Threshold (album)

Threshold is the sixth studio album by the Swedish heavy metal band HammerFall. It was released in 2006 but on different dates for different countries. On October 18 in Sweden then on October 20 in Europe followed by France and the UK on October 23 and finally in the United States on October 31.[4] The album entered the Swedish charts at number one, staying on the chart for eight weeks.[5] This was the band's first No. 1 since Renegade in 2000.[6] It is currently the last HammerFall studio album with the guitarist Stefan Elmgren and the bass guitarist Magnus Rosén, as Rosén left the band in 2007 and Elmgren left in 2008.[7]
The cover artwork was created by Samwise Didier.

Threshold
Studio album by
HammerFall
Released18 October 2006
RecordedJanuary - Mid-2006, Lundgård Studios, Denmark
GenrePower metal, heavy metal
Length50:09
LabelNuclear Blast
ProducerCharlie Bauerfeind
HammerFall chronology
Chapter V: Unbent, Unbowed, Unbroken
(2005)		 Threshold
(2006)		 Steel Meets Steel: Ten Years of Glory
(2007)
Singles from Threshold
  1. "The Fire Burns Forever[1]"
    Released: August 6 - September 6, 2006
  2. "Natural High[2]"
    Released: September 22, 2006
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]

The guitar solo of "Howlin' with the 'Pac" is essentially a reworked version of the one from "Hearts on Fire".

As with several songs on the previous album, the song "Dark Wings, Dark Words" is inspired by A Song of Ice and Fire.[8]

The song "Titan" seems to be inspired by the 2000 animated film, Titan A.E..

Track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Threshold"Oscar Dronjak, Joacim Cans4:43
2."The Fire Burns Forever"Dronjak, Cans3:20
3."Rebel Inside"Dronjak5:32
4."Natural High"Dronjak, Cans4:13
5."Dark Wings, Dark Words"Dronjak, Cans5:01
6."Howlin' with the 'Pac"Dronjak, Cans4:04
7."Shadow Empire"Dronjak, Cans, Stefan Elmgren5:13
8."Carved in Stone"Dronjak, Cans6:10
9."Reign of the Hammer"Elmgren2:48
10."Genocide"Dronjak, Cans, Elmgren4:41
11."Titan"Dronjak, Cans4:24

Personnel

Additional personnel

Backing vocals by:

Chart positions[9]
  • Sweden: #1
  • Germany: #15
  • Austria: #30
  • Switzerland: #32
  • France: #192

Music videos
  • The song "Natural High" was made into a music video depicting Hector the Knight battling vampires in a decrepit castle; he managed to kill most of the vampires with his hammer, but one of them escapes, leaving Hector by himself. The video itself is a montage alternating between the band and the action, which is shot in live-action and complemented with CGI.[10]
  • The song "The Fire Burns Forever" was also made into a music video.[11]The band recorded it with some of the Swedish participants in the European Athletics Championships.[12]

Single The Fire Burns Forever

"The Fire Burns Forever" was also released as a single and only available as a download between August 6 and September 6 of 2006, exclusively at the iTunes music store and Nuclear Blast Musicshop. Hammerfall and the athletes also performed "The Fire Burns Forever" at the official opening of the Championships on August 6 in Gothenburg, Sweden.[12]

References
  1. "HammerFall - The Fire Burns Forever - Encyclopaedia Metallum: The Metal Archives". www.metal-archives.com. Retrieved 23 May 2018.
  2. "HammerFall - Natural High". Discogs. Retrieved 23 May 2018.
  3. Allmusic review
  4. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2013-12-03. Retrieved 2008-08-28.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  5. "Threshold in Swedish charts". swedishcharts.com. Retrieved 20 July 2009.
  6. "Swedish charts archive". Retrieved 2010-01-09.
  7. "Magnus Rosén". www.magnusrosen.com. Retrieved 23 May 2018.
  8. "HammerFall - Threshold - Encyclopaedia Metallum: The Metal Archives". www.metal-archives.com. Retrieved 23 May 2018.
  9. Hung, Steffen. "swedishcharts.com - HammerFall - Threshold". swedishcharts.com. Retrieved 23 May 2018.
  10. Nuclear Blast Records (22 September 2006). "Hammerfall – Natural High (Official Music Video)". Retrieved 23 May 2018 – via YouTube.
  11. Nuclear Blast Records (24 June 2008). "Hammerfall – The Fire Burns Forever (Official Music Video)". Retrieved 23 May 2018 – via YouTube.
  12. "Hammerfall Reveal New Album Details". Retrieved 23 May 2018.
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