Textures - Dualism review
| Band: | Textures |
| Album: | Dualism |
| Style: | Progressive math metal |
| Release date: | September 2011 |
01. Arms Of The Sea
02. Black Horses Stampede
03. Reaching Home
04. Sanguine Draws The Oath
05. Consonant Hemispheres
06. Burning The Midnight Oil
07. Singularity
08. Minor Earth, Major Skies
09. Stoic Resignation
10. Foreclosure
11. Sketches From A Motionless Statue
The Dutch metal scene may not be the most flourishing one, but it sure brought great additions to the worldwide metalbase. One of these additions is Textures and their latest album entitled Dualism, released in the fall of 2011.
If someone mentions something about this album, instantly, the first thing that comes to my mind is the lack of mediocre songs that compose this outstanding work of art. Each song has its momentum thorough the album, which makes it even more musically balanced and gives the listener the ability to explore and enjoy a variety of elements, characterized by melodic fills here and there while maintaining a healthy dose of Meshuggized technical riffage.
Regarding tagging, I'm not going to pamper the djent tag by using it for this album. This release has more potential than djent could cover, since the term is often associated with a lot of mediocre bands that use this type of tone. It does have specific elements that emerge thorough the album and can be noticed within the groovy riffs and compositions, but a more accurate tag for this album would be progressive math metal. That being said, Dualism is the most atmospheric Textures album to date, concentrating within its songs a great mix between Daniel De Jong's yelled Gojira-like vocals and mind-traveling mellow passages that give the listener a soul raising feeling, the latter being a remarkable characteristic for the dutch metallers.
In comparison with their previous release Silhouettes, this album is less technical and not as many poly-rhythmic elements are present, which gives Dualism a slightly more refreshing sound and pinpoints the more mature approach that the Dutch sextet has taken over this album.
In conclusion, Dualism is a must-have for every progressive metal lover who appreciates, besides a thunderous riff line, a well crafted song structure with atmospheric influences.
Rating breakdown
| Performance: | 9 |
| Songwriting: | 9 |
| Originality: | 8 |
| Production: | 10 |
Written by Enkiled | 26.05.2013
Guest review disclaimer:
This is a guest review, which means it does not necessarily represent the point of view of the MS Staff.
This is a guest review, which means it does not necessarily represent the point of view of the MS Staff.
Rating:
8.8
8.8
|
Rating: 8.8 |
2011 has indeed been a wonderful year for progressive and djent. And this album has to be in the Top 10 up there with the great releases of the year. Being loosely acquainted with Textures' previous release Silhouettes, I did have high expectations of this work, and I wasn't proven wrong. Not at all. The first thing you notice as you listen through the first minute of the opening track "Arms of the Sea", is the wonderfully improved production. Guitar, drums and vocals are harmoniously balanced, and the bass is very audible, instead of being muffled out by the low frequencies of the 7-string guitar. Crystal clean, it lets you observe each and every instrument's role individually and admire the musical value of each part. Read more ›› |
Hits total: 2524 | This month: 1