Sinusoidal Music spoke to Textures guitarist Joe Tal about the band’s reunion, and their journey forward.
Textures’ reunion has brought Joe Tal back to the energy of live shows, but his days remain grounded in routine. He continues shaping Crown Compass, collaborates with friends and peers, and finds time for teaching students. Between family, band life, and festivals, he keeps the same focus that first drew him to the guitar.
Recognized as pioneers of modern technical metal, Textures, from Netherlands carved their mark with albums like Silhouettes and Dualism. In 2011, they signed with Nuclear Blast, the world’s leading metal label, and went on to share stages with Meshuggah, Gojira, and Machine Head.
This September, after nearly six years away, SkillBox proudly presents Textures’ return to India with two exclusive shows in Mumbai and Bengaluru. In addition to that, they are going to be supported by Silver Tears, a progressive metal band from Guwahati, currently based in Mumbai, as their opening act.
There is a sense of quiet discipline in the way Joe Tal, guitar player of Dutch progressive metalcore band Textures, describes his mornings. While many might imagine the life of a touring guitarist as chaotic, his routine begins with calm order. “I try to wake up around eight, so I have time to do administration and practice my instrument. Around twelve or one, I go downstairs and then I start my day,” he says, adding with a laugh that breakfast rarely makes it into his schedule.
But life on the road is different. “It’s just waking up wherever town that is, and hopefully you can get into the venue and then you have some food and really nothing special there,” Joe explains. What keeps it exciting are the cities themselves. “We do try to walk around and soak up a bit of the local culture. We want to meet local people and have some local foods. I mean, this is what it’s all about.”
What made Textures ready again?
The past year has seen Textures return to stages across Europe, a comeback after six years that Joe describes with understated warmth. “It’s like putting on an old pair of shoes. It fits,” he reflects. With members now older and more settled in life, the dynamic within the group feels smoother. “Everybody’s a bit more mature and aware of himself. It’s lovely to be in the band now.”
The decision to reunite wasn’t the result of one dramatic moment. As Joe recalls, “We always had contact with each other and made sure we saw each other at least once a year as a band. In one of those meetings, Stef, our drummer, popped the question: what if we open the shop again? Everybody was pretty much on board.”
For a band that had announced its farewell in 2017, the comeback felt almost unexpected. “Personally, I was surprised,” Joe admits. “But that’s life, right?”
From hiatus to harmony
The end of Textures in 2017 was difficult. “Personally, I was disappointed. I mourned the decision, and I got over it. For some people in the band, it was kind of a relief,” Joe says. Looking back, he believes the decision kept relationships within the band intact. Textures had never functioned as a full-time touring machine, and that slower pace may have been its saving grace.
“We were never playing 200 shows a year. Sometimes it was just 10 or 15 shows. That helped us keep our sanity and not burn out. Taking breaks kept things fresh and prevented us from destroying the relationships,” he reflects.
Even before the farewell tour, Joe had already begun laying the foundation for his next creative outlet, Crown Compass with singer Daniël de Jongh, his bandmate from Textures, along with Yuma van Eekelen, former drummer of the bands Pestilence and Exivious, and Robin Zielhorst, former bass player of the bands Cynic and Exivious .
The decision to stop with Textures was actually a year and a half before our farewell show. I was already making plans and starting to collect ideas. I knew when Textures would stop, I wanted to stay busy.
The project has since grown into a serious band of its own. “We released an album three years ago and now we’re recording our second album as we speak,” Joe shares.
Collaborations have also been part of that journey, including one with Daniel Tompkins of Tesseract. “We just asked him if he wanted to share, and that’s it. Nothing spectacular behind it. We love what he’s doing with Tesseract and he’s just a lovely human being. I always wanted to hear both Daniels in the same track, so we made it happen.”
His long-standing friendship with bassist Robin Zielhorst also runs deep, stretching back to their time performing in a Blue Man Group production in Amsterdam. “That’s how I know Robin. Since then, we stayed in touch,” Joe recalls.
The inception of ‘Closer to the Unknown‘
Textures’ latest single, Closer to the Unknown emerged almost fully formed. “Bart came with the entire concept of the song. The demo already had the structure, lyrics, and vocal lines. If you compare the first demo to the final version, it’s not very different. That one came out really easily.”
Culture Shock Moments in India
India has been a recurring stop for Textures, with them visiting Pune, Kolkata, Shillong, and Bangalore. Joe remembers the energy of the cities vividly. “Personally, I enjoy big cities more than the countryside. The impact, the dynamic, and the energy there is something out of this world.”
But the darker side of social inequality in the third world left him speechless: “Walking around Mumbai and just seeing some beautiful modern buildings, and just the street next to it, there’s a family who lives under a truck.”
With shows lined up in Mumbai and Bangalore again this year, Joe is curious about the venues. “In the past, we mostly played open-air festivals and clubs. This time, the venues look like big halls for corporate events. Are they equipped to have music at all?” he wonders.
Upon knowing the fact that the band is about to play inside a shopping mall at Mumbai’s Phoenix Market City, Joe Tal laughs and says, “You can put me in a McDonald’s. In the end, we’re there to make music and to entertain. It is show business.”
Music as a source of connection in classrooms, families, and friendships
Discipline remains a theme in Joe’s playing. “I make sure I play every day. If you don’t play, it will slowly disintegrate,” he states. His approach to writing is instinctive. “If I’m writing music, I try to just work only with my ears. But when I see the fretboard, I see all the possibilities, inversions, triads, modes. For solos, it’s a mix of theory and emotion.”
Beyond the stage, Joe and his wife run a guitar school with a special focus on students with ADD, ADHD, and light forms of autism. “We developed teaching methods for these people. I’ve had students for 12–13 years, going through life with them. It’s so special.”
Family life also finds its way into music. Videos of Joe jamming Metallica riffs with his son, have circulated online. “It’s his way of having contact with me. It’s like a father-son activity,” Joe says warmly.
Inside Textures’ In-Ear Monitors
When Bengaluru drummer Mukund Narasimhan (Fallen Letters) asked what Textures hear in their monitors, Joe kept it practical. “We just work with an in-ear monitor system like most bands do these days. It’s extremely simple to have it all set up and we basically control our own mix through an app on [the] phone,” he says.
For his mix, Joe aims for balance and reference points. “I hear a little bit of everything… and my guitar is slightly louder, but I put Bart’s guitar also loud enough so if we’re not in sync that I can definitely hear that. Not a lot of drum overheads, but the kick and snare, everybody’s microphone,” he explains.
Joe opens up on Opeth, Festivals, and Gear
Joe speaks with admiration about Opeth and especially about guitar player Fredrik Åkesson.
Frederick’s style speaks to me very deeply because you hear he’s from a different time. It makes me think of all the bands I grew up on.
Festivals have also been a highlight of Textures’ reunion run. “Last year we played Hellfest, Graspop, and Wacken. Hellfest is wonderful. It’s like going into a village. The decoration stays all year and grows every edition. It’s the place to be in Europe for metal.”
As for his current gear, his setup presently is streamlined for versatility and adaptability. “Live, I just go into a Kemper and forget about it. Since 2015 we only play with amp simulators. But personally, I’d still love having cabinets on stage. I like having some noise.”
Besides that, his bond with Ibanez runs close to home. “Ibanez Europe is fifteen minutes from here. I borrow instruments, record, give feedback. For the value, it’s amazing. You can get an awesome guitar for $600.”
Rapid Fire with Joe Tal
A rapid-fire round gave a glimpse into the personalities of each band member of the dutch progressive metal outfit:
- Most optimistic: Daniël de Jongh
- Best dancer: Joe Tal, Remko Remko Tielemans, and Daniël de Jongh
- Best dressed: Remko Tielemans
- Biggest romantic: Joe Tal
- Easiest to panic: Joe Tal
- Hardest partier: Uri Dijk
- Best listener: Stef Broks
- Most elaborate live setup: Uri Dijk,
- Funniest: Everyone in the band
For Joe Tal, music is not just about stages or records. It’s mornings with a guitar in hand, long friendships that began in unexpected places, and the steady work of teaching and passing it on. With Textures back on the road, Crown Compass moving forward, and his family close by, Joe seems to carry it all with ease.
Also read: “There Was a Cow Just Chilling on the Freeway” – Northlane Reflect on India Debut
