Welcome to Issue Six…
We’ve been working hard to find more Threshold related news to share with you and this issue there is a mystery interview that is exactly what Beyond is all about.
First though we thought we’d catch up with a couple of the recent releases that Damian has been involved with, namely Arjen Lucassen’s Star One’s Victims Of The Modern Age and Maiden United’s Mind The Acoustic Pieces.
In between those two articles we’ve had a close look at the brand new UK festival, Fused, where Threshold will headline in April.
Then we have our mystery interview - no more on that until you get to it!
And to finish, we have another three tracks in the spotlight, this time selected from Extinct Instinct, Subsurface and Psychedelicatessen.
So read on and enjoy! Who knows, you might even find out something about the new album…
(note - we’ve got quotes from lots of people in this issue so we have decided to save your eyes and put them all in this colour except for in the “Three Tracks” and “To Conclude” sections towards the end)
Beyond
Star One
Remember the first album? Who can forget the shiny silver suits that Arjen inflicted on his fellows when they took it on the road? Space Metal was followed by the DVD Live On Earth and many doubted that this intriguing project would ever see the light of day again - too many very busy people to bring together. But how wrong they were.
And who better to tell us about it than Arjen himself?
So, how did Damian get involved in the first place?
I heard Homegrown on a magazine sampler and really liked the singer and the song. Later on I went to a Threshold gig and met him for the first time. That’s when I invited him to sing on Ayreon’s Into the Electric Castle (Prior to the first Star One album)
Whilst many of us will wonder how a band that works together regularly is able to create their music, the work produced by Arjen must add further complications with such an array of often varied performers. So how does he make it all happen?
First I write and record the songs instrumentally. Then I let the music inspire me to come up with a concept/story. Then I choose the singers who fit the music and the concept. Then I arrange and confirm the singers. Then I divide the singers over the album, come up with their melodies and write their lyrics. So if a singer cancels at the last moment, I’m screwed…
See? Simple! We also thought we would make a polite enquiry about why Damian and others were wrapped in silver
I guess we’ll never know for sure! The latest release features a host of vocalists - Russell Allen, Dan Swano, Floor Jansen and of course Damian. As he is our focus, just why does Arjen keep returning to his vocals? What does Damian bring to, for example, a Star One song?
A VERY emotional delivery, great melodies and a beautiful clear, powerful and unique voice.
A big thankyou to Arjen for adding a bit of insight!
Fused
This is newish territory for Beyond - a preview!
As many will know the UK is a bit of a tricky place when it comes to quality music, certainly our definition of quality. Despite being the home to many, many great acts over the years (including Threshold!) the Sceptred Isle has lost its way in recent times. And that is why new events like the forthcoming Fused Festival, where Threshold will headline the Saturday night, are so, so important. We can’t all hop on a ‘plane and head for Europe!
We thought it only right to do what we could to help support the new festival and what better than get you the low down on one of Threshold’s newest outlets! We caught up with press officer Huw to find out a little more.
I was chatting to Miles and Steve from the CRS at the 2010 Summer’s End Festival and mentioned that I was considering launching a new prog metal festival. It turned out that they had been discussing exactly the same idea and, rather than run against each other, it made perfect sense for us to join forces.
So what can we expect, aside from the strong line up that you have put together?
Lydney Town Hall is a small, intimate venue, with a very old-fashioned feel to it, but the atmosphere we get here is just brilliant. I think because we’re a little out of the way we get very few casual walk-ins; our audience are real fans who’ve usually travelled to be here. I love it that so many musicians come here just to play and end up staying to enjoy the whole weekend!
Our kitchen team lays on good, home cooked food for the weekend, we have some decent real ale behind the bar and a couple of record and CD traders for the breaks.
Plus, it’s always warm and sunny in Lydney. Except when it’s not.
We have a very strong line-up and, in festival terms, manageable overheads but Fused has to prove itself viable. If it does, it will become an annual event. Summer’s End has been running for six years and has become an established – and much loved - part of the prog fans’ calendar. I sincerely hope that Fused will do the same for prog metal and symphonic rock.
Beyond is all about Threshold as you know - so why have they got the Saturday night headline slot?
Threshold played Summer’s End two years running and just blew me away both times. When I started thinking about Fused, they were my first choice. This is a new, UK festival and I’m thrilled to have the band that I consider to be the UK’s leading prog metal band to headline!
Well we can’t argue with that! Thanks to Huw for giving us the background - fancy going? Check out the Threshold site tour section or go straight to the Fused site here. We’ll see you there!
Maiden United
We have already reviewed Maiden United’s end of 2010 homage to Iron Maiden’s Piece Of Mind (issue 5 and a half). If you haven’t checked it out yet then why not? You don’t have to be a Maiden fan as this stands alone, with even long term Maiden fans seeing it as a release in its own right rather than yet another tribute.
But if you are a Maiden fan you will have your eyes opened very wide.
As we sit between their live dates of December 2010 with more to come in April 2011, and hopefully beyond, it is perhaps time to find out the whys, wheres, and hows of this Damian project with founder, Joey Bruers.
Actually the idea of playing Iron Maiden acoustic came from me 4 years ago. When the Iron Maiden Fan Club invited me for a convention and asked me to do something special for the fans I thought this is the perfect moment. The audience was so enthusiastic that I decided to do a few more shows. After a show in Belgium I decided to quit the live shows and I locked myself up in a studio together with my buddy Ruud Jolie (Within Temptation).
We were arranging the songs again and recorded most of the songs in demo versions. At one point we had a conversation about the best singers for this album. We made a list and number one was Damian. We gave him a call and he said well let’s give it a try. He came to our studio that very same week and recorded a few tracks and all was clear for the three of us. Stop searching for singers, Damian is the one. And so we recorded his final vocals for the album in the summer of 2010. That was a hell of a good time. We had lots of fun during the three weeks he was at my place and the result: the most beautiful voice on the record.
His favourite is difficult, but I know that there are some really important songs for Damian on this album. Damian once had a heavy car accident and he thought that that was the end. When he listened to the radio, realizing he was alive, he heard the song ‘Die With Your Boots On’. Another special song for him is ‘Revelations’. I asked him to do the intro the way it is on the album right now. It turned out to be one of the best parts he did and I know he has got some special memories of our recording time on that song…, but his favourite??? I heard him once saying that he is really into ‘Where Eagles Dare’.
If everyone asks him his favourite when they meet him we may know it by the end of the year.
Q Which Maiden track, that you haven’t done, would you like to see Damian tackle?
…an acoustic version of ‘The Duellists’???? Would that be nice????
Q In one sentence can you sum up what Damian has brought to the project?
No not in one sentence, ‘cause he brought so much. From a perfect sound on the album to the energy on stage, from lots of fun during the recordings and the live tour until heavy moments after a gig where they had ‘Karmeliet’ on draft. For sure this is his favorite pub in Belgium…luckily we had a day off the day after…haha
Read our thoughts on the album in issue five and a half here. Many thanks to Joey for his time!
Beyond talks to…
Beyond Asks Ian Salmon
You weren’t expecting that name, were you? Well Ian has more than one link with the Threshold story so we thought why not catch up with him? He played acoustic guitar on Siege Of Baghdad from Wounded Land but he has an amazing list of links to the band and its members over the years. Why don’t we find out a little more, that is of course after we have asked him the generic Beyond opening questions…
Not having a guitar of some sort would probably be a sure way to send me mad after a while. Places? I still seem to feel a magnetic pull to London even though there’s less and less to really keep me here. I know it’s a soft answer but my girlfriend is also very important to me, actually a relatively recent experience for me but my current relationship is wonderful. Having said all this, I’m generally not a very needy person and adapt pretty well to most new environments and experiences.
And your favourite Doctor Who?
Oh errrr…showing my age, I kind of grew up with Bill Pertwee and was really into it at the time, watching YouTube bits of some of those episodes now though? Hmm not so sure. I’ve not really followed it in recent years but David Tennant did seem pretty good when I watched a few.
And your four desert island CDs?
I think that would change every day you asked me! Hmm today…’The Way Up’ by Pat Metheney, the composition is on a par with that of great classical composers and the playing from everyone is astonishing. ‘Electric Ladyland’ by Jimi Hendrix, it’s got just about everything I could possibly want from a classic rock album (ok, no real riffs I suppose but…), ‘Fulfillingness’ First Finale’ by Stevie Wonder, think I’d need something very song based, mostly up and definitely funky and… ahhh…there is so much music that I know I would just wake up one day and NEED to hear. I’ll go for balance to the other three, ‘Solid Air’ by John Martyn, another masterpiece. That’s for today only though.
My dad was a session keyboard player, playing all kinds of stuff. Music was somewhwere in the house all the time I was growing up. More specifically, I remember my (older) sister giving me a couple of albums she no longer wanted, they were “Led Zep II” and “Machine Head” by Deep Purple. I was already listening to pop/rock music of the time a bit but they were a step up, I loved them and learnt to play initially by playing along with them and an ever growing music collection. I also had a few mates along the way who played and we’d swap little bits we’d worked out or techniques etc. Karl Groom was among them later on. Present influences? Just about everyone I’ve listened to and liked, see below.
What are you currently listening to - both bands and genres?
I’ve been a bit of a jazz fan for some time now, I love a lot of modern jazz guitarists; John Scofield, Kurt Rosenwinkel and Robben Ford (he’s more a blues player now I guess). Apart from that it’s wide open as with so many people these days. Ravel or Debussy one day and Hendrix, Zep and Kings X the next and Miles Davis the day after that (actually, probably not quite that extreme but not far off) but as a working musician I often find I don’t get much chance to listen to music as a pastime.
What does music mean to you?
Both playing and listening to it gives me pretty much the same feeling as being in love. Sometimes it’s the most exciting thing in the world, really heightens the senses, gives me energy. Sometimes I don’t think about it too much, it’s what I do and it makes me feel complete. And occassionally I guess I feel a bit stuck with it, frustrated, can’t grasp it even though I know in my heart it’s mostly good. I think life would seem very grey without it though.
Some of our readers may be wondering why you are doing this Q&A - how would you explain ?
He also introduced me to Clive Nolan (Pendragon, Arena, Shadowland) and I worked with them on a few projects, most notably Shadowland (who also used Richard West for the first tour). Around that time he (Karl) was also forming Threshold so I got to know those guys fairly well. In their early days I jammed/rehearsed with them and I guess I was almost in the band but Nick Midson was also around and he was obviously the perfect rifflord foil for Karl at that time. I lived miles away and was always talking about getting more into jazz, so… I did stand in for Karl playing a local pub gig while he was away once. I think I also stood in for bass player Jon Jeary on one gig around that time
Given your links with the band prior to Wounded Land your involvement with that album isn’t that surprising - but just how did it come about that you played on Siege of Baghdad?
I have to be honest, I really can’t remember too well! I guess it was recognition that I’d been around in the background in the early days. I think I had recently recorded some little bits of acoustic guitar on the first Shadowland album (I was the bass player but was always trying to push myself more as a guitarist) so they gave me a little niche playing acoustic and that kind of style fitted a little gap in the Threshold tune. I was probably around in the studio at the time and always happy to get a bit of recording experience.
And after that album did the Ian Salmon and Threshold paths cross again?
Q Moving away from Threshold, can you pick a couple of musical career highlights?
Getting the bass job with Arena is (mostly) pretty cool. Getting the guitar job with a Steely Dan tribute band is also a big thrill although we only play once a month (at the Bull’s Head in Barnes, plug, plug!) At various times I’ve worked with so many great musicians who have inspired me in so many different ways and in so many different genres, it would be unfair to mention too many ‘cause I’d start worrying I was missing someone out.
Q And are there any artists you would particularly want to work with, that you haven’t already?
Funny, now you put it like that, I’ve never really seen it that way. More gone where the wind takes me. Tons of people I guess, jazz guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel has been getting loads of my attention in recent years. I love what he does but I sadly doubt I would have much to offer him musically, or Pat Metheney, another total genius but same applies. Getting back to my rock roots, I would have been very happy to have been asked when Threshold were looking for a new guitarist and bassist but sadly I just wasn’t on their radar at the time, busy pursuing other things.
I’ve been working for the last couple of years on a chill out project called Infinite Sunday with Mike Varty (Shadowland, Landmark, Credo) and a jazz singer Sue McCreeth. We should have a CD sometime around the middle of 2011. You can already check stuff out on our MySpace page. That’s the closest I’ve come to having ‘my own project’.
Also I play bass in prog band, Arena, and we have a new singer. We’re just getting geared up for a couple of dates to introduce him and then we start in the studio for a new album and then a proper tour later in the year.
Mick Pointer’s Marillion were out for a few gigs again in December but now will take a bit of a sabbatical for various reasons. Or please come and see “Stealing Dan and Don” in Barnes if that’s your kind of thing. I’m sure that’s enough to be getting on with.
Oh… I also play rock’n’roll guitar in a production of 50s / 60s music, that should be getting into theatres up and down UK from this spring, called Let the Good Times Roll…that’s definitely enough now isn’t it???
Well all we can say to Ian is a huge thank you - for his in depth answers above and of course for his part in the Threshold story!
Three Tracks In The Spotlight
To close we’ve selected another three tracks to try and find something else about.
He Is I Am
As I remember it, this song was already at a writing stage towards the end of the Wounded Land tour. Threshold had not often played anything not already released on an album, but He Is I Am got an airing at the Uelsen Open Air Festival, Germany in the summer of 1994. It was Tony Grinham’s last but one performance for Threshold with Jadis in support. The band had fashioned a version of Part of the Chaos in the same way and we had the crazy idea that this could be the way forward at the time.
The song was of course given a remix for the enhanced content rerelease and that version sees the keys to the fore in some sections. But as some know there’s another version out there,
There is also a version of this on the first fan club album Decadent. It is dubbed the Drum and Bass version and features Mark Heaney on drums. This recording was made during the Extinct Instinct sessions.
Heard that version? Let us know your thoughts!
He Is I Am - Track 7 on Psychedelicatessen, 1994, at 5:51. By Groom/Jeary
Mission Profile
But it seems many aspects of Subsurface may have changed as things progressed. Richard explains,
Mission Profile was originally going to be called Second Protocol. This was one of many song title changes as the album Subsurface was developed. In fact the album title itself started out as just a song title, for the song which became known as Opium.
It is amazing how songs develop and take shape. Names change, ideas change and we are fortunate to have had so many alternate or demo versions shared with us over the years through the fan releases. Richard tells us his original ideas for the song,
When I wrote the opening multi-vocal section to Mission Profile I always imagined Asia vocalist John Wetton performing it as a special guest. I remember owning the first two Asia albums on vinyl when they came out and I always loved the rich textures that he made with his vocal parts. I suggested the idea to Karl who’d worked with John the previous year, but in the end we decided against it.
We’ll never know how that would have turned out - the song races by and when listening it’s hard to believe it is over eight minutes, which can only be a good thing.
Mission Profile - Track 1 on Subsurface, 2004, at 8:15. By Groom/West
Somatography
Jon and I originally wrote this song for the Extinct Instinct album. It has also been released on the recent Paradox Singles Box Set. Neither of these versions sound exactly like our demo, but all the parts exist between the two mixes. Jon initially wanted to have both vocals on the opening section, but it only ever really worked well when he sung all the parts himself.
It’s a song that really goes the extra mile and is typical of the overall feel of the album. There are the expected time changes throughout and some great driven riffs as the song slips from soft to heavy with ease. And as Karl explains there’s an interesting back drop,
There are some samples under the music placed in a slightly chaotic manner. They feature a couple of English Prime Ministers and an amusing Reagan quote along with some even more bizarre characters.
Have you spotted them? Here’s one for free, it’s Margaret Thatcher who says The Russians said that I was an Iron Lady. Tell us if you spot more!
Somatography - Track 2 on Extinct Instinct, 1997, at 6:26. By Groom/Jeary/Midson/West/Wilson
To conclude…
Sadly time is up yet again. But what a great near future there is!
You will also have probably read that there will be more later this year with The Night of Prog announced for 8th July and others anticipated. All gig updates for Threshold and the rest can be found via the Gigs section which you can find on the right hand side of our pages. But what of the band?
Richard West has got his own project to the mastered stage with announcements hopefully soon. Pete’s My Soliloquy album, The Interpreter, is available for preorder whilst it’s finished off.
Johanne continues to tour with Kyrbgrinder, not forgetting his latest outlet with Shadow Theory. And Steve…I never seem to be able to find out what Steve is up to!
Also not too sure about Karl - working towards a new Threshold album whilst juggling Thin Ice commitments has probably consumed him for now (February gone and no Shadowland concerts!)
That just leaves Damian - there are more Maiden United dates coming, the Headspace album is known to be at some stage of production and his own DVD is almost here. Beyond has had the pleasure of helping with the subtitling and this has meant a sneak preview of the Behind The Scenes and the Interviews, and what a treat we’re all in for.
What we all want to know is when’s the album coming and who’s doing what on it?!
Well it’s never easy extracting this sort of info but we’ve done our very best!
Here’s what they’re saying
Karl:-
Things are going well on my side of writing with over 20 minutes for Threshold so far. I think Rich has a couple of songs on the go too. Steve has a few ideas and Pete said he has a song, with Damian threatening something as well.
Rich? Steve? Pete? Damian?
Rich:-
I’ve got 2 tracks on the way with a few thoughts towards a third. Not much to say about the sound so far but I’m enjoying working on them.
Pete:-
I have one complete song and other assorted riffs and melodies.
Damian:-
I am working on a number of songs, although being prog-metal those number of songs may well amalgamate into one :)
Steve?
Steve?
Well with this sort of news and the Ian Salmon interview I think Beyond is doing its job properly! Keep checking back for more updates as and when band members accidentally let something slip.
The ongoing gigs list can be checked out here
See you next time,
Beyond
- February 28
- , 2011
