Very sad news in the prog music world today. It's been reported that Andrew "Mac" McDermott, former singer of Threshold - one of my favorite bands and the preeminent progressive metal act out of the UK - has passed away.

Prior to his joining Threshold, Mac was the singer for the band Sargant Fury. After they dissolved, he replaced original Threshold vocalist Damian Wilson. Mac sang for the band for the next ten years on the albums Clone, Hypothetical, Critical Mass, Subsurface, and Dead Reckoning, as well as the live double-album Critical Energy and several fan club releases. He suddenly quit just as the band was about to embark on their tour in support of Dead Reckoning, but stayed active in music, recording a second album for the prog band Yargos, forming his own band Swamp Freaks, and most recently singing for PowerWorld.

It was reported that Mac had been suffering health problems in the last few months, but there is no firm word yet on what these problems were and how they contributed to his death. Mac was 45.

When I saw this news, I was incredibly shocked and saddened. One of the best voices in prog music is now gone, and all we have of him now is his legacy on audio and video. RIP Mac. Keep on proggin'.

Here is Threshold performing "Light & Space" from the Critical Energy DVD as tribute.