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Album Reviews : Textures – Phenotype

By on February 16, 2016

Textures - PhenotypeI am not quite sure how I have managed to completely miss out on this band up until recently. Textures released their first album in 2003. They first appeared on my radar late last year with the lyric video for “New Horizons”. I was floored straight away, but then a trip overseas got in the way of me checking out the band further. But now, here we are. ‘Phenotype’ has been out for about a week and I think I’m in love.

This is the kind of music I’ve been craving the last few years. I started listening to metalcore in 2011 and prog metal in 2014. Ever since then I have wished for a proper hybrid but I haven’t had much luck in my search. “Oceans Collide” is the opener of ‘Phenotype’, and what an opener it is! The aggression in combination with the proggy rhythms and patterns hits you right in the face with a power that I didn’t quite expect. Daniël de Jongh’s combination of growls and soaring highs brings the whole band to another level. This being said though, this album is far from solely vocal-oriented. Guitarists Bart Hennephof and Joe Tal definitely have their moments throughout the record. Drummer Stef Broks and bassist Remko Tielemans are serving as a rock solid backbone. Musically, this is one of the most skilled bands I have discovered over the past six months.

“New Horizons” and Shaping “A Single Grain of Sand” are like night and day. “New Horizons” is the first Textures track I ever heard – a melodic masterpiece – and “Shaping” is more full on and dirty-sounding. Next up is “Illuminate the Trail” which is one of the best songs on the album.  The guitar runs in the verses are absolutely insane. The break in the middle adds another dimension to the song, and clocking in at 7 minutes and 16 seconds, “Illuminate the Trail” holds the most depth on ‘Phenotype’.

“Meander” is merely a long snare march intro to the heaviest song on the album, “Erosion”. Compared to the rest of the album it is a pretty straight-forward track and the guitar solo at the ends leads us into the second 7 minute track of the album, “The Fourth Prime”. This track is insanely groovy and the snare stroke placement throughout the layered 3/4 and 4/4 parts is mind-blowing.

As we’re nearing the end of the album, there is yet another interlude entitled “Zman”. This is a very beautiful piano piece that allows us to breathe before the grand finale, “Timeless”, kicks in with a bone-crushing riff. This is probably de Jongh’s best vocal performance overall. The emotions in his voice are through the roof and it is a very fitting song to close out this album.

I would be very surprised if ‘Phenotype’ doesn’t end up on my top 10 albums of 2016 list, especially considering how much room for growth there is. I discover something new on every listen and that is what makes it so exciting.

Excuse me while I delve into Textures’ full discography…

About

Martin is an aspiring music photographer/videographer. He is originally from the southern parts of Sweden and now he's living in Sydney, Australia. Thanks to his older sister, he got into Rammstein at the age of 9, and since then he's been into all types of metal/rock. He loves to combine photography and music, but also filming concerts and produce live material. Follow him on Twitter and check out his website.