By: Anders

Posted: May 15, 2006

This is my first encounter with the Dutch band Textures, and why I haven't discovered the band until now is a riddle. It might only be the band's second album, but the attention and impact their debut "Polars" had, should have made some heads, including my own, turn in their direction. Textures delivers hard-fueled metal with a base in heavy hardcore, adding a lot of technical mindblowing twists and a good dose of atmospheric rock.

There is no doubt about that the band consists of excellent musicians, the ear easily catches their skill. Though it is seldom that they show the single instrument's capacities, on this album it is about the team effort, about showing what the entity Textures can. The band has composed some excellent songs, the drive is present all the way through and takes the listener on an emotional rollercoaster ride. Even though we are presented for many breaks and technical elements, the focus is almost always on the drive and the flow of the individual songs and the album in its wholesome. The music is very catching, when one first gets into the songs. And that process can take a while, as it isn't all of the music presented on the album, that is the easiest to get into during the first, second or third listen. Some of the tracks or parts take a good while to get under the skin, though the award is there, when one gets through the wall of despair and frustration. When the music first opens its gates, the world of Textures is huge and rewarding.

The band is not only writing and performing the music, they have also recorded it and mixed it themselves. It might seem like a strange choice, but it does of course leave all creativity within the band and it leaves all options open. And when the result turns out as here, the choice seems like a very wise one.

This album is a little gem, we have all from brutal passages to more melancholic and atmospheric ones. It is all blended well together and there is a red thread binding all the songs together, making a huge and varied painting. An escape for the one who lend ones mind to Textures, and lets the music soak entirely in, and is carried away, while the circles are being created or rerun.

Rating: 8½/10

[link]Textures[/link] website

Textures interview

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