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8 out of 10
Ok, I need a clever opener for this review. Textures.some smooth bits, some rough bits.parts ’feel’ different.nah. Ok, maybe silhouettes, um. throwing shapes, ...images.. Oh sod it; I’ll just have to say it out loud. This album is confusing. Let's take the opening track as an example. Instead of easing us in, it switches back and forth between Meshuggah-like time signatures, off-kilter thrashing, and slightly melodic post-metal that had me reminiscing about Earthtone9. The vocals are hardly straightforward either, veering between gruff barks, velvety croons and outright throat-shredding screams. Not your average 3-minute pop chart contender. And so it continues for the rest of the album. We get sections that recall the hardcore/metal of Throwdown, atmospherics and electronica, plaintive near-grunge vocals, nu-metal (Thankfully more Mudvayne than Limpbizkit), and more weird riffs than Dillinger Escape Plan could come up with in a week. Just when you think you've got a handle on what's happening, the next curveball is thrown. (As an aside, I'll say this isn't helped by having each song on the promo CD split into about ten separate tracks each, totally preventing me from knowing how long a track has gone on for, and therefore stopping me judging how well you can lose yourself in the songs. It's quite amusing when you put the CD on random play though.) Fortunately, it all seems to fit. Unlike say, Four Year Strong, who just switch between pop-punk and hardcore whenever they feel like it, Textures make sure that each section flows together, and like kindred spirits Meshuggah, DEP, or Between the Buried & Me, they have the technical savvy to back it up. Listen: www.myspace.com/textures
Tracklist:
1. Old Days Born Anew 2. The Sun's Architect 3. Awake 4. Lament Of An Icarus 5. One Eye For A Thousand 6. State Of Disobedience 7. Storm Warning 8. Messengers 9. To Erase A Lifetime
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