Deftones' best yet; more advanced than Adrenaline, louder than White Pony.
Written: Jun 16 '03
Product Rating:
Pros: Emotional, jagged, introspective, sincere, new look at heavy music
Cons: Vocal haywire, a mere ten songs, some of which are lacking
The Bottom Line: For anyone who thinks that the limits of heavy metal have already been pushed to their boundaries, give this album but one listen, and find yourself astounded.
toolhead's Full Review: Around the Fur [PA] by Deftones
During my spring break of 2001, on a trip to a Wal-Mart while staying on vacation in Jackson Hole, WY, I decided that I needed a little bit more expansive taste of heavy metal albums, and thusly, decided that albums by A Perfect Circle, Tool, and Deftones' Around the Fur would be appropriate purchases. I couldn't have known just how worthwhile all three of these albums would be, much less how massive an impact this trio of alternative-metal neo classics would have on both myself and the future of my record collection. I hope that this review will help encourage other potential fans of the Tones to discover just how powerful, unique, and brilliant this band can be...and what better album to do so with than Around the Fur?
If you are looking to further expand your tastes in music, especially if you are in search of bands that are willing to put their own definition to 'heavy' music, search no further than Deftones. And, of the four albums they've released to date, I feel that their sophomore effort, 1997's Around the Fur is the LP that most accurately defines everything the band is about. Sharp emotions, intriguing wordplay, smooth rhymes and shrill screams, riffs that will get lodged deep inside your brain for years to come, brilliant caffeine drum beats, and a style of song-writing that has been often imitated, but never, ever duplicated. That's Deftones for you...a lot of critics or unfans will be quick to blow them off as a mere Korn rip-off or 'just another nu-metal flash in the pan', but I digress. Whereas bands like Korn (who, incidentally, formed nearly four years after Deftones began playing in their garages at home in Sacramento, CA) have spent their entire careers imitating the funk-metal bands of the late eighties (Faith No More and Mr. Bungle in particular), Deftones draw influences from everyone from the Cure to Iron Maiden to My Bloody Valentine. Their list of influences is as diverse as their own tracklists on each album, as they have been known to go from one track that's as frenetic, blazing, and furious as anything Rage Against the Machine ever recorded (see "Rickets", "Lotion", and "Headup"), to a song that is hauntingly low-key ("Lotion") or downright bone chilling ("Mascara"). Take my word for it...this band is trying as hard to be Korn about as intently as they want to become the world's next Woody Guthrie. Deftones are a band that will go down in history for inspiring a wave of generic wannabe bands, but in the end, remained as original and self-sustained as any other band out there today.
So enough about Deftones themselves, what qualities make Around the Fur so damn enjoyable, after all? Well, for starters, if you are the type of person that is currently completely unfamiliar to the band, you couldn't ask for a better introduction than this album. It showcases, immaculately, both sides of the band's musical and emotional spectrums. Some songs are intensely calm, low-key, and introspective, such as "Be Quiet and Drive" and "Mascara", where other tunes are ravaging masterpieces of verbal and lyrical abuse ("Rickets" and "Dai the Flu" are both prime examples of this). Instrumentally, though the band shows strong similarities to other like-minded alt.metal founders such as TooL and Helmet, they are still notorious for playing a sound that is all their own, very much a trademark of the band themselves. No member is excluded. Drummer Abe Cunningham is one of the most proficient players of the nineties, dishing out furious rapid-fire snare hits with the best of them, but also knowing when a song calls for a more relaxed, free rhythms, as well. The band's bassist, a dredlocked Zen Buddhist by the name of Chi Ching, rarely receives the limelight in any of the band's songs, which is a shame, because although his basslines are predominantly subtle ones, they have a smooth, almost sultry flavor all their own, something that merely enhances the overwhelming delectability of guitarist Stephen Carpenter. Carpenter, surely one of the most overlooked and underrated hard rock guitarists of any age, a man who rarely (if ever) indulges in a solo, but is a complete virtuoso of churning, fierce, mind-numbingly powerful riffs, both metallic and melodic (sometimes both at once). Steph's deep, groove-laden riffs mix perfectly with the band's Morrissey-obsessed vocalist, one Chino Moreno, who carries a sing/scream/croon style that he surely did not invent himself, but has made all his own over the span of four amazing albums. Never is this more evident than on the combination of whispered rants and guttural screams of "Rickets", or the unique (but unforgettable) melodies of "Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away)". The band's fifth formal member (long-time producer Terry Date might as well be a technical Deftone by now), DJ Frank Delgado, was not allowed much room to show his abilities with a turntable, keyboard, and assorted samples, but his subtle mark is left throughout the album. Overall, I hold Around the Fur in the highest esteem of great metal albums, because not only were all five members playing their best, but also they were writing great songs [b]together[/b], as one solid unit, and the ten songs on this album make one hell of a sonic experience. If anyone has ever doubted this band's potential to write an amazing riff, song, bassline, lyric, or drum section, practically any cut taken from Around the Fur would be sure to silence them without further argument.
The album opens with the stunning "My Own Summer", possibly the band's best-known song, and the record's first single, as well. The song's main riff seems intriguing at its introduction, but becomes nothing less than a sonic explosion during the choruses. This opener also shows just how well the band knows when to relax and let a quiet verse built to a fevering, uncompromising chorus. Track two, the guitar groove-driven "Lhabia", seems to be offer one of the more chilling moments of the album (simply remove the 'h' from the song's title to reveal why), but the following song, "Mascara" offers an infinitely more haunting glimpse at just how emotional this band can be, both lyrically and musically. Fast-forward to the second half of the album, and you start with track six, the monumental "Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away". Truly one of the album's most memorable moments, "Be Quiet and Drive" offers one of the band's most catchy, 'sing-song' melodies coupled with complex guitar arrangements and a deep well of lyrical emotion. Definitely be sure to look up the lyrics and analyze for yourself on that one. Moving right along, the fury contained in Chino's vocal barrage at the end of tracks seven and eight ("Lotion" and "Dai the Flu", respectively) can only be matched by the heavy, unrelenting riffage of track nine, "Headup", which features the guest appearance of heavy metal legend Max Cavalera, from Sepultura and Soulfly. The album ends on somewhat of a disorienting note, the spooky and somewhat indecisive "MX", a finale that left yours truly scratching his head at the decision to end such a great record on such a, well, confusing note. Fear not, however, for a secret song (buried a mere twenty minutes after the conclusion of "MX") carries the album on for one last, exhaustive breath. Overall, Around the Fur proves to be a concise but beautiful journey through an amazing band in their musical prime, one that no fan of good music (of any variety) should deny themselves of.
I would recommend this album to fans of Rage Against the Machine, Tool, Soundgarden, Quicksand, The Apex Theory, and The Police.
The few gripes I have with such an outstanding album are as follows. Although the songlist is rather unbreakable, and offers both variety and consistency, there are a couple tracks, namely "Mascara" and "MX" that I don't find as enjoyable as the rest. To explain why would be incredibly difficult, because it's not a matter of being better or more poorly written than any of the others...I just don't prefer these two tracks in particular. Lyrically, "Mascara" is one of my favorites ("MX" just disturbs me, for some reason), but for whatever reason, I don't get as engaged in either of these tracks. Also, though fiery and attention grabbing, the more aggressive tracks like "Lotion" and "Rickets" may wear on some listeners (though true metalheads will likely find them to be two of the band's most enjoyable recordings). Chino's unique phrasing of words, most notably his indiscernible ability to blend syllables together may be a bit unnerving for awhile, but the lyrics are all included in the liner notes, so intent listeners need not worry. Other than that, I have no complaints with the album. I would actually give this album four-and-a-half stars, if that were an option, because these few casualties are not enough to really damage my opinion of it (it's still an amazing record, no doubt about that), it is enough to hold it just shy of the legendary 'five star' ranking.
When I think of the term 'heavy', as it pertains to music, I usually come up with two separate definitions. The most common definition of heavy music is loud, fast, and low-end music...bands like Meshuggah, Emperor, Metallica, Pantera, they're heavy. And indeed they are. But on the other hand, based on sheer emotional content and furious playing, I find no band that better defines 'heavy' music other than Deftones. They've seemingly created their own definition for the term, simply by playing the kind of music that most appeals to them...and, in doing so, have attracted thousands of fans that seem to feel the same way.
Conclusion: If you're looking for a band that offers a new definition of what heavy metal can do, look no further than Sacramento's finest, and although all their albums are worth the price of admission, no record seems to do it quite as intensely, purposefully, and out-and-out beautifully as Around the Fur. More experimental and mature than Adrenaline, yet more focused and poignant than White Pony, Around the Fur is the centerpiece in the Deftones table of musical wonder, and a fine starting place for any fan looking to discover a band that might offer them the same validation that they've offered me these past two and a half years. Truly an album worth owning.
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
![Around the Fur [PA] by Deftones](http://di1.shopping.com/images1/pi/ae/5b/a8/2005400440-177x150-0-0.jpg)
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.