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I Threshold sono forse una delle band più ripetitive del programma prog-metal: gran parte dei loro dischi si assomigliano come gocce d'acqua e propongono sempre gli stessi suoni ma ciò non toglie che siano stati autori di capolavori.
Mi accingo a recensire quello che secondo me è l'album più sottovalutato fra quelli mai prodotti dalla band! "Extinct Instinct" infatti non viene mai annoverato, a mio modo di vedere, fra i capolavori del gruppo ed invece è a mio avviso superiore ad album come ad esempio "Wounded Land", il forse sopravvalutato "Psychedelicatessen" se non addirittura a "Hypothetical".
È l'album in cui il sound dei Threshold assume la svolta che verrà confermata nei dischi successivi... Atmosfere più cupe e fredde rispetto a quelle più calde e solari dei primi due album, suono più duro tendente al thrash e una maggior complessità delle composizioni con molti più cambi di tempo, uso di suoni più spregiudicato e meno prudente e una tecnica più accentuata. Unico neo è la voce non proprio eccellente di Damian Wilson che fortunatamente lascerà il posto al più maturo Andrew Mc Dermott nel prossimo album.
Un album che regala tutto ciò che la musica dei Threshold può donare sin dalla prima "Exposed" con quell'intro di chitarra e tastiere davvero impeccabile; prosegue poi con "Somatography" dove parti più delicate si alternano a forti accelerazioni thrash è il giro di tastiera finale è davvero ben inserito. E cosa dire di "Eat The Unicorn" (a parte il titolo a dir poco insignificante, ditemi voi cosa vuol dire "mangiare l'unicorno")? Uno dei pezzi migliori che abbiano mai scritto, dalle ritmiche forti e aggressive che lascia anche spazio all'atmosfera e a complessi solisti chitarra e tastiera. La semi-ballad in stile Queen "Forever" è un ottimo preludio alla potente ma sempre melodica "Virtual Isolation" mentre "The Whispering", dall'atmosfera più calda rispetto agli altri pezzi, è davvero un pezzo dai due volti (e dire due mi sembra davvero poco); gli arpeggi di chitarra delicati e puliti di alcune strofe si trasformano, nel ritornello, in potenti schitarrate accompagnate da incredibili cori... un brano creato per far scatenare i più frenetici ma facendo anche divertire, tutto sommato uno dei più riusciti del disco. "Lake Of Despond" è invece un po' sottotono anche se è ben curata dal punto di vista delle atmosfere. La ballata "Clear" ben intonata con piano e chitarra, è ancora in grado di regalare emozioni, mentre "Life Flow" propone ancora buone melodie e tutto sommato un bel solo di tastiera nella parte centrale. E a chiudere l'album vi è un altro brano superlativo, "Part Of The Chaos" anche questa meno oscura e più vicina alle atmosfere dei primi due album che nei suoi 8 minuti alterna potenti chitarre, cori molto ben piazzati e una bella parte strumentale dove chitarra e tastiera si lanciano ancora una volta in pregiati assoli.
L'outro "Segue", un arpeggio di chitarra accompagnato da voci di persone in sottofondo, chiude un album che davvero, e dico "davvero", meriterebbe un'attenzione maggiore e che sinceramente non vorrei risparmiarmi dal definire "capolavoro".
La limited edition del 2001 contiene anche la splendida ballad acustica "Mansion" e le versioni radio edit di "Exposed" e "Virtual Isolation".
Elenco tracce testi e video
01 Exposed (06:26)
sick of guessing what's behind your eyes
i ask for truth and all i get is lies
the shrinking violet in your flacid mind
thinks he's cool but all you do is whine
and now you stand there and demand your half
when i have given to you all you have
don't make me laugh at that demo play
you're sick and tired of my clever word play
you find it hard doing things my way
you've done your part so tell me why do you stay
i assume your silence is a foil for rage
you can't find words even at your age
the space between us is the cloak you wear
to hide your feelings oh you just won't dare
to reveal the visage that's behind your mask
we have the answers but you just won't ask
don't make me laugh at that passion play
you're sick and tired of my clever word play
you find it hard doing things my way
you've done your part so tell me why do you stay
now i pick up the entrails of another dead affair
i assume the mantle that i knew you could not wear
you never had the confidence to leave yourself exposed
to the gaze of the tiny minds it's my mission to explode
is this more like it can you get into the groove
or are you paralysed still too scared to move
you are naked you are rooted to the spot
i am the walrus and it's clear that you are not
03 Eat the Unicorn (10:06)
give me a place to stand and i will move the world
give me the right to speak and see my flag unfurled
the gods of war and the generous whore
give me life in this tinsel town
but the shit i eat and the people i meet
make me want to bring this curtain down
in the night time the shadows fall and i retire to lay down
the twisted chains and losses and gains of war
it's the right time to speak in rhyme of the fire gods that lay down
read between all the shadows i've seen and more
i am falling down closer to the ground
(give to me your fairest deeds)
tell me where you're bound i will follow now
teardrops are rising
(i am he your fairy steed)
teardrops are falling
nightmare is coming and i hear the drumming
of demons in the night
the space where my heart was is claimed by the servants
of my subconscious flight
the wings that i fly on are taking me into
the underworld tonight
where i perceive all my wildest dreams where i
bring them all to life
all that stands before breaking human lore
(i'm your wildest fantasy)
teardrops are running
nightmare is coming and i hear the drumming
the space where my heart was is claimed by the servants
of demons in the night
of my subconscious flight
the wings that i fly on are taking me into
where i perceive all my wildest dreams where i
the underworld tonight
bring them all to life
unicorn so wild and free, balm my eyes carry me home
teardrops are drying
nightmare is coming and i hear the drumming
of demons in the night
the space where my heart was is claimed by the servants
of my subconscious flight
the wings that i fly on are taking me into
the underworld tonight
where i perceive all my wildest dreams where i
bring them all to life
06 The Whispering (07:50)
close your eyes and tell me what you find
don't you here the voices in your mind
where have all your lovers gone, the friends you thought you counted on
passed away like shadows lost with time
i gave you all your life to make a choice
from time to time i know you heard my voice
it wasn't just for information, i desired your conversation
all you did was drown me out with noise
when i said go you wouldn't go
i gave my hand but every time you never want to know
and so you turned away, the seasons reached their end
it took you all your days to keep me from your head
the night grew dark your eyes grew black
and soon there'll be no turning back again
are you swimming through a myriad
of spiritual decisions
are they whispering sweet nothing while they
drown you with derision
out of sight but in your mind
they're calling out they're pulling you away
deep inside you know what's right
but slowly you're believing what they say
if they said go would you go
are you orbiting the rainbow do you live to be in trances
are you lost in paranoia did you take too many chances
parasites and soul-destroyers ready for your life to drift away
deep inside they steal your mind and slowly you're repeating what they say
if they said go would you go
when every country's gone to war every dream has hit the floor
when every gene has split in two and every breath has poisoned you
only then you'll understand none of this is what i planned
but giving you the right to choose meant some of you would have to lose
when every lake is parched and dry when all pollution kills the sky
when every soul has gone it's way and every heart is old and grey
maybe then you'll understand somewhere on your wounded land
you heard my voice but chose to turn away
08 Clear (03:22)
as a child i recall i had once believed
i would die before i reached seventeen
seventeen i remember i faced the truth
when i understood your prophecy was confused
when all is done there is little that can guide everyone along
the faltered line you mumbled on the day you left us behind
nothing is clear though you promised me you'd be here
nothing is clear though you promised me
you promised me
you promised me that you'd be here
nothing is clear though you promised me you'd be here
you promised me
though nothing was clear
like a fuel it will burn until you are strong
as a child hope is what keeps us young
if you're weak you'll never see past the day
like a cynic you will probably feel betrayed
if one thing's clear there is certainly little of value here
and when we die inevitably we're leaving all this behind
nothing is clear though you promised me you'd be here
you promised me
nothing is clear though you promised me
you promised me that you'd be here
nothing is clear though you promised me you'd be here
you promised me
though nothing was clear
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