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Editorials

REASON TO BELIEVE THE NEW DEFTONES ALBUM WILL BE AWESOME

 Thursday, July 31st, 2008 at 12:13pm by

deftones

Despite being the universally-heralded godfathers of the dreaded nu-metal movement, The Deftones have always been kind of left-of-center and have somehow manages to remain kind of cool. Throughout their now 15+ year career, the Deftones have evolved into some kind of quirky, alternative (in the true sense of the word) metal band that has somehow managed to straddle the line between art and commercial viability quite well.

That said, the band’s last two albums — 2003′s self-titled and 2006′s Saturday Night Wrist — have been solid but ultimately lacking in that intangible element that made the band’s earlier output special. The band has kind of drifted down an experimental path that they’ve dabbled in but not fully embraced, but these dabblings have hinted at something that I feel the band has yet to explore.

I’m not saying the Deftones have fizzled out and lost relevancy — in fact, I think the time is right for the band to embrace their experimental and artistic side and throw a giant curveball at their fans by releasing something completely different and groundbreaking. Think Kid A different, White Album different, Lateralus different — that extra revolutionary step that seals the deal of greatness. The band is currently back in the studio with long-time producer Terry Date, supposedly putting the finishing touches on their latest album Eros. Will the new album deliver? Supposedly we’ll find out by the end of 2008.

-VN

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  • http://myspace.com/newghosts Shnaz

    Adrenaline, Around the Fur, and White Pony are the holy trinity of 90′s alt-metal.

    • Nolan

      White Pony actually came out in June of 2000

  • All Out War

    Best band ever.

  • kirk

    legit band that’s delivered consistent awesomeness through the years. each album has it’s own unique sound that encapsulates them during the time they wrote them. this band is pretty much the only reason im proud to be from sacramento.

  • Sammy

    Every band, without exception, that claims Deftones as the major influence, has also had one thing in common: guitarists who claim to keep it simple to “serve the song”, which is code for, “I really don’t want to learn how to play.”

  • RayRay

    I agree Deftones are one of my favorite bands of all time. I grew up listening to them along with Korn and the almighty Limp Bizkit LOL and it opened doors to shit that I listen to now. Deftones “Around the Fur” is a fucking epic album and anyone who does not own it needs to. On the other hand, I could care less about their new shit to be honest. I know I can speak for not only myself but for many people that weve upgraded to bigger and better things. Gojira, Trivium, All Shall Perish have new albums coming out in the fall…does anyone care that the Deftones have a new album?

  • Dave B.

    I started the same way as you, but I still care about Deftones. I can’t say the same things about those other bands you mentioned.

  • Walker

    I think Deftones are one of the few bands that I have listened to, saught out , and stuck with for the past 15 years. Which is making me wonder if Im starting to get old. I had Adrenaline when it came out, and it still shows up when Im scrolling though the ipod on the way to work. Not a lot of bands have been able to do that, sucessfully, and I for one think their later outputs were all perfect in their own little ways. I totally agree that if there was a metal band that could put out a concept record and blow away the sceptics, it would be them.

  • The Metal Nerd

    Ive been into Deftones from the start. Ive always though of them leaning twards the mid-90′s alt metal/emo sounds of fellow bands Jawbox, and Sunny Day Real Estate. Love this band, and theyve never failed to impress me. good to see them getting their heads togeather and back with Terry Date. Eros is, acording to the guys, is susposed to be the most metal record since Around the Fur.

  • TJ

    I must be the only person on the site who doesn’t really like the Deftones.

    I dunno, when I was in high school and Adrenaline came out, I liked it.
    And I liked Around the Fur when it came out. Shit, even White Pony was good, especially that song they did with Maynard.

    But I put some Deftones on my mp3 player a few months back, and listening to it now, I just wasn’t too moved by it. Must just be me though.

  • kirk

    @ Sammy: i agree, and i find myself listening to and enjoying a lot more of those “song serving” players over the guys “learned how to play”.

  • Ozy

    I think their last album was their most evolved and matured sound. Im really looking forward to their next one.

  • brian

    To the dude who said he’s moved on to bands like Gojira, Trivium, and All Shall Perish and who cares about a new Deftones record? The answer is more people than all those bands combined.

  • CrapMcPoopin

    If the title said, “Reason to Believe the Deftones Will Never Record Again”, I would have been interested.

  • http://onbrianschin.com deez nutz

    @ Brian….wipe the shit off your nose you trend following wannabe.

    Oh, and eat a dick.

  • PD

    @ deez nutz: Brian’s probably right, even if the Deftones make some of the most monotonous songs I’ve heard…and that’s probably a total of parts of 3 songs.

    All Shall Perish’s new album is going to turn the fans who loved their old sound off…but that is my opinion after hearing the 3 songs on their myspace. But Trivium? Please.

  • http://www.myspace.com/emetalreviews Nick

    Oh, how I hate these guys. Seriously, did the not get the Memo that Nu-Metal is over?

  • http://www.myspace.com/bannisterslash Bannister Slash

    Adrenaline = meh… a few solid songs
    Around The Fur = fucking awesome
    White Pony = borderline genius / fucking amazing
    Self-Titled = not White Pony
    Saturday Night Wrist = meh… crickets? really?

    I agree, though… the Deftones could really deliver an album that rivals or surpasses ‘White Pony.’ I’m psyched to hear it. Then again, Metallica’s ‘Death Fagnetic’ could be the album we’ve wanted from them for the last 20 years. The odds go with shit.

  • RayRay

    I used those bands as examples of records coming out this fall. Are you gonna buy the new Gojira over Deftones? Come on people get real. Go on MTV and blog if you decide Deftones.

  • Paul D

    @nick
    They probably ignored it since they’re not nu-metal and never have been.

    Any self-professed metalhead who doesn’t own White Pony is not welcome in my house. Many of the other bands mentioned here could record a career’s worth of material and never come close to the intelligence and scope of that album.

  • The Metal Nerd

    @Paul D: thank you for that statement. Thank you.

  • vmanv

    they’ve recorded some of the greatest cover songs I have ever heard

    ‘No Ordinary Love’
    ‘To Have and To Hold’
    ‘Drive’
    ‘The Chauffer’

    all fucking amazing versions

  • brian

    @ deez nuts: deftones haven’t been trendy since the 90′s. whether you like them or not doesn’t change the fact that they are one of the most original and influential bands ever.

    plus i didn’t say i didn’t like those other bands. gojira rule, ASP are alright, and trivium are laughably bad.

    and yes, i’d buy the new deftones over anything coming out this fall. see you on the mtv blogs!

  • http://onobamaschin.org deez nutz

    @ Brian: Fair enough. Biotch.

  • The Mighty Fucking Quinn

    I must question the original article in that Deftones were not the Mecca of Nu Metal.That logic is precisely why they took a step to the side when writing White Pony.And furthermore, the only thing remotely Nu about Around the Fur is the guest spot by Max Cavalera( and it’s probably my favorite thing Max has ever done….way back before he sold his soul and “Soulfly” was just a lyric.)

    I doubt there are a lot of Deftones die hards on here.Nevertheless, personally, while I could see that some would be less nuts about the last few albums, I think these guys have managed to recreate themselves enough to make each record interesting and unique.Regardless if the new album is a “legend maker” or not, I would put money on the fact that it will probably be an excellent listen, as I have not been let down by this band yet.And moreover, whatever people want to say about other bands being better liked, that’s fine.But I guarantee that Eros, if that is the definite title, will outsell every other metal release for the rest of 2008, save the new Metallica.

  • http://myspace.com/twotg Ben

    i consider myself as a die-hard deftones fan. i own multiple copies of their records. stickers, posters, patches, etc. i don’t know what it is but i just can’t get enough of their music. its like, the music they create actually taps into my soul and then perfectly stimulates my moods. its hard to describe but i’m actually feeling the energy coming from this music and that’s incredibe to me. white pony along with the team sleep release is the most genius of all records to ever be burned on a disc. to be honest, i’ve once attempted to find another band that was as good as what the def do and to be honest, i’ve had a hard time. i’d say, other bands i’d give high credit in the vein of deftones would be the cure, faith no more, a perfect circle, eightfourseven, will haven, snot, refused, 36 crazyfists (first 2 albums), glassjaw, rage against the machine, death by stereo, dead blue sky, young & restless (has a chick singer that screams like chino), at the drive-in & trenches…. probably others but i think that the deftones get more play than any other band i listen to.

  • http://reaperx.deviantart.com Reaper-X

    I like them to some degree. Not enough to buy an album, certainly not enough to associate them with metal. Enough to consider them a decent Alt/Hard Rock band. They’ve managed to pull off stuff that was deeper than the nu-metal counterparts they got lumped in with. They went their own route, occasionally hitting into styles like shoegaze. Their sound has managed to mature into something deeper and well worth some attention. The only nu-metal sounding thing that I remember from them was “back to school” anyway.