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The transformation in Threshold's sound and attitude between Wounded Land and its 1994 follow up Psychedelicatessen is like night and day. While their debut was a doom-laden affair with a distinct 80s metal quality to it, their sophomore effort is a step up in every department, from the song writing and performances to the production, which is thick and heavier than a ton of bricks. The only Threshold album to feature the vocals of Mindfeed singer Glynn Morgan, Psychedelicatessen often gets overlooked in their discography, despite being possibly the coolest album they ever recorded.

I tend to reach for later albums when I'm hankering for a Threshold fix, but you can't deny the metal ownage of this record, which just rules from start to finish. This is generally due to the obscene amount of riffs dished out by Karl Groom and Nick Midson, and the powerful, grit-filled vocals of Morgan. It's a shame he didn't record more with the band, because he is unstoppable here. Mac blew him away in later years, but Morgan was more suited to the band's early sound than Damien Wilson, a statement you can't argue with in tunes like the monstrous "Sunseeker", one of the band's best tunes bar none, and the groovy "Will to Give".

Threshold have always had a post-thrash temperament to their sound, and nowhere is that more apparent than here. The riffs on "He Is I Am" and the grinding "A Tension Of Souls" would put Testament to shame, no question. Now, this is the band's most metal release, without too many prog leanings or over-bearing keys from Richard West, but it does pale in comparison to the varied and strange Extinct Instinct. Saying that, if you can't get away with the band's later works, you will not be able to resist the riffs and energy displayed here. Progressive metal with a PhD and a couple of flying Vs.