Let's be objective and honest with ourselves: what did Sweden become famous for in the '90s when it comes to heavy music? Its death and melodic death metal scene, of course, and let's not forget several doom metal bands that radically changed their sound and musical direction in the second half of that same decade. At the same time, it was largely Sweden that we have to thank for the revival of interest in power metal in the late '90s, when the only attitude toward the genre was skepticism -- and first and foremost, the band called HAMMERFALL. Now we have their latest, already 6th release before us. Instrumentally, the band remains true to form -- it's the same guitar-driven power metal; even in the studio version there are practically no keyboards on the band's albums. The album turned out fairly slow; many songs can more readily be called melodic heavy metal rather than power metal in terms of style. Special mention must go to the title track "Threshold" -- an undeniable hit with a memorable chorus that concludes as a melodic instrumental passage -- and the speedy instrumental "Reign Of The Hammer." The record features several compositions built on the classic formula of a heavy main section with a balladic intro and finale.
Also included on the disc is a music video for one of the tracks -- "Natural High" -- and no complaints can be made. The work is done more than professionally; the main portion of the video is computer-generated, making it resemble an RPG. The album doesn't break any new ground; after the first listen it even seems rather mediocre. However, upon more detailed immersion in the material, fans of melodic metal will undoubtedly find a whole range of positives.