Band:	Textures
Album:	Phenotype
Style:	Progressive math metal
Release date:	February 2016

01. Oceans Collide
02. New Horizons
03. Shaping A Single Grain Of Sand
04. Illuminate The Trail
05. Meander
06. Erosion
07. The Fourth Prime
08. Zman
09. Timeless

The way I see it, there are two variants of math metal. There's the relatively subdued kind that's easily deciphered within a few listens and compatible with headbanging. Then there's the kind that always seems to purposely go out of the way to seem random and continues to feel that way irrespective of the number of times you spin it. Textures is a band very familiar with walking that fine line. With their latest release, Phenotype, they have decided to put their fans' numeracy to the test.

For those of you who aren't familiar with Textures, they play a unique blend of progressive and math metal. While their previous works play around with the mathy aspect of their music, it was always relatively tame and easy to follow. Phenotype is easily their least user-friendly release, pushing the limits of polyrhythmic instrumentation and odd-time-signature work. While a majority of the off-beat passages are well-executed, a few engender an air of unpredictability that doesn't seem to serve any purpose other than to appear impressive or mind-blowing. Only after a dozen spins was I finally able to wrap my head around some of the more puzzling moments and, indeed, a cursory listen may lead you to label the instrumentation as haphazard, at least compared to their previous works. The effort required of the listener renders the album all the more rewarding when all the rhythms finally click.

As a consequence of the increased presence of the math element, the music is slightly heavier than their usual material. "Shaping A Single Grain Of Sand" for example, culminates in a hair-raising tornado of frantic instrumentation and visceral screams that's bound to leave you riddled with goosebumps. In all this calculated aggression, the band continues to invest in their more progressive and melodic side. This is particularly well-showcased on the stunning album closer, aptly titled "Timeless," which experiments with atmospheric "post-" elements while featuring prominent keyboards, soaring vocals, and emotive pitched screams. While each song typically settles on an identity somewhere between the two extremities, "New Horizons" and "Illuminate The Trail" are excellent examples of how Textures stylishly flows from one end of this musical spectrum to the other.

As expected, the entire performance is nothing short of impressive. Drummer Stef proves he is immune to bimanual interference, executing virtuosic displays of ambidexterity with all limbs seemingly focused on a disparate rhythm. He also crafts some of the most stunning ride-driven beats I've ever heard. Guitarists Joe and Bart engage in remarkable synergy, whether it's complimenting riffs with multiple layers or working together to create some truly peculiar chords, rhythms, and melodies. As the previous album lacked in the way of keyboard playing, I was delighted to finally hear Uri's influence on this release, scattering across the album dense atmospheres and nimble key-dancing alike. Vocalist Daniel showed incredible growth from his first album with the band, Dualism, delivering powerful cleans to new heights and producing primal screams of veritable filth. Most importantly, his performance is emotive and catchy. Sadly, I couldn't discern much regarding the bass as it seems to be buried deep in the mix; perhaps something to consider for the band's planned release in '17, Genotype.

All things considered, Phenotype is a worthy addition to Textures' discography and successfully blends abrasive math metal tendencies with pensive and playful elements of prog. If you're particularly fond of math metal - or are a fan of the band - I would give it a listen?or ten, if you want to comfortably follow the innumerable whimsical and abrupt shifts in rhythm.

?and yes: the blasts have returned.