Not going to lie, these guys took some time for me to get used to them and their style. When my buddy (thanks to Spenser!) introduced me to them for the first time, I didn't really like the sound, mainly the vocals. But since that seemed to be the main reason why people were turned off by them (I don't blame them if they listened to "Change [In The House of Flies]"), I decided to give it a lil more time and dab into a few more tracks. I think "Around The Fur" was the winning album for moi and haven't looked back. The titled track itself is a drum piece that almost every drummer I come in contact with seems to know. Hell, even when they were on the Family Values tour a few years ago, I could swear that every drummer (aka Korn, 10 Years, Buy Your Dead, Flyleaf, Stone Sour, etc) played at least 10 seconds of that riff. haha
Now, for these articles, I usually throw around some opinions and constructive criticisms. I'm going to keep all feelings aside and just report on some need to know facts about these bands to make your experience at the festival a little more enjoyable. If you know of someone going to the festival, pass the articles along and get them just as stoked as we are! For today, AFGM brings you DEFTONES!
Deftones consists of:
Chino Moreno - Vocals | Stephen Carpenter – Guitar | Frank Delgado – Samples, Keys | Abe Cunningham – Drums | Sergio Vega - Bass | Chi Cheng - Bass
'Pretty,' affirms Deftones singer and guitarist Chino Moreno when discussing their new full-length studio album,Diamond Eyes. 'We’re not afraid to be pretty.' It’s an adjective most riff-heavy groups might avoid, but then, Deftones have never been your average hard rock band.
As kids, the Sacramento fivesome cut its teeth on Anthrax and The Smiths, Pantera and The Cure, skateboarding and “The Smurfs.” As a band out of high school, Deftones mixed trip hop with thrash, melodic vocals with crushing reverb, and yes, pretty with ugly. As chart-toppers and headliners, they’ve crossed over genres, defied categorization and confused the hell out of your iPod ('Heavy Metal?' 'Hard Rock?' 'Alternative?') Above all, Deftones have stuck together throughout their often-turbulent tenure, and now, deliver one of the most compelling records of their career.
The 11-track album is just that—an album from start to finish. Diamond Eyes works the way good records used to; each song carries you a little further away from your shitty day until finally, you’ve been transported to a place that feels a whole lot better than where you started. 'There are so many emotions that music can give you, and if you explore all sides of those, it can be really amazing,' says Moreno. 'Like sadness — it can be really lovely, or beautiful, or wide open, or coarse. We connect with different emotions because we listen to everything out there—that could mean dumb music or something by Brian Eno. Then when we play, it’s not a real conscious thing, but the emotion builds and it takes us in a lot of different ways. I think that’s what music’s supposed to do.'
The tangle of Stephen Carpenter’s woozy, undulating guitar work and Moreno’s soaring then secretive vocal style is the bittersweet dynamic behind each of Deftones’ records, including Diamond Eyes. The friction drives the music as much as it does the players, though it doesn’t always make life easy for childhood friends Carpenter and Moreno. 'What makes us work?' asks Carpenter. 'Chino will give you the exact opposite answer that I do. That’s the way it is with us—we contradict each other constantly but it’s also what makes our music what it is—intense and different.'
There’s also a newfound sense of purpose that makes Deftones’ sixth album stand out. The band recorded the album after their best friend and bassist Chi Cheng sustained a debilitating brain injury from a car accident in November of 2008. 'After Chi’s accident, it would have been easy for us to make a sad record,' says Moreno. 'It felt like there was a cloud around us, so we aimed to make something uplifting. I think that’s why there’s a lot of fantasy stuff on the record. I tried to take it away from day to day life, and make it more about the abstract, about art. It sounds odd, but really, this is an optimistic record.' And a spontaneous one.
Diamond Eyes was made in a mere six months with the help of former Quicksand bassist Sergio Vega and producer Nick Raskulinecz of Foo Fighters, Alice In Chains, and Rush fame. Oddly enough, Deftones had just come off recording another full album, Eros, which they ultimately shelved. Moreno says, 'Honestly, I knew there was something better to come.' Starting over was a bold move considering Deftones traditionally take their time writing and recording each album. Drummer Abe Cunningham was concerned about the decision, especially since it had been so difficult making records in the past. 'Each one was getting to be like pulling teeth, and beyond—maybe like surgery without anesthesia,' he adds. 'But this time, we just said fuck it, we’re still best friends, all of us — and we’re still able to do this. So we just lightened up and got creative, and we’re firing on all cylinders.'
These days, Deftones are far more unified than ever before, but that hasn’t always been the case. Tensions began to mount following their breakthrough record White Pony in 2000. It was their first to top the Billboard charts, win a Grammy and earn Platinum certification. In the wake of their success, the band toured nonstop; a grueling schedule that gave way to 24/7 road-life, in-fighting, and eventually, burnout. Carpenter and Moreno’s disputation over the direction of music escalated to the point where the pair stopped speaking all together. By the time their 2003 self-titled album was release, Cunningham says they all had their nicknames for the difficult period in which it was recorded. 'Steph calls it the Downward Spiral. I refer to it as Dark Days.' The conflict made the band’s life hell, but it gave the music press something to write about in the stretch between albums. 'A lot of that was trumped up, but we’ve definitely had some heavy times,' says keyboardist Frank Delgado, who joined the band originally as a turntableist in the mid 90s. 'Still one of the best things about this band is that we just don’t give up. As dysfunctional as it can be, we still make it work. And I really don’t know what the press thinks of us now, but I like that. There should be some mysticism there. Maybe they should think we’re off our rocker.' And deconstructing the band’s mental state is an easy task compared to categorizing the music they make.
Critics, marketers and radio alike have struggled with just where to place or how to define Deftones. They band has, after all, played with punk rockers L7, toured with Metallica and appealed to some of the same fan base as Morrissey and generally defied simple, and ultimately pointless genre classification. 'We’re not a party band, but we’re not a dark rock band,' says Moreno. 'We’re not the most wildly artistic band, but we’re not light and fluffy. It’s hard to put us in one place. I don’t blame people when they try to do it, because I can’t even pin it myself. But really, does it matter?' Not when you’re as compelling, diverse, powerful and pretty as Deftones.
***
"As you may or may not know, Chi Cheng (bass player of Deftones) was in a car accident in November 2008 and is currently in a 'minimally conscious' state. I launched this website to help raise awareness on Chi’s condition and much needed funds to help Chi get the best possible care available and to provide for his personal needs. All donations are transferred directly to the 'Chi Ling Cheng Special Needs Trust'." -oneloveforchi.com
"Thank you for your support." -Gina Blackmore
Update...
"I just wanted to thank all of our 'One Love Family' for all the love and support since I launched this website… and all that you continue to do. Chi is slowly making progress with the help of Dr. DeFina’s new protocol and we have faith he will continue to do so. The “One Love Family” is playing a major role in helping 'make it happen” for Chi…"
***
Diamond Eyes is the sixth and most recent album by Deftones. So most likely they will be touring in support of this album, plus other numerous hits they have had over the years. It was released worldwide on May 4th, 2010 through Warner Bros. and Reprise Records.
Eros (tentatively titled) was originally intended to be their sixth full-length release and follow up to Saturday Night Wrist (2006), but was not released due to bassist Chi Cheng entering a coma after a serious car accident that occurred in November 2008. The release of Eros was put on hold in favor of Diamond Eyes in June 2009. Former Quicksand bass player, Sergio Vega is featured on the album in substitution for Cheng.
1. Diamond Eyes
2. Royal
3. CMND/CTRL
4. You've Seen the Butcher
5. Beauty School
6. Prince
7. Rocket Skates
8. Sextape
9. Risk
10. 976–EVIL
11. This Place Is Death
Online pre-order bonus track
12. Rocket Skates (M83 remix)
iTunes deluxe edition
12. Do You Believe (The Cardigans cover)
13. Ghosts (Japan cover)
14. Caress (Drive Like Jehu cover)
Not only did Diamond Eyes capture the attention of the critic's eye, but it also brought some well deserved attention to the band and their perseverence to press forward while original bassist Chi was still on medical leave. Stephen Carpenter's seven string sounded immaculate and really just made the album overall sound great (I know that sounds like a blanket term, but I could really describe . Since its release the album has sold 185,000 copies in the US alone. A well deserved number for the boys from Sacramento, CA.
(Photo courtesy of Buzznet)
"A long four years separate Diamond Eyes from Saturday Night Wrist, four years that were sadly packed with peril for Deftones. Bassist Chi Cheng suffered injuries so severe in a November 2008 auto accident the band took a hiatus, eventually honoring prior touring commitments by hiring Quicksand bassist Sergio Vega, and eventually cutting a full album with him on board and scrapping a near-completed album in the process. Given this serious trauma, it’s only logical that Diamond Eyes functioned as musical therapy for Deftones, but the surprise is that it has little downcast lyrical angst-mining, preferring atmosphere to bloodletting. Naturally, there is quite a bit of roiling darkness here -- they’re Cure-loving metalheads, it’s in their blood -- but there’s shade and light, control of texture, with the band deepening rather than expanding. Above all, it’s a mature album: Deftones skirted the obvious response to their tragedy, realizing that the left turn is a more rewarding journey." -All Music
***
"It’s a decade since ‘White Pony’ finally pushed Deftones towards wider critical acceptance, but as ‘Diamond Eyes’ shows, they’ve always sounded timeless. And despite having a rich story behind it – they recorded an album (‘Eros’) but before its release bassist Chi Cheng was hospitalised; former Quicksand man Sergio Vega was drafted in and before they knew it they’d written this – ‘Diamond Eyes’ is as gloriously non-era-specific as ever. ‘Rocket Skates’ and ‘You’ve Seen The Butcher’ both reward repeat listening and impress on the first blast, and the bloodthirsty ‘Risk’ is a real throwback to their early days. A brilliant, invigorating reintroduction." -NME
***
"The Deftones' sixth album is inspired by tragedy: a car accident in 2008 that left bassist Chi Cheng barely conscious. The results recall the convulsive pummel of 2000's White Pony, which remains the standard for the thinking man's dreadlock metal. Frontman Chino Moreno sings about Cheng — and sometimes to him. Usually, though, his lyrics go for cathartic images (shaking coffins, fading faces) set to chopping riffage, whirlpool distortion and dark, soaring melodies that sound more like the Cure than Korn." -Rolling Stone
***
"And what Deftones review would be complete without lavish praise thrown on vocalist and visionary, Chino Moreno? Though he may never again capture a performance as manic and transcendent as the one on White Pony (ref: 'Digital Bath' and 'Knife Party') his second best is still miles beyond expectations. The blasé slurs of 'Beauty School' blend effortlessly into the wistful instrumentals. The howling in 'You've Seen the Butcher' is otherworldly. The falsetto wailing in the chorus of '976-EVIL' has a certain spinal vibrato that takes an already genius song to an even more sublime place. Even though Chino's general style is detached and dreamy, he is always perfectly in tune with how his vocals can absolutely transform a track. The result of these perfectly inspired and powerful vocals are equally amazing songs.
Despite the indulgent praise that can be attributed to any one instrumental performance, passage, or song, the crowning achievement of Diamond Eyes may be its programming as an album, which really cements the new, 'total' aesthetic mentioned earlier in this review. The album begins with simpler realizations of this emergent style that focus on digging in the roots of Deftones' more metallic side. However, by the time 'You've Seen the Butcher' rolls into 'Beauty School,' something flips and the album is both heavy and melodic without being boorishly aggressive or wimpy. It's intense and visceral, but introspective and sensitive in ways Deftones have never been before. The remainder of the album adds dimensions to this sound by exploring the way it functions in many different vibes and flavors - relentless: 'Rocket Skates,' waterlogged: 'Sextape,' uplifting: '976-EVIL' - all with overwhelmingly positive results. By the end of the album, this sound is rendered so fully and beautifully that previous efforts to combine them (i.e. their previous two albums) seem adolescent by comparison. Diamond Eyes is wild and serene, and I can honestly say its Deftones' best album to date." -Sputnik Music
For more info on the Deftones and their album progress/tour schedule, check em at any of the following official links:
- deftones.com
- facebook.com/deftones
- youtube.com/deftones
- myspace.com/deftones
- twitter.com/deftonesband
- velvethammer.net (*management company*)
*DEFTONES WILL BE PERFORMING ON SUNDAY (THE 12TH) AT THE JÄGERMEISTER EAST STAGE FROM 19:00-20:00*
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