are slipping away from reality as those in power keep a close eye on us
This is the way we've chosen to be
We have made a conscious choice to let ourselves be controlled and manipulated
This is the road that we go down
We are heading down a path of self-destruction and despair
As clear as the day but still we don't see
The dangers of our situation are plainly visible, but we are blind to them
We'll only know when it's over
We won't realize the gravity of the situation until it's too late and our fate is sealed
And this is how our nation died our opium has satisfied
Our country has fallen apart because we were too content with our distractions to fight back
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: KARL GROOM, RICHARD WEST
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind