Deftones [Uk Version-Enh'D]

This album never enticed me for years, although I admit I didn't give it much of a shot....

It's not easy listening at first but give it a chance and you'll really appreciate a powerful, heavy album that is far above the other metal acts of the day (Korn, Bizkit, Mudvayne, Slipknot, etc)

It didn't take me long after giving the album another shot to make this my favourite Deftones album, followed by their latest, Saturday Night Wrist. This album is dark, moody, heavy, bombastic, majestic, frightening, and imcomparable all at the same time. From Stef's monstrous 7-string driven riffs from hell to Frank's atmospheric keyboards and intelligently unique samples to Abe's powerful and innovative drumming to Chi's big intelligent basslines to, finally, Chino's manic vocals, ranging from spaced out melodies to insanity-ravaged screams, this album is as chaotic as it is wonderful.

1: Hexagram - A powerful opener, with huge riffs and insanely tortured vocals, it features a complex and difficult chorus. Powerful opener. 5/5

2: Needles & Pins - Hilariously low tuned song which, as it turns out, is actually played by Stef on a distorted bass (trust me, I've seen it live). More laid back than the opener, with some good riffs and good vocal perfomance. 4/5

3: Minerva - Beautiful, majestic and gigantic song. One of Chino's best vocal performances, filled out by Frank's keyboards. 5/5

4: Good Morning Beautiful - Another great melodic vocal performance, with some great guitar riffs from Stef. Great groove in the chorus. 5/5

5: Deathblow - Not one of my highlights, but a good slow song with a big chorus, some nice sampling from Frank to create the atmosphere. 3.5/5

6: When Girls Telephone Boys - Wow. One of my favourite Deftones songs. Insane distorted vocals, with some great drumming, and brilliant sampling from Frank that you need to listen out for(it's more audible if you hear it live). Most of all, the super-heavy groove-enhanced riff in the chorus is simply one of the best metal riffs EVER. Kudos to Stef for that! 5/5

7: Battle-Axe - Good slow, brooding song, with some big guitars, and Chino returning to some more melodic vocals. 4/5

8: Lucky You - I prefer 'Pink Cellphone' on SNW (apart from the obscene ending). I like Deftones' more electronic, atmospheric songs, as Frank Delgado is a genius in that area, but this song lacks direction and doesn't catch my attention personally. 2/5

9: Bloody Cape - Again, wow. Stephen Carpenter pulls out some really badass riffs when he wants to, and the main riff of this is face melting. This, 'WGTB' and 'Minerva' are my 3 favourites on this album. Good bassline in the verses, and a HUGE ending with Chino screaming his lungs into non-existence "God help me! God help me! God help me! God!!" 5/5

10: Anniversary Of An Uninteresting Event - A great title for a gorgeous song, driven by Frank's keyboards and Chino's meandering vocal melodies. A beautiful, atmospheric change of pace. 5/5

11: Moana - I'm not a huge fan of this song, the start is good enough, but the song doesn't really take off and isn't a great finish to an otherwise wonderful album.

Deftones are simple but effective, while also being unique and intelligent. From bombastic heaviness to atmospheric beauty, this a must have for Deftones fans, or anyone who likes metal, atmosphere, and wonderful experimentation within Deftones' uncategorizable style.

I first heard of Deftones when I saw My Own Summer (Shove It) on MTV2, and borrowed Around The Fur. They soon became one of my favourite bands. I found out that they had another album, White Pony, and I bought that. After hearing that, no-one could replace them as my favourite band. I saw this reviewed, and thought I would be disappointed after the pure brilliance of the previous two albums. I wasn't.

The album begins with the explosive Hexagram, one of the best tracks Chino and the gang have done, mixing brutal melodies with a range of screeches and soft vocals, and a Tourette-esque chorus.

The first single, Minerva, was a tad disappointing for me, it's not Deftones at their best, but still better than most of what's put out nowadays.

When Girls Telephone Boys is another frickin brilliant tune (Chino does the best Dalek impression in rock), with suitably brutal vocals to match the rage-filled lyrics about stalking.

Lucky You is featured on the Matrix Reloaded soundtrack, and was meant to be a song for Chino and DJ Frank Delgado's side project, Team Sleep. This is what it's meant to be - relaxing and intriguing.

Bloody Cape is the upcoming UK single, and is a much better choice than Minerva. This is a vintage Deftones release, with stunning guitar and those unique vocals.

Anniversary Of An Uninteresting Event is a simply beautiful song, almost reduced me to tears. Oceanic cymbals and some of the band's best lyrics yet.

This album is well-deserving of a 5-star rating. I look forward to seeing Deftones and APC at Wembley on September 19th. It's going to be great.

Deftones had wanted to lose their band name, too, but their record company had not felt that would be good for record sales. So here's their first untitled album. By far my favourite tracks on the album are Battle-Axe and Anniversary Of An Uninteresting Event. Both of these songs touched me deep inside. The whole album is amazing, however. I didn't like this album so much on first listen, but I listened to it more and more and I realised that it was the best album Deftones have ever done. Every single song is excellent. While it is far from the Artistic edge of White Pony or the random brutality of Adrenaline, this is not a bad thing. This whole album is excellent. I love it far more than I love White Pony, Adrenaline, Around The Fur... It's Deftones' best album yet. There're uncompromisingly brutal songs (Hexagram, When Girls Telephone Boys), softer songs (Deathblow, Lucky You) and they're all of high quality. Deftones have done it again.