THRESHOLD INTERVIEW

Intromental Webzine interviews keyboardist Richard West from the brilliant British prog-metal band Threshold - talking about new disc, live gigs and the band changing direction over the years...

Interview by Claus Jensen

I am one of those fans who have been listening to you ever since the first disc, and I truly loved the first 3 discs (4 if we count the "Livedelica" album). However, I lost interest in the band when you brought in Andrew "Mac" McDermott, who I really didn't like on "Clone" and "Hypothetical". Also, to me personally it seemed as if the band were just repeating the same formula over-and-over again, which was very sad to an old-time fan like myself. I think a lot of the fans following you from day one felt the same (at least that's the impression I got from talking to many of them). Would you agree that there was a lack of inspiration in the band around "Clone" and "Hypothetical" or is it just me who doesn't get it, hehe?

"I think we'd reached a certain level of experimentation with Extinct Instinct that was starting to feel formulaic, and we weren't sure whether we wanted to push that further with the next album. So we decided to strip things down a bit with Clone, rightly or wrongly, but I still think it's a good album. Tracks like Latent Gene and Angels are still really popular live tracks, and I think the closing sequence of Voyager II and Sunrise On Mars has an atmosphere we could never have achieved if we'd followed the Extinct Instinct route. So I wouldn't call it a lack of inspiration, just a change on emphasis."

Do you feel that Threshold is a different band before and after "Clone"? Because that's the way I see it.

"Yes, but I think we made similar leaps in style during our first three albums, but you were still getting to know us then so maybe you didn't notice. For example, I can't imagine any songs from Extinct Instinct actually fitting on Wounded Land, each album has it's own unique flavour."

When I received "Critical Mass" I wasn't that happy after the first spin - however, with 4-5 more spins the album began to open up, and now I totally love all of it, with the exception of 2 songs (I'll get back to that later on, hehe). It's very often that a progressive album demands several spins before you get to the core of it - did you write it with that intention or is this just a natural way for you to compose songs?

"Part of feeling comfortable with an album is knowing what comes next. If you listen to a good pop single then you'll normally like it straight away, because it's got one flavour, a very familiar verse - bridge - chorus structure, there are no surprises. But with a more progressive structure you never know what's coming, so it takes several listens to get into it. So songs like Choices or Echoes Of Life take a few more listens than say Phenomenon or Round And Round, but I quite like the way that works, it means you get something new from each listen."

Several of the band members are involved in the song writing - could you please describe how an album typically comes together for Threshold?

"Karl Groom and Jon Jeary write as a partnership, with Karl composing the music and then giving a completed instrumental to Jon who then adds lyrics and melodies. I prefer to work alone so I usually put complete songs together, although both me and Karl occasionally include guitar sections written by Nick Midson in our songs. The other two members also write but not generally for Threshold."

There are (even after 50+ spins of the disc) still 2 songs on "Critical Mass" that I don't like that much. One of them is the opener, which I think is quite boring and below the standard of the rest of the disc. Who decided that this was going to be first song on the disc - and why?

"We all felt it was the right opener, we wanted to start with a song that was quite upbeat and this was the obvious candidate. We could have maybe chosen Choices, but that's one of the songs that takes a few listens to get into, so it's not such a logical option. Phenomenon also introduces the sonic feel of the album nicely, it's like a prologue to what's coming next."

Also I must confess that even though it's quite typical of a progressive metal band to have at least one song lasting more than 10 minutes on their discs, the title track is simply too long and could easily have been shortened down to 5-7 minutes to keep my interest. Any comments?

"It's three pieces of music in one really, I love the way it flows from one section to the next, like a montage of ideas that keeps changing."

I saw that "Critical Mass" was voted album of the month in Rock Hard Magazine, which is quite an honour. And although there are 2 songs on the disc I don't like, I can agree that the album is fantastic. My favourite songs are probably "Avalon" and "Falling Away". Do you have any favourite songs?

"I'd go with Falling Away and Choices, they both have great dynamics and atmosphere and work really well on stage, and they both give you more than you were hoping for."

I also have to mention that every disc of yours sound fantastic. You guys produce the albums yourself. Great sound every time. I know you also produce other bands. Well, most metal bands HATE to spend time in the studio, but you guys seem to not be content on just staying there when your label tells you it's about time to hand up another disc. What is so exciting about recording and being in the studio?

"That's like asking an artist why they love to paint! I think it's different when you produce yourself, because the studio becomes the most creative environment you can imagine, whereas if you're just being told what to do by a producer and you've got a time limit then it's probably quite stressful. As much as I love the stage and love the writing process, I think I'll always prefer the studio the most."

I've seen you play live twice (plus I actually got a couple of shows on video that I traded, back in the "glory days" of video-bootlegging, haha). First time was with Psychotic Waltz when you played at Loppen in Copenhagen, Denmark. It was a fantastic gig, and I ended up talking with you guys afterwards. Actually, I still have the autographs that you guys wrote me, hahaha. Also I have that concert on tape and occasionally I listen to it. Awesome concert! At that time you were very "unknown" in the scene, but you played with so much confidence on stage and simply kicked major ass. Did you already then know where you were heading with the band? And - what do you think of that tour now, so many years later?

"I don't think we had a huge vision for the future, we were just enjoying ourselves. We'd all being playing live for quite a few years by then so we had no problems with confidence, and by the end of that tour we'd become a pretty well-rehearsed outfit. I've got a couple of tapes from those shows and they still sound pretty good."

Second time I saw you were at the very first ProgPower Festival in Tilburg, Holland. I guess you've heard lots of comments about that concert - what happened?

"Our band morale wasn't so good at that point in our career. We arrived early in the morning and played late in the evening, and in the meantime a couple of the guys had too much to drink. Then we got on stage and someone handed our singer a joint, and it was all downhill from there. But that was really just an isolated problem, our shows in 2002 have been worlds apart from that evening."

I've seen people comparing you in the media to Dream Theater and a lot of other "typical" progressive metal bands. However, I think you have your own sound, which is very much influenced by the British prog-rock scene of the 70's/80's with bands such as Marillion, IC, Genesis and so on having an impact on your music. Would you agree?

"Totally, we were never influenced by the American scene, I think we're worlds apart from Dream Theater. We only get compared because we're the best known progressive metal bands from our respective countries."

If you were to describe Threshold to a new listener - how would you do that?

"We sound very much like the tracks you can hear at www.thresh.net! After a while it becomes pointless trying to describe your sound, when it's so easy for people to hear it over the net instead: powerful, atmospheric, progressive, melodic, thought-provoking, beautiful, all the descriptions you'd normally expect from any band that believe in itself."