Ajalon LP: On The Threshold Of Eternity
Released: 2005
Label: Threshing Floor Records – TFD0205
Song: Anthem Of The Seventh Day
Musicians
Randy George: Electric & Acoustic Guitars, Keyboards, Bass, Bodhran
Wil Henderson: Vocals, Bass Guitar, Penny Whistle, Vocal Arrangements
Dan Lile: Drums & Percussion
Additional musicians:
Rick Wakeman, Neal Morse, Phil Keaggy, Jeremy Cays, Lisa Green
Playing bass in Neal Morse's band must have made an impact on multi-instrumentalist Randy George. On the Threshold of Eternity, the second album from George's Christian progressive-rock trio Ajalon, swirls with beautiful melodic turns of phrase, Spock's Beard-like vocal passages and songs that are — plain and simple — easy to fall in love with. Lo and behold, Morse even contributes vocals to the epic 16-minute title track.
Not that any of this is a bad thing. On the contrary, On the Threshold of Eternity is a moving, vibrant and feel-good album punctuated by George's accessible music and vocalist/bassist Wil Henderson's lyrics. In fact, Henderson's friendly and warm voice was meant to sing these songs, which address hope in an uncertain world. Ajalon takes its name from the Bible's Book of Joshua, meaning "grace in the midst of the fire," and the band's music certainly exhibits a graceful touch that accents the often-subtle lyrics. In addition to Morse, Rick Wakeman — who discovered the band and released Ajalon's first CD, Light at the End of the Tunnel, on his own Hope Records label — adds flourishing keyboard solos to the sprightly "What Kind of Love" and the acoustic-turned-symphonic "Forever I Am," and guitarist Phil Keaggy lends his tenor and acoustic guitar to "Holy Spirit Fire," a catchy pop-rocker. A bonus track features Ajalon's tasteful rendition of The Moody Blues' "You and Me." Like the music of Morse, Wakeman and Keaggy, On the Threshold of Eternity has the potential to emerge as one of those records you can return to time and again without ever really tiring of it. Can I get an "Amen!"?
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