Review Summary: A solid release that shows that the band has aged well, but it is a step backwards from "Koi No Yokan".
28 years and still running, one would think that the creativity or sound would start to die out, but the Deftones have truly withstood the test of time and are back again with yet another LP. Now, I'm gonna shoot you straight: "Gore" is no "White Pony", however it is a very solid release, and it's worth giving a listen or two. The album kicks open with "Prayers/Triangles" which also happened to be the leading single for "Gore", and I was skeptical after seeing that the leading single would be the album's opener, but it actually ties in fairly well, establishing a very dark and sorrowful mood that will carry itself throughout the album. "Acid Hologram" is the second song on Gore, and it blends well after the brief transition between "Prayers/Triangles". "Doomed User" is probably the heaviest track on "Gore" but by far the least memorable as the vocals tend to overlap and the guitar rythm becomes too complex, causing it to tread into the dreaded "filler space'.
"Geometric Headdress" is thought provoking to say the least with lyrics like "As her words draw you in, our faith reconnects, and our hearts they collapse at the words.." the song does stay true to the albums dark atmosphere, and in this case makes the album feel very connected. "Hearts/Wires" is chilling in it's lyricism, with Chino belting "Dine on your heart" at the chorus, but other than that there isn't much more to say about it. I personally feel that the most haunting song on "Gore" is "(L)Mirl" as he starts singing "So I put this gun to my head and I smile..." the suicidal lyricism screams "White pony", but the sound is more like what you hear off "Koi No Yokan". The title track "Gore" is a Lo-Fi puzzle to understand, Chino's screams are a key factor in the song as the instrumentation seems to solely revolve around it, following the anger in his voice, turning from short brief explosions of chaos to a softer crunch, but the overuse of Lo-fi makes it hardly memorable. "Gore" then leads the listener into "Phantom Bride" which takes the album into a deeper sorrowful tone until it breaks into a guitar solo that sounds kind of like 80's metal yet smoothly transitions to the songs chorus, unfortunately like "Gore", the song is unmemorable and starts to come across as being filler. The closer "Rubicon" is the heart of "Gore", it manages to be majestic, depressed, and angry all at the same time. The guitars go balls to the wall as Chino's voice writhes in the soft/loud sound the band is known for. His voice hits a rough rasp at the end of notes that add to the overall feel of the song, giving it a powerful emotion as the guitars wind down their own path.
Overall the album has a hard time hitting-should I say, "edge"...? Comparing "Gore" to the Deftones' other releases this one is by far the softest, and while I dont really have a problem with that, the album dips a bit too far into the lo-fi (IMO) and starts to feel bland about 2/3 of the way through. It does however, pick up in 'Rubicon" helping to spice the album up a little, but being that it's the last song on the album there isn't any way for it to pick up from there and it may cause the listener to feel a little unsatisfied. It's still a good album, it shows that the Deftones still have some fire in them, but as a successor to "Koi No Yokan" I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little dissappointed...
