Deftones [Enhanced]

Track 1 and 6 are uncompromisingly heavy. By heavy I mean the hardness of the bands performance as a whole but also emotionally heavy - because so much heavy metal lacks the ambience that these guys have learned to sustain - particulary with Chino's resounding vocals and the background music that serves as atmosphere. I think that this kind of music is an aquired taste but that is only my opinion. However, more importantly, once you have "acquired" it, the music can be supremely satisfying. I would encourage you to cultivate an ear for this music because it may not come easy. The first 5 times I heard Hexagram I thought it was too rash and discordant. Once I got the feel of it then it was a trip. Track 6 is the same in that it seems too angry but there is a real beauty if you can tune in with it.

The biggest category of those who don't understand this album are the late-coming White Pony worshippers. Sometimes I wish these closeminded wimps didn't get hooked on Deftones in the first place.

So what the self-titled album all about? It's about combining heavy and beautiful - just like the suggestive cover art of a human scull with flowers. The album opens with "Hexagram", throwing the listener head first into the low range rhythm guitar. How can anyone claiming to be a Deftones fan not like the ferocious chorus "Worship! Play! Play! Worship! Play! Play!" over distorted Stef riffs and quick paced Abe drumming is beyond me. The other such heavy song is the following "Needles and Pins", at the end of which Chino fades out screaming "Who want to f$%^ with us now!!!..." over and over.

After these two monster songs the album steps down a bit, revealing the beautiful "Minerva" - possibly the highest point in combining beautiful lyrics over some seriously heavy music. Deathblow and Battleaxe are also nice songs, with really cool guitar intros (I absolutely love them!).

Deftones tried a little different approach on this album - instead of doing the switching between soft and heavy within one song (which became formulaic after a while), they just went with flow, and tried to actually combine these opposing elements into cohesive sound. This is why this album sounds so great. And people, before reviewing it, buy yourselves some good stereos, then listen to the album really loud, and THEN tell me what you think.

If you like Linkin Park, hey, whatever floats your boat. They suck, but if you like them, more power to you. But to have the audacity to write a long critical review in which you spend time comparing Linkin Park to the Deftones and saying that the Deftones will be "gone by Wednesday," is so much garbage. I think the "gone by Wednesday" thing can definately be said for Linkin Park. 15 years down the road, no one is going to care about them. The Deftone's have been releasing albums for ten years now and have been around as a band a lot longer. They're obviously doing SOMETHING write in order to get such a huge underground fan base and sky-rocketing sales.
I also like the thing that Dr. Music said about the Deftones trying to sound heavier on this album than they have before. He says it as though it's some sort of negative slump to the music among many. You know what? Deftones are a heavy band, dude, and that's what heavy bands do. They get HEAVIER! And the good ones like the Deftones switch things up a little bit and try something different. I think that maybe Dr. Music would like Deftones a little more if they tried some of the musical "genius" of Linkin Park's approach, (i.e.) have a crappy rapper for every verse with lyrics that sound like "I don't know why i'm not liked, you didn't see me you didn't recognize, understand why when i cry, didn't even know when i tried to hide, doesn't make sense" and blah, blah, shoot me, while after that, for the chorus, some pimply white kid cryptically whines about how no one liked him in High School. The Deftones would also need to start dressing like gangsters and dying their hair stupid colors, or saying cliche crap like "our songs mean whatever you want them to mean" unlike they do, or shout at their concerts that they love Janes Addiction just to sound cultured, or start righting the most downright, beebop and catchy hooks ever.
The Deftones is a wonderful album that is comparable or philisophical comparable to any of the good rock to come out of the 70's (not in sound of course, just song structure and maybe lyrics). How could you think The Deftones are a step below Linkin Park when the Deftones have a song called Hexagram that screams with something that's not exactly anger while Chino says "paint the streets in white, death is the standard breach for a complex prize; god it's so sweet of you, and your parents are proud; but i would expect it now from anyone now to protect life's indigenous sound".
All in all, who cares if the Deftones don't have guitar solos? Go listen to the bands that do if that's your only signifier of good music! Who cares if they're trying to be crunchy and heavier than ever? that's the deftones! Who cares if Dr. Music doesn't like this album? It's going to last and be a favorite unlike either of Linkin Park's two cd's of complete drivel that we will all look back on and shake our heads in embarrassment that their music captured so many wannabe hardcore kids who are about 26's years old, wearing a backwards hat with their 14 year old gilfriends, walking down the street with no car. THis is the definition of the musical generation that would last if Linkin Park was going to make it, which they aren't.
Dr. Music should come up with his own creative Genius and try to do better than the Deftones in his own band called PanLinkinSlayerica.