Eight years after stepping away, Textures return with Genotype, an album that signals both their comeback and a bold artistic renewal. Regarded as pioneers of modern progressive metal, the Dutch band is reawakening with a major European tour alongside Jinjer, which will include stops in Bilbao and Madrid.
In this interview, drummer Stef Broks speaks openly about the excitement and tension surrounding their return, the creative process behind the new record, the band’s musical and lyrical evolution, and the challenge of building a live show ready for larger stages. A candid and insightful look at a band reclaiming its identity with renewed purpose and unmistakable momentum.
David Aresté
M.S: Thank you for your time. How are you feeling at this special moment with the release of Genotype and your return to activity?
Stef Broks: We feel very excited, of course, although that sounds like a cliché. There’s also some tension because we’re about to go on the road for five weeks, which is quite long, and we’re not really used to that anymore. We’ve spent many years touring — around 800 shows — so we know the drill, but it’s been a long time.
On the other hand, we’re thrilled because we’ll be traveling across Europe, and that’s always a pleasure. Driving through our continent, visiting cities… it’s fantastic. We’ll be going to Madrid and Bilbao, though not to my favorite, Barcelona. I don’t know why — we’re touring with Jinjer and they decided to skip it.
We will play in Toulouse and Madrid, which I’ve visited many times, even as a kid traveling by train from the Netherlands. It feels good to be back on the road. We’re really looking forward to it.
M.S: At what moment did you realize you wanted to return not only to touring, but with a completely new album rather than using older unfinished ideas?
Stef Broks: Actually… we still don’t even know if we wanted to return in that exact way . When we started writing new songs, we came up with ideas with modern textures — lots of drum and guitar polyrhythms, groovy stuff. But it reminded us of the same trap we fell into eight years ago when we stopped.
Back then we felt like we were falling behind, as described in our biography, because bands like Tesseract, Animals As Leaders, and Periphery emerged. And this time, again, we felt: “Come on… we’ve done this riff, and other bands have done it too. This isn’t ideal.”
So I called Uri, our keyboard player. He was still “new” — he only contributed to the last record, Phenotype , before we split. I told him: “You’re our big opportunity. We need to use you.” We were always a very guitar-and-drum-focused band with technical, thrashy, even death metal and prog elements. But now we needed him to take the spotlight with his piano, layers, and sound design.
That changed our songwriting. And that became our new genotype , our new identity. It’s probably the biggest step we’ve ever taken between two albums.
M.S: Earlier you mentioned Phenotype . How would you describe the relationship between the two records?
Stef Broks: First we wrote Phenotype as a completely new record. Then, in 2017, we intended to release Genotype as a very long track with hints to our older material — our original identity. But the material wasn’t good enough. That was part of the reason why we called it quits.Now, eight years later, we finished the album with completely new material. That material became our new
genotype. So the relationship between the two is no longer tied to who we were , but to who we are now.
M.S: Which aspects of your identity needed to remain intact, and what did you want to reinvent?
Stef Broks: The only thing we relied on was our personalities as musicians. We didn’t feel we had to stick to a certain sound for people to “get it.” Textures has always been experimental — classic prog, modern prog, thrash, death, ambient tape-like music. There was no need to hold onto any one sound.
We simply wanted to see what happens when our personalities come together again. And that’s very much what this record is.
The album is self-produced, but mixed by Forrester Savell. It’s a huge upgrade to our sound. We’ve made all our albums ourselves, building studios and even doing our own artwork. But this time we wanted a real step up. Forrester did Sound Awake
by Karnivool, one of the most iconic-sounding albums of the last 20 years. And he nailed it — the sound is massive.
M.S: So all the previous albums were self-produced except this one?
Stef Broks: Yes. All except Genotype . The main production was done by Bart (guitar) and Uri (synths), but the mix — for the first time — was done by Forrester Savell.
M.S: Regarding the sound, what rhythmic or polyrhythmic ideas were you interested in exploring this time?
Stef Broks: In the past we experimented a lot with rhythm, but nowadays much of that ground has been covered. On the new album, there’s only one track, Dawn After the Wreck , that explores polyrhythm in a 6/8 waltz-type meter. But overall, this record is not about rhythmic experimentation. It’s about writing good songs. These are probably the most solid songs we’ve ever written. In the past we wrote some great ones, but also a lot of “bullshit,” with too many ideas crammed into a single track. This time, the focus is much better.
M.S: And how did you find the balance between atmospheric, electronic elements and heavy riffs and grooves?
Stef Broks: Honestly, we don’t think about that. It just happens. The only things we care about are tension and long arcs. We’re not into three-minute songs. Most are four or five minutes, and on this album many are six or seven.
We like telling long stories and surprising the listener — and ourselves. We write for ourselves.
We don’t aim for a “nice blend” of elements. We just go for it and see if the song works.
M.S: Would you say “The Edge of Winter” represents the direction of the album?
Stef Broks: In a way, yes. It’s experimental in the sense that people might think: “This isn’t proggy, there aren’t a thousand riffs.” But it is proggy in how we handle rhythm, melody, and harmony. It’s almost seven minutes long and shows our general direction.
However, Winter is actually one of the more straightforward tracks. Many others are far less straightforward.
M.S: What led you to collaborate with Charlotte Wessels on that track?
Stef Broks: It came down to two things. First, when Bart and I wrote the verse, Uri added the melody and Daniel contributed lyrics and vocal lines. In the second verse, the vocal range was so high that I thought: “Even a woman could sing this,” which sparked the initial idea.
Second, we had been seeing Charlotte a lot over the past years. She’s very active in the Dutch scene, and several musicians we know play in her live band. She lives just a few kilometers from us here in central Holland, so the connection felt natural.
We felt she had entered the modern progressive scene in a very authentic way, and we thought: let’s ask her if she’d like to feature on the song. And she agreed, which was fantastic.
M.S: The lyrics explore internal friction and emotional roots. How did that thematic direction emerge?
Stef Broks: We relate a lot to people who are shy or who deal with psychological or internal struggles. Not necessarily because we have those issues ourselves, but because many people around us do. I teach at several conservatories in the Netherlands, and many musicians struggle with shyness, autism or similar things. Sometimes that’s exactly what makes them artists.
That inspired us. Many lyrics grew from that. For example,
Measuring Nothingness deals very clearly with this topic. It talks about people who don’t dare to speak and who express themselves through their art. Maybe this album gives them a platform.
M.S: Do you feel this lyrical approach marks a personal evolution compared to previous work?
Stef Broks: We’ve always written about psychological and philosophical themes. Maybe we were among the first in modern prog metal, though Death already did it on Symbolic and Individual Thought Patterns . Those albums shaped me deeply as a teenager.
Our debut Polars already dealt with internal struggles. So it’s always been there — this album simply focuses on a specific angle.
M.S: If you had to define the album in five words, which would you choose?
Stef Broks: (Laughs) Five words? Okay…
Casillas, Iniesta, Rivaldo, Messi, Luis Enrique.
Stef Broks: It makes no sense, I know (laughs). But those are the players I’d compare the album to.
M.S: During your absence, many fans said Textures left a significant mark on progressive metal. How does that feel?
Stef Broks: It’s an honor. A lot of bands told us we inspired them: Tesseract, Periphery, Animals As Leaders, VOLA… They said they listened to our albums a lot and took elements from our sound. That’s very cool.
And while we were away, the scene exploded. Before, these bands played to 300 or 500 people; now they play to 2,000 or 3,000. We saw Tesseract here playing to 3,000 people — and they once opened for us!
Gojira, Architects, Tesseract, The Ocean… many who supported us became huge.
M.S: You built a strong following and played major festivals. How did that international journey shape your identity as a band?
Stef Broks: It affected us more spiritually than anything else. Financially it doesn’t make much sense, but emotionally it’s powerful. Playing in India for 10,000 Textures fans — not festival crowds, but our own fans — is incredible.
You feel part of something bigger. But it didn’t change our personalities or our vision. We’re still the same people living the same lives.
M.S: You mentioned you’ll return to touring with Jinjer in 2026. What can fans expect from this new live chapter?
Stef Broks: A lot of new songs, of course. And I think there will be room for a cool light show. More importantly, these songs really work on big stages — that’s key.
M.S: Do you already have the setlist ready?
Stef Broks: No, we start rehearsing next weekend. I can play the songs as a drummer, but playing them as a band is different. There are many layers and it’s quite difficult to get everything right.
M.S: And finally, what message would you like to send to fans who waited all these years and are now celebrating your return?
Stef Broks: We really appreciate that they’re still with us. And I truly think they’ll enjoy the entire album if they listen to it from start to finish — especially the last track, Walls of the Soul . It’s long and epic. If they make it to the end, they’ll be happy people.
M.S: Thank you for your time, Stef. We hope to see you soon in Madrid or Bilbao.
Stef: I hope so. Thank you very much to you too.