The Band
The Deftones are:
Chino Moreno - Vocals/Guitar
Abe Cunningham - Drums
Stef Carpenter - Strings
Chi Cheng - Bass
Frank Delgado - Tables


Welcome to the greatest album of the last ten years, and maybe more. Yes, you heard right. White Pony by the Deftones is gorgeous. Simply gorgeous. The Deftones have uprooted their old sound and have planted the symbolic seed for new projects, and they pulled it off masterfully. Every song on this album (with the exception of Back to School) is beautiful in it's own way, giving the listener a hypnotic feeling of euphoria and romance. It is amazing how lyrics like "I'll steal a carcass for you" can be romantic, but just listen and you will see why.

Sound

The Deftones have abandoned their old rapcore, heavy sound, and have created an incredible mix of metal, alternative, mellow rock and just plain good writing, making "White Pony" one of the most unique, best sounding albums of all time.
Vocalist Chino Moreno shows the incredible range of his talent, from vicious screaming (Elite), angst-driven moaning (Knife Prty), and just beautiful delivery (Digital Bath), and it blends into the sound of one of today's greatest vocalists.
An outstanding addition to the Deftones is Frank Delgado on the tables. He is not constantly scratching records a la Limp Bizkit or Linkin Park, but rather he is used in a unique, pwerful way. He combines beautiful sounds which give many songs that moody feeling of euphoria the listener acquires.
Drummer Abe Cunningham has been let out of his cage on "White Pony". After being a bit monotonous on the band's first two records, Cunningham lets his talent run wild, most notably on the album's masterpiece, "Digital Bath".

Tracks

I will give a brief overview of the tracks, and my personal opinion on each one, telling why I like the song, or, in the case of one song, why I can't get into it.

Back to School (Mini Maggit) (Only some versions)

This remix is my least favorite song on the album. While by no means a bad track, the rapcore song doesn't seem to go well with the album. The overall mood just doesn't belong.

5/10

Feiticeira

A song with no real foundation, it has no chorus, but a good deal of well performed verses and good guitar make this song a good one.

7/10

Digital Bath

The best song on the best album in 10 years. You guessed it. It's a masterpiece. Cunningham starts off this emerald track with a fantastic drum beat. Moreno joins in to add his gorgeous vocals to the erotic verses and beautiful chorus. The lyrics describe an erotic night which seems to have ended in tragedy (Chino seems to have electrocuted his date in a tub). Delgado creates the hypnotic mood with a sound that sounds like listening to wind blow from underwater, and it is perfect. This track is beautiful.

As perfect a 10 you will ever hear.

Elite

A huge contrast from the mood of Digital Bath, Chino's screams are the first thing you hear from this great track with surprisingly good rhythm. Should please hardcore fans.

8/10

RX Queen

A hiphoppish beat from Delgado's tables is the basis for this song, but Chino belts out the romantic verses and wonderful chorus which makes this album a classic, and RX Queen has a great use of bass and guitar. The romantic description of Chino's journey with his girl makes this track one of my favorites.

9.5/10

Street Carp

This catchy little number (at 2:41 the shortest on the album) is another slight return to the band's roots. You'll be mindlessly singing this one after hearing it a few times, and the lyrics hint at Chino's drunken attempts to pick up a girl.

7/10

Teenager

Delgado and Moreno shine here. This is the softest song ever done by the Deftones, and one of the most romantic. The lyrics talk about a girl who seems to try and separate herself from Chino. Beautifully done.

9/10

Knife Prty

One of the four solid 10's on this album. The mood is set by the opening guitar, and the band builds perfectly upon it. About halfway through the song, a woman called Rodleen begins to scream. Loudly. Painfully. Erotically. Gorgeously. The screams alone give this track at least a 9, and once again Moreno is wonderful.

10/10

Korea

A somewhat hard track which starts off with a electronic-type beat provided by Delgado. One of the louder tracks on the album, Moreno's incredible range and a catchy guitar rhythm make this track.

8/10

Passenger

Chino's song with TOOL's Maynard James Keenan, an incredible showcase of music's top two voices of today. They build off each other, the verses are perfect, the guitar is wonderful, and the chorus is beautiful and catchy. Delgado is prevelent at the beginning, creating, to me, a hypnotic vision of a plane taking off and flying through a starlit sky. The incredible guitar and drum beat joins in, and then the rest is history. Stunning.

10/10

Change (In the House of Flies)

There's a reason this was the first single off the album. It is catchy, demonstrates the new sound perfectly, and is just a kickass track. The lyrics are incredibly symbolic, and it seems as if Moreno has left the listener to decipher them himself. Although playing a very small part in the song, the wind instrument which one can hear a few times sets the erotic mood.

10/10

Pink Maggit

This track is a wonderful way to close off the album, and, unlike many others, I love this track. I like it much more than Back to School, which is it's remix. In the 3 minute beginning of the song, Moreno pours his heart out to a beautiful guitar and soft sound effects from Delgado. Then, the song gets much louder, until the album closes off with a creepy heartbeat. Great track.

9/10


Recommended: Yes