ARTIST: Deftones
ALBUM: Diamond Eyes
LABEL: Warner Bros./Reprise
RELEASE DATE: May 4, 2010
Deftones Rise
Written by Lindsay Murphy
After a harrowing tragedy and difficult decisions, Deftones return with a viscerally hitting stunner that could be remembered as the band’s best record ever.
In November 2008, bassist Chi Cheng was involved in a major car accident, and because of injuries sustained, remains in a “semi-conscious state.” The band had planned on releasing their album Eros several months after the accident. Its release has since been postponed indefinitely, although they maintain the decision has nothing to do with Chi’s condition. Instead, vocalist Chino Moreno has credited the album’s shelving to a creative shift in band’s artistic endeavors and the desire to give fans the best album possible. Recorded tracks had been described as experimental, prodding the edges, and soaked in soundscape.
So they started from scratch. Diamond Eyes is notable for being the first record with replacement bassist Sergio Vega, formerly of post-hardcore outfit Quicksand. Another aberration from the band’s previous efforts was their refusal to layer using popular audio editing software Pro Tools, instead practicing until perfection and opting to achieve a more raw, real feel. Despite this departure, the songs still feature the Deftones’s signature full heaviness. This approach appears to have provided the band a new, invigorated vibe that bleeds off every track on Diamond Eyes and displays their talent as musicians.
The Deftones pumped everything into this album, and it is easily one of the heaviest, most melodic, and most aggressive records released to date. Diamond Eyes creates a fuzzy cocoon of fantasy, from happy to haunting. Chino’s characteristic bending vocals adorn the album, perforated by bouts of screaming and buoyed by Stephen Carpenter’s signature guitar riffs.
Chino’s poetic offerings are more stellar than ever. Metaphorically driven with repeated thematic elements of eyes, stars and space, the ocean and waves, and the color red, the lyrics serve well to enhance its phantasmal aural ambiance.
The title track is infectious and after one listen, will easily repeat in your head. With forward-thinking hope, Moreno dreamily sings, “Time will see us realign/Diamonds reign across the sky/I will lead us to the same realm….”
One of the album’s standouts, “CMND/CTRL” brandishes a more aggressive sound especially reminiscent of the band’s early material. Heavy, well-placed riffs guide “You’ve Seen the Butcher,” a sexy, grooving track. The Deftones slow it down with reverb-soaked “Beauty School,” driven by prominent drums and notes plucked high on the guitar strings.
“Prince” encompasses some of the experimental elements said to set apart the unreleased Eros. Sudden discordant guitar shrieks interrupt Moreno’s breathy vocals and an undulating bassline.
The first single “Rocket Skates” is largely representative of the diversity that can be heard throughout the album. It again harkens back to the band’s earlier days and features fuzzy metal riffs juxtaposed against spacey, delayed vocals that lurch into a screeching chorus.
The hardest song on the album then segues into its softest, titled “Sextape.” After a beautiful intro, Chino croons, “The sound of waves collide, tonight,” mirroring the song’s slow, haunting waves of melody.
One of the more mediocre moments comes with “Risk,” but it still displays the record’s overarching wistfulness. “976-EVIL” is another dreamlike, embryonic offering that billows into a big chorus. “This Place is Death” continues the atmospheric ambiance, boasting a Pink Floyd vibe, and ends the album on a softer note.
The iTunes deluxe version also includes three covers: “Do You Believe” (The Cardigans), “Ghosts” (Japan), and “Caress” (Drive Like Jehu).
The Deftones provide an unmatched sound in today’s bloated Internet landscape of music. Postponing a nearly completed album because a band feels it no longer encompasses its essence is both a rare and bold move, and in the case of the Deftones, the ensuing effort proved beyond successful.