Pros: Hardcore muscle tunes to punch people with
Cool moody experimentals still have a home here.
Cons: A tad inconsistent
Final track MOANA an anti-climax
The Bottom Line: Deftones plays like the greatest hits of their previous material while not allowing themselves to spread themselves weakly allowing for even more exciting boundries to be broken (4.5/5)
bequietnddrive's Full Review: Deftones by Deftones
Im a strange one and many can vouch for that. Some people would probably prefer to write their reviews in the order of purchase but for me Im basically all over the shop. You see after my review on White Pony I was gonna then start reviewing Around the Fur since I bought that next then Adrenaline but I guess I couldnt wait to start reviewing this bundle of joy. For you see The Deftones have moved on from White Pony into ideas and sounds which give you an overall birdseye impression of the Deftones career as a whole and how far they have come, which I think is using the good all noggin again.
Then again this could be a ploy to make more people take interest and to increase record sales, but I wouldnt care, cause this album kicks the peverbial a's. Its been three years since the deftones last dropped the bomb on the music scene with their emotionally delicate, surreal but disturbingly secretive and anger clad ridden anthems of the Pony. It really was an excellent album and it showed the deftones at one of the highest plateau of success regardless of the amount of sales the album pushed, that is not an issue here cause for anyone who kicks it with the deftones, they will know that the people that do have in their sweaty little mits their previous outings are worshipped like some sort of Voodoo Tiki Cult. In some strange way the deftones look the part for the day of the dead festivals way down in the sun drenched lands of sandy Mexico simply becauase of their sounds as well as their mexican looks minus white boy cunningham if it were just for looks alone.
Chino Moreno-Vocals/Guitar
Stephen Carpenter-Strings
Chi Cheng-Bass
Abe Cunningham-Bass
Frank Delgado-Samples/Keys
WHATS DIFFERENT THEN???
Well to put it bluntly, they have made their sound heavier, a lot heavier. Stephen Carpenter has upgraded his axe to a 7 string as well as Chi who uses the occasional 7 string bass. Believe me when I say this but these things are beasts and play like them as well and when the sound from his guitar is filtered through all the various effects and technical gizmos he uses the sound is truly like a pneumatic drill to the face (minus the gore). This change of sound pushes the album straight into the depths of hardcore territory especailly on the harder songs which I will explain later on but for now I will just explain the tracklisting.
If anyone who knows my two previous reviews they will know that I am biased towards beginning and ending tracks as I think they decide the replayability and the album certainly starts off with a bang, straight into the deep end with one of the heaviest songs at the start which has surprised me a little.
Stephen starts the first track (HEXAGRAM) off by the strumming of his 7 stringer, then straight into the main tune itself with Abes frog stompin beats and Chi's cool fluidic Bass vibes, from that point on that heavy sludge sound is a trademark for a few songs later within the album, its kind of remeniscent of the Munky & Head sound of KORN as they tend to use 7 stringers for their tunes, Its still deftones mind you because of the strumming rule that Stephen sticks by on those famous songs like Be Quiet and Drive (I refer to that song a lot because its perfect and is the centre and heart of all what they do well, they perfected their sound by the second album). Its hard to explain but there always seems to be some kind of signature that Stephen uses on every song that seems to scream STEPHEN. Chino then comes in with the main vocals which instantly sound like the strongest and loudest form he has harnessed since the accident in which he had when one of his vocal chords went dead at a live gig in 2001. The vocal training and therapy he has gone through has perhaps increased his boundries to a point of internal combustion, which is always dangerous but sounds like the Apocalypse. I think this is the song that he might have had to control his voice on as it is a really powerful mixture of vocal gurgling and guitar mentality enough to knock an elephant to the ground unconcious.
PAINT THE STREETS IN WHITE/DEATH IS THE STANDARD BREACH FOR A COMPLEX PRIZE
Chino appears to be talking about some sort of sacrificial rite between the parent and their son or daughters and sending them to death for the immortality of historical rememberence.
WORSSHIP/PLAY, PLAY
WORSHIP/PLAY, PLAY
As always Chinos lyrics show a man of Intelligence and hidden depth to the carefully crafted lyrics he creates, it just goes to show that the chemistry between each member of the band is at its peak which makes for some sort of high energy collective. These guys dont f''k around, they get the job done thats for sure.
There are some fantastic songs within ths sonic soundscape here, the slow heart pounding Needles and Pins which seems to echo My Own summer because of the recourring familar whirlwind guitars demonstrated thoughout the song and Chino's familiar vocal pace.
HOW NEAT/IM IMPRESSED/HOW DID YOU COME TO BE SO BLESSED
HERE WE ARE/PINS AND NEEDLES/LETS PLAY
This is a cool song which i think is talking about the relationship between a band and its loyal followers and how they are perfect for each other and live and feed off each other in a neverending cycle of emotion building and
we are now at the point where the first single comes in.
A cool intro is introduced to us from Chino plucking the guitar in a unique fashion before we are blasted off into space with STEPHENS rocket propelled tour de force, once again the combination of 2 guitars and a bass (especailly 7 strings) really make the sound feel deep like an abyss of total absolute darkness, and for good reason, we are immersed in Chinos vocals as he moans
I GET ALL NUMB/WHEN SHE SINGS ITS OVER
SUCH A STRANGE NUMB/ AND IT BRINGS BACK PEACE TO THE EARTH
Abe cunnigham as always carries the accurate tempo and laid back drumming which really keeps the pace, I think this is a good choice for a single, hell even my ma likes this one. If you close your eyes the song really does seem to take you on a cosmic trip, as I listen to music to make me fall asleep anyway the experience is worth trying.
SO GOD BLESS YOU ALL/FOR THE SONG YOU SAVED US
FOR THE HEARTS YOU BREAK EVERYTIME YOU MOAN
The Next track, importantly titled GOOD MORNING BEAUTIFUL gives you an all out blast fest as STEPHEN and CHINO put their foot down as the guitars twist together at the start with thumping and clawing and suddenly gain momentum with Chinos voice taking the reins. Apprently this track was about somebody being in a coma and the protagonist eagerly wanting the loved one to come back into the light knowing that she or he might eventually break him down to the very end, but not this day and not now.
ONE OF THESE DAYS/YOULL BREAK ME OF MANY THINGS
SOME COLD WHITE DAY/BUT YOUR CRAZY IF YOU THINK ILL LEAVE YOU THIS WAY
The chorus that Chino sings seems some how off tune in a good way, I think its Impressive how his voice can be used to go off and on the map instantly.
YOU SHOULD WAKE UP/BEFORE THE WRATH COMES
ME AND YOU SHOULD TAKE OFF/BEFORE THE WRATH COMES
We now move on to a song called DEATHBLOW which seems to be a relaxed effort with the occasional Frank effects placed for good measure. The effects seem familiar to the start of Change. I think this track might be considered a bit inconsistent because it dosnt match up with the pace of the album and it kind of drags on a bit, Its a good track dont get me wrong but might have been put to better use being brought out on a Single package rather than disrupt the pace of the album.
AS SOON AS YOU CAME IN/ALL THE BEASTS WENT AWAY
ROPES HANG TO KEEP US ALL AWAKE
Now onto the heaviest material you can get from the deftones package, the misleading name of WHEN GIRLS TELEPHONE BOYS is not a love song at all, quite the opposite, more of pain, anger and Sickness. The song is introduced by what seems to be a recorded telephone call, (possibly a girl telephoning a boy ) I cant make it out though and by the time youv'e listened to 10 seconds the song comes in full force. EVERYTHING is placed down, since I keep my stereo with DSG on (Dynamic sound generater, a smart name for treble treble, and treble bass) I almost had a heart attack when turing it up trying to decipher the girls ramblings.
ALWAYS THE SAME OLD TASTE JUST NEW INJURY
ILL WEAR THE CLAWS IF YOU LIKE THAT/YEAH IF YOU LIKE IT WE CAN RIDE ON A BLACK HORSE/A GREAT NEW WAVE HESPERIAN DEATH HORSE
WHEN I GET BACK I WILL CALL
Yeah right he will, the song is obviously about a clash in personality, she appears to be wild and loves destruction and wants to see more of the protagonist while he prefers the calmer and more passionate things in life, simply two people at the opposite end of the spectrum. Wow, Chinos voice also appears to being fed through some sort of distortion device, its a really good effect and sounds kind of like the growly vocals of Nirvana wacko frontman Kurt Cobain. Except his growls were organic, and moving further through the thick black meat of the album we come upon a song known as BATTLEAXE, a gentle introudction by STEPHEN CARPENTER featuring a sound with no familiarity to the forthcoming event, this goes on for about 30 seconds then ABE introduces the drums and drops them down and chino and Chi kick in with what seems like the best sounding rythem in the whole album (my favourite on this record), as always the guitars tend to play through chords which seem a bit too far off the mark to be played on yet they somehow make the bridge over to the other side and pull it off, which is clever.
I WANT TO SLEEP IF YOU ARE AWAKE
STILL MAKING BELEIVE THAT YOU WHERN'T AT ALL CRAZY
To be honest my view is that this is a sequel to Change (lyrically of course not musically), While change delivered the scenario of someone changing into something else, maybes something more sinister and intolerable, BATTLEAXE deals with the aftermath of this so called change in which the protoganist finds the person acting normal as if it didnt happen, like a werewolf in a full moon. (Hey that could have been a cathy song title dont you agree?)
AND IF YOU DONT BELIEVE/I THINK YOU SHOULD
YOU MAKE ME SO PROUD/STILL YOU LOVE TO THINK YOU HAVE ALWAYS BEEN THIS WAY/BUT YOURE WRONG
Now onto the first major experimental track titled LUCKY YOU, again this seems to be a track from the forthcoming release TEAM SLEEP which is Chino Morenos side project and you should also get the idea from Teenager which was a track featured in the middle of WHITE PONY. There is a joint collaboration between DJ CROOK (Team Sleep) and Frank both working together with a drum machine which sounds pretty relaxing with Chino humming and moaning.
THEY'LL COME SOON/I KEEP WAITING/ AND I WAIT/WON'T SOMEBODY SAVE ME
Other effects are added which include some kind of laser blast noise which plays in the gap of the drum machine intermittently.
SO IF YOUR FEELING LUCKY/COME AND TAKE ME HOME
It seems Chino seems so far away, like he was down a hole somewhere, much like a well (you seen the Ring? Scary stuff)
SPREAD YOUR WINGS AND SAIL OUT TO ME
After that song and into BLOODY CAPE the atmosphere picks up with a tune opener that does not linger too far away from Knife Party (another cool Deftones song from the previous album). After that introudction the 7 stringers hit the floor again and the moshing begins.
IN WAVES THE SHIPS HAVE ALL SAILED/TO THE SEA/ ONE WAY ONLY
This is a really a melodic song when it wants to be, the chorus is still hard though but the music prooves to link well with the rest of the tune.
FIRST WE ARE/TO EVER FALL OFF THE EARTH
This song apparently is about Christopher Columbus and his voyage venturing into the unkonwn with his armada of exploration ships to the once then new fromtier of America which is an intelligent and historical thought and is to say the least touching stuff. Towards the end of the song the guitars all come in at once and thump down repeatedly again and again, this to me seems to simulate the violent crossing of the ocean as the waves get stronger until the song disperses out into nothing.
GOD HELP/GOD HELP/OCTAVIAN
Now this is the song that caught my ear, ANNIVERSERY OF AN UNINTERESTING EVENT I thought to myself wow a piano, and is arguably the most experimental album Deftones have done, this really is the far reaches of the new frontier, I was actually taking part in the Tall ships race a few weeks ago in which the seas were icnredibly tough, and the competitors were retiring from the race, we were just a small boat and we got tossed everywhere you can imagine, I could hardly get to sleep, and when this track came on with the lyrics you could just not need nay effort to think that you were out in the sea where I really was. Apparently this track was all about what would happen if the moon had left the earth
NO MORE GOLD LIGHTS TO KEEP THE EARTH WARM
HIGH ON THE WAVES YOU MAKE FOR US/AND NOT SINCE YOU LEFT HAVE THE WAVES COME
It sended me instantly to sleep and looking back on that trip now seemed like the ultimate journey for me and with that track still in my mind it was a great adventure, this track I will most probably remember the most for its sweeping piano melody and slow but firm drum beat.
Now the last track MOANA is a bit of an anti-climax for me as I like to see all albums close with a good finisher but this just dosnt seem to get me excited as much as the previous songs, Its a good rock tune but I think it wont be as remembered as much as the rest of the album. The guitars go on for quite a while before the main tune gets introduced, the introduction feels as though anticipation or anger is being built up inside before it is purged, like an audeince waiting for a performance sto start
SOME HOW CALM AS SHE WALKS ON STAGE
LET ME KNOW WHAT YOUR LIKE/TELL ME
The album then comes to a close with the guitars whirling around angrily then suddenly cut out as if the amplifier was disconnected directly from the power source.
By the time the Deftones fourth album was released they have already pushed the boundries of music into their own region of their creative new musical frontier and with this album they have done just that except changed the direction and produced even more original soundscapes and kind of dispersed into many more smaller beings, creating some sort of Deftones continnuim which I am pleased to be part of, but the Deftones still have that burning energy within them which by the 5th Album I want to see let out for the world to feel and like Abe cunnigham said in one of his interviews "I dont think we've even tapped into the best s''t we can do yet" and I agree. By the sound of it the Deftones will be around for a long time to come, they just better watch out that they dont spread themselves too thin thats all so keep watching this band and miracles will happen with these guys still in town. "God Bless you all"
Recommended:
Yes
Great Music to Play While: Getting ready to go out
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