Band:	Textures
Album:	Silhouettes
Style:	Progressive math metal
Release date:	May 2008

01. Old Days Born Anew
02. The Sun's Architect
03. Awake
04. Laments Of An Icarus
05. One Eye For A Thousand
06. State Of Disobedience
07. Storm Warning
08. Messengers
09. To Erase A Lifetime

Since "Polars," Textures have matured with their third album, "Silhouettes," which is a seamless evolution of their second album "Drawing Circles." "Silhouettes" has torn my already high expectations apart and the band has improved on every level. The album is shorter than I thought it would be, but Textures have discovered how to keep the best parts of a song short which keeps the songs fresh.

The album is full to the brim of moments where you want sections to last longer, such as the first melodic part of "Old Days Born Anew," which is in no way a negative part of the album. This is, in my opinion, a band that has the chemistry and creativity to keep on evolving, and produce some of the best ambience I have ever heard. The keyboards do not just add another layer, they are a core part of the band and structural flow of the songs. Vocally, this is Eric Kalsbeek at his best, increasing his ability from his debut on "Drawing Circles"; it is obvious to anybody interested in metal and music in general that he puts so much passion in his vocals (listen to the beginning of "Messengers"). The guitar and bass work have improved, with some change in the style of riffs, such as on "State of Disobedience," a more guitar driven song. As I am an avid and obsessive guitar player for as long as I can remember, listeners and especially other guitar players will realize that the guitar work is, for the most part, not overly technical. However, with common use of overly technical guitar work in many modern metal bands, Textures have a talent for catchy complicated time signatures and spontaneous guitar work. Complex rhythm patterns are also used in abundance in metal nowadays, but everything Textures do is executed perfectly with their own original twists and unexpected turns. The drumming is brilliant, their flawless relationship between the drums, bass and guitar is vital due to their intricate rhythmic patterns, which are the parts where you will find yourself thrashing your head in an insane fashion.

The only aspect of "Silhouettes" I am disappointed with is the production, mainly the drum sound. It is more thick and muddy than on "Drawing Circles," however it is in no way a poor production, just different. I do not think the production compliments the band's exquisite musical skill, but the song writing is sensational which is why it is a minor negative. This is an album that deserves repeated listens, as there is so much going for the whole duration of the album, for example the ending keyboard part of "Awake" is beautiful but easily missed. The lyrics are ambiguous and thought provoking, but not ground breaking. The album is not as consistently heavy as "Polars" but they have developed there own style of progressive metal music since then and if they can step up from the amazing "Drawing Circles," I have no doubt they will improve on "Silhouettes." In my opinion, this is the best and most creative album of 2008.