Around since 2001, Textures are only recently getting the attention I believe they deserve. Maybe it’s the Internet and the vastly improved and creative ways in which people can spread the word. Or maybe people are realizing that they are just that good. In any case, it’s a welcome circumstance for a band that I feel deserves to be heard. Now, with the upcoming release of Dualism, their fourth studio album, this Dutch band is spreading further across the globe. But is it worth your effort to track them down?

The album opens with Arms Of The Sea, a groovy djent metal track that knows when to slam you with a vicious riff as much as it knows when to pull back and let you admire the intricate melodies that permeate the song. Being that I was used to Eric’s vocals over the past few years, this was my first time hearing new vocalist Daniel. I’ll be the first to admit that I was not impressed. However, after blasting through the album and making a round trip back, his voice fits in with the rest of the band very neatly.

The production of the album is very solid though there were a few times when so much was going on that I got a little confused trying to figure out what I was supposed to listen to. However, the tones and mix are generally very positive. Metal heads will really enjoy blasting this one while driving down the street (make sure to scare everyone in senior citizen homes and children’s nurseries for me, would ya?).

I found myself constantly returning to two tracks in particular: Reaching Home and Burning The Midnight Oil. The former is the current single, which the band filmed a video for. The latter is an instrumental that builds melody upon melody and really showcases the musical talent. Another track that was very interesting was Sanguine Draws The Oath, where singer Daniel gets to show off his Mike Patton influences. No joke, there were parts of that song that made me wonder if somehow some Mr. Bungle had been snuck onto the record.

As I said earlier in this review, I had to listen to this album a few times to fully appreciate Daniel’s vocal style. At the same time, without actually realizing it, I was allowing the full musical experience to grow on me as well. Whereas my first impression was slightly lukewarm, I am now a solid fan.

The Final Word: Dualism is an album that grows on me more and more with each listen. Though they’ve been around since 2001, if you haven’t been following Textures work, now would be a good time to start.