It feels like Deftones are going through a popularity renaissance. The arrival of ‘private music’ comes off the back of their biggest UK show to date at Crystal Palace Park earlier this summer. Add that to the fact that there’s been a whole host of bands doing their best impersonation of the Sacramento group in recent years. Deftones’ stock has never been higher.
Their tenth album sees them reconnecting with ‘Diamond Eyes’ and ‘Koi No Yokan’ producer Nick Raskulinecz. As albums held in high regard in the post-‘White Pony’ period of Deftones, they helped enhance the quintet’s reputation as one of rock and metal’s most reliable bands. With the surging popularity factor and Raskulinecz on board, ‘private music’ makes for an exciting proposition.
On the face of it, it meets the relatively high expectations that we’ve come to expect from Deftones. ‘my mind is a mountain’ is an instant reminder of their crushing heaviness, with Chino Moreno’s melodic aura clashing with Stephen Carpenter’s razor-sharp riffs. It segues into ‘locked club,’ where Moreno’s distorted crooning glides over touring member Fred Sablan’s bubbling bass lines. Sablan’s grooves are paired up with Frank Delgado’s pulsing synths on ‘Ecdysis’. Treading on goth/industrial ground, it radiantly bursts through Moreno’s soaring voice.
Moreno’s melodic aura remains the album’s anchor, whether against the distorted chaos of ‘cXz’ or the dream-pop lift of ‘Infinite Source’. When they push beyond expectations, they’re simply superb. Sandwiched in between is ‘Souvenir’. One of the album’s more tender moments, Moreno provides a meditation on love, time, and memory. It’s a contract to ‘cXz’s distorted imagery of parallel realities.
As always, Deftones are able to look back and forward in equal measure. Moments such as the evocative ‘i think about you all the time’ thrive on luscious melodies and a tender build. While ‘Milk of the Madonna’ pulsates with familiarity, as its simple, yet effective, hook of “I’m on fire” bounces off walls of distortion and Abe Cunningham’s penetrating drums. Moreno’s snappy delivery on ‘cut hands’ is reminiscent of ‘Around the Fur’-era Deftones, yet is far from the sound of a band aiming to recreate past glories. Its jagged riff grinds away and complements the experimental groove of ‘metal dream’. By the time you reach ‘Departing the Body’s opening glitching synths and Moreno’s hushed opening lines, you’re left compelled by its astronomical sonic assault. It’s gorgeous yet maintains the heavy anchor that threads ‘private music’ together.
Across its 11 tracks, the album ebbs and flows between feral intensity and spacious tenderness, ultimately closing on a transcendent note with ‘Departing the Body.’
Much like their finest work, ‘private music’ doesn’t rely on obvious standout tracks. Instead, its strength lies in cohesion. Each moment bleeds into the next, carrying you from storm to stillness, from intimacy to transcendence. It’s a Deftones record through and through: consistent, immersive, and untouchable in the way it balances ferocity and beauty. In a time when countless bands chase their shadow, Deftones remain in a league of their own.
‘private music’ by Deftones is released on August 22nd on Reprise/Warner Records.
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