Progressive metal band Threshold give their 1998 album Clone a remix for 2024 reissued with three live tracks as a bonus. The band’s previous three albums from the 1990s have also been given the remix treatment.
Threshold is a band which has largely passed me by. I have For the Journey, which didn’t hit the spot for me.
Thought it’s too generic. However a friend strongly suggested I grab a copy of this Clone reissue as he’s sure it’d be my bag.
As my friend doesn’t usually suggest wrong ‘uns to me, I acted on the suggestion and got a copy of Clone. At first I didn’t get it. Though perseverance has paid off and I now do get it……a most fine album of interesting progressive metal which whilst a complex listen does reveal more each time.
The running theme/concept of genetic alteration and eugenics is dealt with adeptly lyrically following a genetically cloned child who feels uneasy on Earth and clears off to Mars.
The opener of Freaks sets that scene well. A crunchy riff with nice atmospheric keys, fluid solo and the drums thumping it along with a punchy vocal delivering the dystopian lyrics all gives a dark feel.
Angels quite upbeat with a bit of a catchy melody going on then comes the superb The Latent Gene. A few seconds shy of eight minutes and a chugging foot-tapper of a song with changes of style and pace. Proper prog-metal alternating between the fractured riff, some melodics bits and a Floydian style solo. Marvellous. Have a listen:
Lovelorn, Change and Life’s Too Good come in as rather darkish and doomy then Goodbye Mother Earth stretches out in to more “traditional” progressive territory.
Voyager II then slams home in style over the nine minute running time before Sunrise on Mars concludes matters in reflective style.
The three live tracks of Freaks, Change and the Latent Gene are individually and collectively powerfully delivered.
As I mentioned at the start of this review – it took me a while to properly get in to Clone. For me it’s one of those albums which the listener needs to spend some time with before it fully rewards the ears.
Pleased I took the time with it and now I think Clone is a rather excellent album of classy progressive metal.
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