Reviewed by:
Midnight Rocker, on january 29, 2007
3 of 4 people found this review helpful
Sound: HammerFall have slowly moved away from the fast-paced power metal evident on Glory To The Brave and Legacy Of Kings, and the material on Threshold would probably best be described as classic metal. The speed drumming which is a hallmark of power metal is only used on a few songs here, such as the title track 'Threshold' and 'Reign Of The Hammer'. The rest of the tracks are laden with heavy riffs, multi-layered chorus vocals and chanting, as in 'Titan'. This is not to say that the quality of HammerFall's material has gone down, in fact, they are getting better with each album they produce. // 9
Lyrics and Singing: The lyrics are still typical power metal, but with less of the honour and glory themes. The songs deal more with 'situations', for want of a better word. For example, in 'Dark Wings, Dark Words', the lyrics seem to be speaking of a settlement of some kind, enduring a harsh time, being approached by a 'sacred man, from the other side', promising a better life for them all, then turning on them. The lyrics and vocal melodies fit extremely well with the music. Joacim's voice is not as strong on this outing, due to a polyp on his vocal cords, which has since been successfully operated on. // 8
Impression: HammerFall are to be considered the leaders in modern power metal, leading the pack of other bands such as DragonForce. Every record produced by HammerFall is a strong collection of tracks, and Threshold proudly continues this trend. Standout songs from this album are 'Threshold', 'Rebel Inside', 'Dark Wings, Dark Words', 'Carved In Stone', and 'Titan'. There is a whole lot to love about this album, and not a whole lot to hate, unless you are not a fan of the power metal in general. If it were stolen, I would definitley buy it again, because it is possibly the strongest album by any power metal band in the last 15 years, or more. // 9
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i love it 