Textures: Timeless

Whilst TEXTURES have not achieved a world-renowned status, they were instrumental in flying the flag for progressive metal in the early 2000’s, turning heads with their explosive polyrhythmic dynamism, which undoubtedly assisted in shaping the landscape of the genre we now see today. They left a gaping, mournful hole in the hearts of many when they opted to depart back in 2017, and despite most farewells in music never being entirely permanent, we weren’t sure whether this was the last we had seen of the Dutch visionaries. 

After almost a decade out of the picture, it was announced back in 2024 that they were returning to resume unfinished business, with a view to concluding the intended follow-up to 2016’s Phenotype, entitled Genotype. “A couple of years ago we met up for dinner, got chatting just as friends rather than bandmates and the discussion, of course, shifted to music,” explains drummer Stef Broks. “We were talking about whether we felt we had anything to contribute to the world of music and if we had something to say with our instruments. We all agreed that the time felt right to pick things up again. It may sound a bit snobby but we were only ever in TEXTURES for the art and the music. We were never in it for the fame or the ‘rock and roll’ lifestyle. I just love making music with my friends and feeling like I’m part of something bigger.”

The initial blueprint for Genotype was planned to be a conceptual continuation of its predecessor but was eventually scrapped after the band opted to disperse before its completion. What we now know as Genotype is an entirely different proposition. “Before we split up we were working on trying to get a first draft of Genotype put together and we had this vision of writing a 45 minute song. The intention was to hint back to old albums and old songs but it was a bit of a mess and we were seeing other bands writing these brilliant, expansive songs and albums. We suddenly just felt like we’d become obsolete,” admits Stef. “My heart felt like it was no longer in this project and to stay true to myself I decided it was time for me to step away. One of the first things I did when we got back together was call our keyboardist, Uri [Dijk] and stress the importance of him playing a more focal role in the band going forward. We’ve always been a very guitar and drum-driven band with a lot of rhythms. Going back through our catalogue we had some great songs, but I realised we wrote a lot of songs where there were just too many ideas squashed together. I wanted Uri to be at the forefront by using his talents to bring new sounds and a more modern approach to our songwriting. I feel like we really found the right balance with this album. We’ve still got some amazing, epic songs but they feel more concise and intentional.”

It is yet to be determined whether this reunion of TEXTURES will extend beyond this release, but Stef and company have rekindled their love of creating and performing once more. “We’re not sure what the long-term future of TEXTURES will be at this point but we feel like with this new sound we’ve crafted with Genotype that we’re entering a new and exciting era for the band,” discusses Stef. “We were a lot more selective with what we contributed to this album, and at times it was quite a struggle, but I guess that is just the TEXTURES way! I worked closely with our guitarist, Bart [Hennephof]. Over the years we have built up a great confidence in our approach. I feel like an artist with all these different easels, and we add our own colours as we go along. Bart is great at keeping everything structured and organised. We have a great trust in one another, and it’s so nice to be able to continue making music with someone I’ve known for so long. We always put a lot of thought into how these songs would translate live on a big stage too.”

Genotype welcomes a guest appearance by fellow Dutch vocalist Charlotte Wessels, who grew in notoriety from her work with DELAIN before venturing on to her own solo endeavours. A decision that was to become a perfect vocal accompaniment alongside frontman Daniël de Jongh. “Me and Bart were working on At The Edge Of Winter and coming up with the melodies. When Daniël was laying his vocals on top and looking into potential harmonies we thought a female voice would sound great alongside his,” explains Stef. “A few friends of ours are part of Charlotte‘s band, who also went on tour with our good friends in VOLA. We found out she actually lived just down the road! Her drummer also happens to be my student, and his father was actually my teacher so it’s a very small world. The track has been very well received, and it was great to work with Charlotte.”

Genotype may be hot off the press, but TEXTURES have been back out on the road, performing at a whole host of festivals since 2024. These experiences were certainly not taken for granted by Stef, and 2026 is shaping up to be a year full of opportunity for the band. “Getting back out on tour the last few years has been such a spiritual experience. It has brought back a lot of memories, particularly for myself and Bart. We were playing Regenesis every night and he’d always walk to the back of the stage and share that moment with me.”

“We’ve been through a lot together with this band, and even before TEXTURES when we were playing songs by RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE and SEPULTURA and travelling together. Getting to travel further afield to places like Japan and India and seeing people connecting with our songs has been the biggest honour. Getting to play the UK again is also a huge privilege as we grew up with so many bands who contributed so much to the world of music. Bands like PINK FLOYD, THE BEATLES, PETER GABRIEL. For a country that isn’t that big the amount of amazing musicians the UK produced is unparalleled. We can’t wait to return and play in front of some new audiences after all this time. Hopefully some old fans too!”

Genotype is set for release on January 23rd, 2026 via Kscope. View this interview, alongside dozens of other killer bands, in glorious print magazine fashion in DS127 here:

For more information on TEXTURES like their official page on Facebook.