In 2003, the year of the launch of TEXTURES’ debut album Polars, the first reactions start to stream in: “This is the best metal album that’s ever come out of the Netherlands” according to the Dutch music magazine Oor. The standard is set. TEXTURES, once just a promising up-and-coming band from the South of the Netherlands, has now emerged, 3 albums later, as an established name in the worldwide metal scene. 

The band’s fourth album Dualism -- on the band’s new home Nuclear Blast -- is groovier, catchier, and the production even grander than its 2008 predecessor Silhouettes. The band’s trademark mix of expertly crafted brutality, melody, freaky, innovative rhythms and catchy vocals is still intact, with Bart Hennephof and Jochem Jacobs’s expertly crafted sonic… um… textures and the unruly heavy-hitting of drummer Stef Broks creating the perfect metal cocktail. The climaxes of the songs on Dualism have been elevated to a higher level, partially due to the contribution of their new keyboard player, Uri Dijk and new frontman Daniel de Jongh (ex-Cilice) who, as far as his sound goes, is every bit the talent as his predecessor Eric Kalsbeek. 

Once again, the band took total control of every facet of the album. Everything was recorded at Split Second Sound, the new Amsterdam-based studio belonging to Jacobs, who produced the album. The band also handled all their own artwork and merchandising, which was designed by bassist Remko Tielemans.

The last album, Silhouettes, received worldwide acclaim from the international press. Everybody from Europe to the U.S. to India could sing along to the song “Awake,” which received strong support from online metal communities and got prime time airplay on Radio 3 fm (NL), Radio 1 (UK) and Triple J (AU). The video clip got airplay on MTV in Europe and Russia, and VH1 in India. In the Netherlands TEXTURES reached the Album Top 100 for the very first time. The band played at Graspop in Belgium, the Great Escape in the UK, Tuska in Finland, Hellfest in France and Lowlands in their home country the Netherlands and also toured with Arch Enemy and All That Remains, among others.   

In 2009 the band flew to Bangalore to play India for the first time -- where they’d just been featured on the cover of India’s most prestigious rock magazine The Rock Street Journal – and delivered an explosive headline performance for over 5,000 fans. Exactly a year later they return for another festival, dazzling the University of New Delhi where the band was welcomed by throngs of thousands once again.

With two new band members, a new record label and a new album TEXTURES will be hitting the road once again, touring all over the world in support of the album and going places where they’ve never been before, both literally and metaphorically.

MEMBERS:
Daniel de Jongh - vocals
Jochem Jacobs - guitars
Bart Hennephof - guitars
Stef Broks - drums
Remko Tielemans - bass
Uri Dijk – synths


AWARDS and HONOURS:

Prog Award - Male Vocalist Of The Year 2015 - Nomination
Rolling Stone - Best Album 2015 (Critics Choice) Skyharbor
Rolling Stone - Best Song 2015 ‘Evolution’ (Critics Choice) Skyharbor
Prog Award (2014) – Artist of the year Nomination – TesseracT
Prog Award (2014) – Breakthrough Nomination – Skyharbor
Prog Award (2014) – Limelight Nomination – White Moth Black Butterfly
Metal Hammer (2014) – Golden God Nomination ‘Global Metal Band’ Skyharbor 
Jack Daniel’s (2013) - Band of the year – Skyharbor
Rolling Stone (2013) - Band Of The Year (Critics Choice) – Skyharbor
Rolling Stone (2013) - Best Album (Critics Choice) – Skyharbor
Rolling Stone (2013) - Best Song ‘Dots’ (Critics Choice) – Skyharbor
Rolling Stone (2013) - Band Of The Year (Popular Vote) – Skyharbor
Rolling Stone (2013) - Best Album (Popular Vote) – Skyharbor
Rolling Stone (2013) - Best Song ‘Dots’ (Popular Vote) – Skyharbor
Rolling Stone (2012) - Best Song ‘Maeva’ – Skyharbor
Rolling Stone (2012) - Best Emerging Artist – Skyharbor
Prog Award (2012) - New Blood Award – TesseracT (One)
Kerrang! (2011) –  5K Live Review @Sonisphere Festival – TesseracT
Metal Hammer (2011) - Golden God Nomination – Best New Band – TesseracT

BIOGRAPHY:

Daniel Tompkins is an award winning and innovative British singer / songwriter from Nottinghamshire in The East Midlands. More widely recognised as the singer for TesseracT with his unique live performances and unmistakable dramatic soundscapes on the highly acclaimed albums ‘One’ and 'Polaris'. Since 2009 Daniel has established himself as a highly respected vocalist with a dedicated worldwide fan base. Arguably one of the busiest collaborative vocalists, Daniel’s voice has been celebrated as one of the best in modern progressive rock and metal.
 
Daniel has released a diverse catalogue of records to date and in doing so demonstrated a natural ability to marry his distinct voice to various genres and yet remain in mesmerising control of his audience. However, much more than a recording artist, he is an accomplished performer who has earned a host of awards and honours having toured the world, sharing the stage with artists such as Iron Maiden, Gojira, Lamb of God, Devin Townsend, Meshuggah, Senses Fail, Animals As Leaders, No Use For A Name, Periphery and Protest The Hero
 
Looking to the future Daniel now balances his time between TesseracT and White Moth Black Butterfly and his various collaborations continuing to create a strong impression within the music industry. 
 
PEER AND PRESS QUOTES:

“Dan has a hell of a voice!!!” – DEVIN TOWNSEND 
 
“Check out the awesome vocals of Dan Tompkins, the man can sing YEAH!!’ – JON GOMM
 
“The dramatic soundscapes Dan Tompkins creates really are on another level, standing above the current crop of vocalists out there. Tesseract are destined for great things with a frontman leading the charge like this…one of the best vocals in modern metal” – SCUZZ TV (UK)
 
“An exceptional album from (White Moth Black Butterfly) Dan Tompkins. An absolutely essential work. Experimental, accessible and quite brilliant. This ranks high amongst this year’s progressive releases.” – Classic Rock Presents Prog Magazine
 
“There are so many musicians out there who jump from genre to genre and experiment with different kinds of sound but not all of them are able to pull it off. Out there, a bunch of them have the ability to make things so awkward, you’d just want to question what they were thinking. But then again, there are the special ones, the ones who shine in the dark and shine even brighter against the sun. The One’s who fully understand and are able to control their capabilities and of course the ones who actually know how to take things to the next level. They have this gift in whatever they do, it just works. One man who’s got this gift is UK-based vocalist, Daniel Tompkins – PULP MAGAZINE (MANILA)

Starting out as a simple bedroom studio project, guitarist Keshav Dhar has seen Skyharbor quickly evolve into one of India’s hottest metal prospects, with huge admiration coming in from some of the biggest names in metal worldwide.

An astonishing amount of buzz also surrounded the band's first ever performance at the Bacardi NH7 Festival in Pune, India earlier this month, where they played to over 1,000 people and were one of the weekend’s highlights.

The long awaited debut album from Skyharbor promises to be a landmark release for the Indian independent music scene, in no small part thanks to the incredible number of international guest appearances it will see, including the likes of Marty Friedman (ex Megadeth), Daniel Tompkins (ex TesseracT), Vishal J. Singh (Amogh Symphony) and Sunneith Revankar (Bhayanak Maut).

Skyharbor will release the debut album ‘Blinding White Noise: Illusion & Chaos’ worldwide via Basick Records in early 2012.


QUOTES:

“I think you do some amazing work. Would love to hear more – it’s awesome.” – Marty Friedman (Megadeth, Cacophony)

“The stuff Keshav plays will blow your mind; not merely because it’s super complex in the patented “djent” stylee, but because of the number of ideas he inserts into the music. The fact that Keshav manages to record – and perform – the music as a solo artist is mindblowing. He must have four hands and three brains, and the thought of him joining a band of likeminded musicians is rather frightening. Remember Hammer’s recent trip to India to check out the local metal scene? Well, with artists like this, it won’t stay local for long.” – Joel McIver 

“With its fast-growing metal scene, is it any wonder that India has its foot in the door with this nascent scene? Skyharbor is, incredibly, just one guy.” – Metal Hammer (UK) Magazine (www.metalhammer.co.uk)

“If you’re looking to get into your first Indian band, I’d recommend (Keshav’s) stuff, Skyharbor!” – Jamie Postones (TesseracT, Heights)

“Our friend Keshav Dhar from India is doing some cool stuff with his band Skyharbor” – Bart Hennephof (Textures)

"Skyharbor should destroy all preconceived notions about the Indian scene. The music is just that damn good." - Andrew Lu, Rock Street Journal Magazine

“Keshav’s riffs scare the crap out of me” – Vishal J. Singh (Amogh Symphony)

“Brainchild of Indian guitar ace Keshav Dhar, this musical powerhouse is a heart pounding contribution to the poly-rhythmic low-end sub-genre of metal (known by name as ‘Djent’) rising in popularity over recent years. […] With a CD release set for this coming June, 2011 may hopefully be the year that this musically stunning brand name finally takes form.” – Ashley Jacob, Suite 101 (www.suite101.com)

“Underground act from India! Can't tell you much but they do an awesome job!” – Chronix Radio (www.chronixradio.com)

"Skyharbor’s second single “Catharsis” was released and features Tesseract‘s Daniel Tompkins on vocals and Ex-Megadeth guitarist Marty Friedman playing a killer solo. This isn’t your standard djent affair either, despite the old project name; while some of the elements are there, there’s so much more going on. Everything about this song is astounding, and with guests like these on the track, you know for damn sure it’s worth your time. Skyharbor’s debut album will see the light of day this June, and I can’t wait to see what else Keshav has up his sleeve." - Heavy Blog Is Heavy (www.heavyblogisheavy.com)

“Orchestrated swirling genius with a thumping heartbeat” – from the Harmony Central Online Community


On the Shoulders of Giants started as a fun collaboration between guitarist Dean Murphy and bassist Jonathan Munnier. Dean and Jon originally met when Jon sold a bass to Dean on Ebay, then a couple of years later they got back in touch on Facebook where they started sharing ideas and working together via Skype. After a few initial sessions, they quickly decided to try and make it a full band effort. Dean decided to enlist the services of a vocalist in Dean's local Florida music scene, Mike Keiper, who he knew from various other projects and bands, and he felt like his vocal style would fit the music. 

A couple of months later, it was time for Jon to make his annual trip to the NAMM music convention in Anaheim, CA. Jon is a Warwick endorser, so during his visit at the Warwick booth he talked with fellow Warwick endorsing artist Ryan Martinie, the bassist for Mudvayne, and Ryan mentioned he was wanting to start producing bands. Needless to say, Jon asked Ryan if he'd be interested in producing the debut EP for On the Shoulders of Giants, and after sending the demos to Ryan after NAMM, plans took off from there to get the project going. 

At the time, Jon and Dean had an idea for who they wanted to perform drum duties for the project, but being as the project is a long distance collaboration, Ryan asked if they would be open to possibly working with drummer Matt McDonough, who is his drummer in Mudvayne, and the rest evolved from there. Numerous Skype sessions later, Jon, Dean, Mike, and Matt had several song ideas and narrowed down three songs they wanted to do for their debut EP. Recording took place in Jon's house over four grueling 16 hour days in July, where guitars, bass, and vocals were recorded for all three songs, with the exception of the vocals for Extrinsic, which were recorded at Solomon Mines Studio in Asheville, NC. Shortly after, Jon began the editing process to get the songs ready for mixing, and Ryan enlisted the services of producer/mixer Dave Fortman to perform mixing duties. Adam Ayan performed the mastering services shortly after, and the rest is recent history! We can't wait to see what the future holds, and we hope you'll enjoy the journey along with us!

Produced by Ryan Martinie, Co-Produced by Jonathan Munnier
Engineered and Edited by Jonathan Munnier
Vocal Co-Production and Drum Production by Matt McDonough
Mixed by Dave Fortman
Mastered by Adam Ayan

Vocalist -  Mike Keiper
Guitars - Dean Murphy
Bass - Jonathan Munnier
Drums - Matt McDonough

All music and lyrics written by On the Shoulders of Giants. All rights reserved.

The Silence at sea is OUT NOW:
https://lnk.to/SilenceatSea

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