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Deftones

Deftones: Diamond EyesDiamond Eyes (2010)
Warner Bros.

Reviewer Rating: 4

User Rating:

Contributed by: eatdogseatdogs
(others by this writer | submit your own)
Published on May 4th 2010

I have always defended the Deftones as not being a stupid nü-metal band (I hate that term) but instead an artistic group that makes amazing music. Some people will most likely say I'm praising them too much and just a fanboy, but seriously, not many musical acts take the risks these guys do and come out still standing.

On first listen, I can safely say that Diamond Eyes is great. It's got the right stuff from the guys I expect, but also some changes too. Deftones are always a band that I look to for great change in musical style and it seems that they've done that this time. The change feels more like a remembrance, and what that means is a step back to their roots. Yeah, I know a lot of bands say things like that, or they present themselves with this idea to try and duplicate their old styles and make similar material, but that usually ends up being complete bollocks. Yes, this album reminds me of moments from their past (Around the Fur, White Pony) but there is much more going for it than just that.

On the opening song, "Diamond Eyes," singer Chino Moreno croons softly over the heavy chugging of guitarist Stephan Carpenter, which isn't anything new, but what makes it powerful is the emotion and sheer force behind it. This isn't a by-the-numbers song, and neither is the rest of the album. No, what it is is music that's immediate and brought to the front. There is power here and you can feel it through every note sung and every note played. The Deftones aren't without their trademark psychedelic/dream pop styles, and you will find this on songs like "Beauty School" and "Sex Tape." Frank Delgado, with his keyboards and turntables, shines through and thoughts of older tracks like "Kim Dracula" and "Digital Bath" come to mind. This is where the Deftones step aside and let their oozing talents speak directly for them. They don't seem afraid to experiment and I can tell a lot of work went into these mentioned songs.

Usually, the best stuff is made through confusion and anger, and reading over their history, this is always prevalent when creating new material. Main songwriter Chino gets a chance to vent his sleazy side too, which is always something to read between the lines. First single, "Rocket Skates" is your best bet for ultimate release: "You're red, soaking red. Let's writhe, let me see you trip." The climax is the main chorus which screams "Guns. Razors. Knives. Fuck with me." I also don't want to forget drummer Abe Cunningham, whose sound is expanded and pounding like Transformers wrestling. The drums are heavy and used to great advantage in the overall ambiance.

Not to forget Sergio Vega of Quicksand fame--the new bassist adds great layers to the already dense and dough boy-thick songs. His bass thumping grooves along and isn't lost in all that's going on. Speaking of what's going on, there is a lot of it. Over the years the Deftones have garnered the strength to expand their sounds from the rough-and-tumble early days, and what you get now is a full band going all out and not sitting in the back. There are elements of shoegaze/post-rock/metal/post-hardcore and I'll even go as far as saying emo (the emo term should be thought of in conjunction with artists who really meant something in that genre and not the usual tripe we all hear today...).

On a final note, I want to mention the cover art. Album artwork use to be a major concentration during the early days, but it seems to be an afterthought in our modern society. To sit and ponder on the art is something I like to do (when it's artistic and not stupid...) and looking over the new Deftones album I'm reminded of my native culture. The owl is thought of as a messenger. The message is usually death. It might be you or someone close. It can go either way. I assume the Deftones didn't pick this through a garbage pile. It was put there for a reason. What can it mean??? Blah blah blah, just a little something to think over.

Dig it...

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Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not respon sible for them in any way. Seriously.

tmoram (August 20, 2010)

Been listening to Deftones since I heard Around the Fur in 1999 (i think).... Hearing all their other albums since then, every one of them has been something different. I always expected the next album to either ;sound like the last, or to not be as good; but they've always managed to release albums that are fresh, new and still packed with excellent songs. Dunno where that guy gets the idea of them being 'generic'.... far from it.

With regards to the nu-metal crap - I remember reading an interview years ago where Chino Moreno was asked about being 'lumped in' with all the other nu-metal bands. And he said something along the lines of - don't lump us in with all those other bands, cos we'll still be going strong when they're all gone. And they've lived up to that!

I don't think this is as good as White Pony (My personal favourite album) but is still a very good listen.

Surprised no-one has mentioned You've Seen the Butcher yet - i think thats one of the better tracks on the album, the build up to and the guitars on the chorus are awesome. Diamond Eyes should be enjoyed loud on some decent speakers.

b-town (June 2, 2010)

great album, a step up from SNW which I thought was a bit forced, and with too many effects. its weird but i think the fact that chino's lost a bit of weight helps take me back to the around the fur/white pony era. 'prince', 'rocket skates' and 'royal' stand out, but the rest are great too, although i'm not a huge fan of the power ballads like 'beauty school' and 'sex tape' - they sound tacky when grouped alongside more signature-style songs like the ones previously mentioned. 'cmnd/ctrl' is a nice little experiment, the timing is sick. overall, a return to form, although not to the status of ATF and WP, and i still think S/T is such a great record also.

chadreligion (May 11, 2010)

I'm not a huge deftones fan, but they have done some interesting things in the past. I gave this a listen, and I was not impressed.... kind of repetitive and at some points, kind of annoying. The worst thing I think is how there are some songs that would be really good, had they made some slight arrangements and just tweaked with them a little more, especially with the guitar progressions, and some of the breakdown. I didn't care to give it a second turn and I wouldn't compare it to white pony, either.

tenwestchaser (May 10, 2010)

Esteeben, you fucking nailed it. I couldn't agree with you more. Tris, I also second that notion. They are quite possibly the only band on my entire iTunes library that I really have trouble trying to categorize. They play by no ones rules but their own and calling them nu-metal is a gross misinterpretation. That's like calling Faith No More nu-metal because they had a few moments that nu-metal bands stole and used to define their entire sound. In fact, there were only a few moments on "Adrenaline" that have any sort of rap-metal moments and then Back To School which had rapping. Those things do not make them a nu-metal band any more than other decent bands who throw in the seldom rap. Deftones always keep it fresh.

esteeben (May 9, 2010)

I don't know about any love for them being based on nostalgia. they may have been at their most popular 10 years ago, but every record they've made, in my opinion, has continuosly built upon a sound in a way that few, if any, bands have. I think that's kept them relevant and made it impossible to date them.

Misanthropee (May 9, 2010)

Despite my metal snobbery I enjoy SOAD and Tool and RATM and whatnot. I've tried really hard to get into these guys but it just never worked for me. All the love for them kind of strikes me as based in nostalgia. To each his own, though. There's certainly much worse stuff out there as far as nu-metal goes.

Jelone (May 9, 2010)

...I like this album.

tris (May 9, 2010)

faith is for fools - you should probably buy a dictionary because 'generic' doesn't really apply to deftones. they're by far the most unusual band to spring out of the entire nu-metal era, and their difficulty-to-pidgeonhole is one of the many reasons I think they're great. I'd rather not get into a debate about the merits of brand new, thanks!

nice one for showing your immaturity with that homophobic slur, too.

FaithIsForFools (May 8, 2010)

tris rippin' on a dude for liking Rancid, yet has Brand New as one of his favorite bands? BWAHAHAHAHAHA! Fuckin' faggot.

Deftones are generic, this album is shit. But who is worse... Brand New, or Deftones? That's a fuckin' mystery. I'm embarrassed I've even heard this album, but at least I wasn't dead while it was on and someone found my body...

hamonrye (May 8, 2010)

picked it up today. fucking great.

strizzmatik (May 7, 2010)

Album slays hard.

tris (May 7, 2010)

there's always one! telegraphrocks, get out...and take your rancid records with you.

score's for the album and band.

Michael_Berryman (May 7, 2010)

i agree with esteeben, s/t was fucking great. so is this one.

nocigar (May 7, 2010)

KevinJamesSuperFan

Are you serious? Because he doesn't like the Deftones? That's humorous, cause they are worse than any bands noted on profile.

KevinJamesSuperFan (May 7, 2010)

telegraphrocks

Your little sister has better taste in music than you do...ha...that sucks. Is she hot?

Cheesetits (May 7, 2010)

Oh, I dug it, Mr. Eatdogs.

telegraphrocks (May 6, 2010)

I'm in total shock that so many people here are digging this.
My little sister was listening to it yesterday, and this shit is fucking dull.

RYANGP (May 6, 2010)

Best album of the year so far. Tied with White Pony for their best record.

esteeben (May 6, 2010)

Beauty School has been on loop all day.

and I don't get the dislike for the self titled; I think it's among if not their best.

eatdogs (May 6, 2010)

"in high school me and my friend used to listen to that "heres my....new address" song over and over and smoke pot at his mom's house.

we werent very popular."

same here. the song your talking about is called "street carp". even though i had white pony for a while, it wasn't until i listened to it stoned that i really became a fan and discovered all sorts of music through it. music like shoegaze and dreampop (my bloody valentine, ride, slowdive, the lily's ect...) this was back in 200o when i was still in high school. and yeah, i don't like this album as much as SNW, but's that's because SNW was exactly what i wanted from the deftones. i wanted them to take those outer space elements and go with it. still, diamond eyes is an excellent album and one to not skip.

aubin (May 6, 2010)

I just figured out what this album reminds me of; Quicksand's Slip not so much the later Quicksand stuff, but definitely Slip. If you aren't convinced, go listen to "Diamond Eyes" and then listen to "Dine Alone" or "Fazer."

tenwestchaser (May 6, 2010)

I'm not sure if they'll ever top "Around the Fur" but this new one is so awesome....just like everything they do.

i-type-poorly (May 5, 2010)

They have seemed to alternate between the "chugga chugga" hardcore style and experimental with each album release. I like what they do in White Pony and SNW better, but this album and Around The Fur are great too. S/T was a bit of a letdown.

scorpiondeathlock (May 5, 2010)

in high school me and my friend used to listen to that "heres my....new address" song over and over and smoke pot at his mom's house.

we werent very popular.

Mammoth (May 5, 2010)

Yup, screw it up.

mattp330 (May 5, 2010)

i love them all but:

white pony
diamond eyes
around the fur
saturday night wrist
deftones
adrenaline

aubin (May 5, 2010)

I really liked this one. It's probably my favourite of theirs since "Around the Fur."

tris (May 5, 2010)

good band, good album and good review. nice one!

definitely seconded on the 'best since white pony' front.

eatdogs (May 5, 2010)

wow, they actually posted my review.

SydBarrett420 (May 5, 2010)

I like it, but not as much as Saturday Night Wrist which I thought had the Deftones feel while showcasing some musical elements that hadn't been seen before from the band.

hamonrye (May 5, 2010)

picking this is up on saturday. STOOOOOKEEEEEDDDDDD!.

mpc (May 5, 2010)

Such a good album. I need to pick up the covers from the iTunes version.

nocigar (May 5, 2010)

Didn't ready any further than the first line, as I knew it would be a lopsided review.

LinoleumMagazine (May 5, 2010)

Great review. I love this record. Their best since White Pony for sure.

Piata (May 5, 2010)

I see what you did there.

cyanotic (May 5, 2010)

Ya rly.