“Welcome, wayward friend.”
We can view Genotype from two perspectives. Taken for what it is – a modern prog metal album – there’s a lot to appreciate. Its style will be familiar to the current wave of mostly-clean-vocal-European-prog: Vola, A Cold Night For Alligators, Soen, Leprous, Psychonaut; the UK’s Ihlo and Tesseract, Australia’s Karnivool, and of, course, Canada’s Devin Townsend can come too. (Whether Sleep Token belong in this list is an argument left for the readers.) Genotype’s release perhaps marks a moment where the value in this exact style is being recognised scene-wide, where all the excess of prog is practiced with purpose held in mind. We are watching a microcosm of an old genre mature, not quite like it’s ever done before, and enjoying it too.
The other perspective is that it’s an odd duck of a Textures album. By name, it’s ostensibly the sequel to Phenotype. In practice, they’re at best cousins-twice-removed, and the rest of the band’s discography feels even more distant. It’s not hard to guess how this came about, and it’s not simply because this is a reunion coming after a long, long break. Like every metal band since the 90s that dared to palm mute and count in a polyrhythm, Textures have been dogged by their influence from Meshuggah. This has always been overblown – who doesn’t want to sound like Mesuggah, let alone Textures’ take on the sound? Their kaleidoscopic progressive djent style has become its own touchstone for modern tech metal.
Still, if they’re trying to escape a certain Swedish shadow, to Genotype’s credit, all that influence is by now distant in the rearview mirror. The tight guitars sit within a highly democratic and clean mix. There are as many moments of focused downtime riffing as there are keyboard driven sections. A much slower tempo is embraced across almost the whole album and the harsh vocals are mostly kept in reserve. Textures can still be heavy, but now they are saving it for critical moments. Among the other stylistic shifts, this newfound frugality proves to be Genotype’s sticking point.
Opener “Void” blows the dust off nine years of quiet for the band with the most ‘prog’ overture you’ll hear across their discography. It’s a bright and airy statement of intent, varying its patterns to hold interest then ending sharply. This upbeat call to action is answered by “At the Edge of Winter” a single that boasts a career-best performance from Textures’ vocalist Daniël de Jongh. Assisted by guest Charlotte Wessels (ex-Delain and solo), the track’s conclusion is melodic metal heaven. De Jongh has surely spent his downtime very well, learning to command his voice like never before, as it’s not just his cleans that have benefited – the throw-down at the five-minute mark is so very tasty. Regardless of what you want from a Textures album, it’s hard to be disappointed by this opening.
As the record continues, the stylistic shift becomes clear – they weren’t just putting forward a new style for one easy-to-digest single. “Measuring the Heavens” is a frustrating example of this. As the tension increases and the structural complexity develops, the newfound lustre of the keyboards wears off fast as the classic ‘prog’ attitudes require you to embrace the cheese. De Jongh performs spectacularly, but some of his lyrics are absolutely not: “Could I be dissolved in liquid / and poured over your face?” and a repeated refrain of “How to sail the open seas?” will have you scratching your head before you hold your heart. The quality continues to meander on “Nautical Dusk” which is latched to an awkward opening synth hook. Even as these tracks bite down for their heavy segments, they do so with riffs that Textures ought to be running circles around.
With these tracks aside, the quality of Genotype returns. “Vanishing Twin” is the record’s most successful track, focused on a fast tom groove, giving it urgency and gravitas. Even as the bridge comes the band maintains this upward trajectory, dropping the excellent chorus once again before unleashing fully. “Closer to the Unknown” is another tight single with layered harsh vocals and a noodly solo. The awkward beat switch that opens each of its choruses are the proggy turn that might switch some listeners off. “A Seat For The Like Minded” is very different, a transitional piece that reawakens the unexpected within Textures’ style, giving the back end of the record a strong sense of flow. Closer “Walls of the Soul” has the same characteristics, weaving a logical but still winding tale. It’s drummer Stef Broks’ moment to shine as the low base tempo leaves room for all sorts of incredibly detailed patterns – indulgent, but never overdoing it. The track is also more fluent with its heavy movements, hitting the harsh vocals button multiple times to great effect.
The album’s very last moments are unexpected. Having started with that big overture, one expects a prog band to hit the “Suppers Ready” button to close in the same fashion. “Walls of the Soul” instead winds down gradually and ends in an uncertain space. It’s as refreshing as it is frustrating, as if a re-release bonus track might come alone to make it feel complete. It also brings into harsh focus the aspects of Textures that are largely lacking in Genotype. If you’re new to the band and like what you hear, you can just bask in all its successes, but the rest of us have to reckon with it landing outside our expectations. The few moments that Textures go for short volleys of proper djenty heaviness are the album’s absolute best, and although the rest is an elevated take on prog metal, it leaves a certain itch unscratched. They don’t need to be heavy to be good, but maybe they do in order to be truly great.
7/10
Genotype releases through Kscope on the 23rd January and can be pre-ordered here.