Review by Shadowdoom9 (Andi) for Textures - Silhouettes (2008)

Textures has some of the most mathy progressive metal/djent around. One can consider the band the Dutch Meshuggah. Their influences from that band were the most obvious in their debut Polars, though they've had their own new ideas going on, more apparent in Drawing Circles. In fact, Textures is definitely different from Meshuggah, cleaner with a bit of jazz here.

Silhouettes is an awesome album, a kick-A offering that can push Drawing Circles off its throne, with the heavy and melodic songs in perfect balance. The vocals are the best I've heard from any of the band's vocalists, nailing the Devin Townsend-like clean/scream contrast. And there's a lot more that makes this a solid mathematical masterpiece!

Kicking things off is "Old Days Born Anew" with the most of their earlier Meshuggah influences here. It starts similar to how that band's album that year ObZen started, with fast riffing and drumming. However, the clean singing breaks up the intensity with its sheer beauty. Not the best start, but it still works. "The Sun's Architect" has better madness with awesome drumming and riffing. With growling and singing fitting so well in the right places, nothing can get more beautiful than that. Except "Awake" which is my favorite song here, both hard-hitting and melodic. The clean vocals can very well be some of the best I've heard in my life. There are also seems to be some influence from the heavier side of Devin Townsend. I love this!

Next up, "Laments of an Icarus" has a snare march to begin the track and bleed into the rest of the song. The mathematical riffing and growls help the song's quality. There's another good track in "One Eye for a Thousand". As for "State of Disobedience", it's so glorious that you just gotta hear it to believe it.

Then we have "Storm Warning" is a true mathy djent storm. It's so intense with different time signatures, and Eric Kalsbeek can really keep up with them with his growls. His clean vocal beauty still shines as always, "We are the strangers of today". After that, "Messengers" is soft and atmospheric with no growls except for the middle section. "To Erase a Lifetime" closes this masterpiece album in all its beauty and glory.

It's a shame Eric Kalsbeek left two years after this album, though the vocalists in surrounding albums are incredible too. Silhouettes has some of the best music and vocals from the band, proving Textures' place as one of the greatest early djent bands besides Meshuggah!

Favorites: "The Sun's Architect", "Awake", "State of Disobedience", "Storm Warning", "To Erase a Lifetime"