Biography
Richard West is a British musician, songwriter and author whose creative life has been shaped by an early and enduring love of popular music. Growing up in the 1980s, he became captivated by the UK singles chart, tuning in each week to absorb the sounds, stories and shifting trends of the era. Those broadcasts sparked a fascination that would guide his future, planting the idea that one day he might contribute to the very world he was listening to so intently.
That ambition took root in the early 1990s when West joined the progressive metal band Threshold as keyboard player. What began as a new musical chapter quickly became a defining one, becoming one of the band’s principal songwriters across twelve studio albums, with the most recent four achieving Top 40 positions in Germany and Switzerland. Their reputation as a powerful live act grew in parallel, leading to headline tours across Europe and appearances at major festivals including Wacken Open Air, Masters of Rock and ProgPower USA.
Alongside his work with Threshold, West continued to explore new musical avenues. He engineered and produced for many artists, earning an RIAA-certified gold disc for his work with DragonForce. In 2010 he formed League of Lights with his wife Farrah, evolving from symphonic rock into a more art-pop-focused project across three albums. In 2022 he launched Oblivion Protocol to record the sequel to Threshold’s concept album Legends of the Shires. That same year he published his memoir, Maybe a Writer: My Life in Threshold, a reflective account of his journey from chart-obsessed teenager to established recording artist. The book offered an inside look at the creative, personal and professional experiences that shaped his decades with the band.
Since then, West has continued to expand his creative output. Oblivion Protocol’s sophomore album is currently under development alongside an accompanying novel to deepen the project’s conceptual world. His writing has also taken a new direction: while searching for holiday reading in 2025, he realised that the book he wanted – a nostalgic look back at the UK singles chart – didn’t exist. So he began writing it himself. The result, Every UK Hit Single: 1980, with further volumes planned as part of an ongoing series exploring the history of the British charts year by year. The book also led to him becoming a regular columnist for Blitzed magazine.
Today, West lives in Surrey with Farrah. Although his career has taken him across continents and through multiple creative disciplines, his passion for music remains as strong as ever. His work reflects a lifelong commitment to creativity, storytelling and the enduring power of music.