Former members, and other stuff:
Threshold are an English progressive metal band who originally formed in November 1988, after Karl Groom, Nick Midson, Jon Jeary, Tony Grinham and Ian Bennett got together one winter's evening over a quiet pint or two in a Surrey pub. Karl, formerly of Believer, had already started writing music with Nick after the two had met at a Slayer concert two years before. Jon, formerly from a band called the Runciple Fire Brigade, thought up the name Threshold, and with Karl and Nick on guitars, Ian on bass, Tony on drums and Jon on vocals, the core of Threshold was formed. Although he lived over 100 miles away, Jon was their vocalist for numerous live shows including London's notorious Marquee Club. The band evolved and eventually Jon assumed the role as bass player, as Threshold landed a deal with GEP Records in the summer of 1992. Damian Wilson was brought in as new vocalist shortly after Jon had fainted on stage trying to reach a high note, and keyboard player Richard West was added during the recording sessions, after touring with Karl in the progressive rock band Shadowland in the autumn of 1992. The stunning debut CD 'Wounded Land' followed in 1993, gaining critical acclaim and thousands of fans worldwide. German rock magazine Breakout called it a "phenomenal debut... one of the highlights of 1993", while other German magazines Rock Hard and Heavy Or What awarded the album 9/10. 'Wounded Land' also showed early on the lyrical depth that has become a Threshold trademark, with the debut album exploring the theme of the human race's struggle to improve its future on the Earth, which most commonly results in an actual long term worsening of those conditions for the vast majority of the population. The band later toured Europe with new singer Glyn Morgan, who was found in the time-honoured tradition of an advert in the music press, after Damian left to pursue other musical interests. 1994 found Threshold back in the studio recording their second CD 'Psychedelicatessen'. This was always going to be a difficult album, with a divergence in musical influences resulting in the proposed centre-point "Part Of The Chaos" finally being omitted from the album and replaced by an old Threshold song "Babylon Rising". For this album, the lyrics focused on spiritual and psychological matters, as highlighted in the catchy "A Tension Of Souls" and the epic "Into The Light". Tony, who was best known for his collection of comedy t-shirts and sunglasses, and for his habit of nailing his drum kit to the stage, had left the band after the European tour, so without a firm new drummer, local lad Nick Harradence was brought in. Nick had also been on the 1992 Shadowland tour, where he was often found in the kitchens of foreign restaurants improving the cooking habits of European chefs between shows, and had also recorded with Karl and Rich on the 1993 Mercy Train album 'Presence'. After the release of 'Psychedelicatessen', Nick played for one show in Germany but was soon replaced by Jay Micciche. Jay, once famous for allegedly wearing a short-haired wig at school to try to cover his long black tresses, had contacted the band through a former member of Threshold's roadcrew, and had hoped to join Threshold before the recording of 'Psychedelicatessen'. Instead he went on to tour extensively with Threshold throughout 1994 and 1995, a tour which included shows with Magnum, Paradise Lost, Whitesnake and Dream Theater. The tour culminated in the filming of the first promotional video "Innocent" and the CD 'Livedelica', Threshold's only official live recording to date. After such a long period on the road, the band took a break during which Glyn and Jay formed their own band Mindfeed, so Damian returned along with new drummer Mark Heaney, who had worked with Damian in another project. 1997 saw the release of Threshold's third studio album 'Extinct Instinct', a dream-inspired album packed with classic tracks including the huge "Eat the unicorn" and the long awaited "Part Of The Chaos". The album was a great success, with the band sounding more focused and mature than ever, containing "70 minutes of essential music" (Pinnacle) and earning Threshold "album of the month" in the March edition of Germany's Rock Hard magazine. Another European tour followed, this time with another drummer Johanne James who won a lot of fans as temporary replacement to Mark, who unfortunately had other commitments in theatre work. Shortly after the tour Damian also became involved in the theatre, after a suitably theatrical tour experience in Barcelona which involved a flying loudspeaker, and he bowed out of the band once again early in 1998. By this time Karl, Jon, Nick and Richard had already completed most of the songs for the next album, and had started recording before a new singer was found. Fortunately the perfect replacement for Damian was found just in time, in the form of Andrew "Mac" McDermott, formerly of German rock band Sargant Fury. Andrew, originally from the north of England, fitted into the band immediately and recorded the vocals for Threshold's fourth and finest studio album 'Clone'. Mark recorded the drums for the album, but opted not to stay with the band. Threshold's new album 'Clone' is released in October 1998.
