Review Summary: Time will see us realign.....
Deftones Diamond Eyes
Deftones are a quintuplet from Sacramento, California. They were initially part of the Nu Metal scene and were associated with acts like Korn. But starting with White Pony, their breakthrough album, they started expanding their sound, incorporating elements from a variety of contrasting genres like electronica(the soaring synths in "Change In The House Of Flies")and metal(the guitar chugs in the outro of "Beware"). Yes, Deftones far outclassed their Nu Metal contemporaries they were associated with in the beginning. Their sixth album, Diamond Eyes, came after the hospitalization of their bassist Chi Cheng. Scrapping the previously recorded "Eros" with Chi, they started all over again, with a new bassist Sergio Vega, and the end result is an impressive addition to an already impressive discography.
The album kicks off with the title track's verse, which has Chino Moreno's shoegazing vocals over Stephen Carpenter's brutal guitar chugs, before exploding into a beautiful chorus, layered with Frank Delgado's synths. The lyrics are typical Deftones, dreamy and filled with metaphors (mostly sexual). "You've Seen The Butcher" sees Chino talking about being attracted to a woman and his vocals send shivers down the spine when he hits those high notes "I wanna watch the way...” This album is undoubtedly Chino's best vocal performance. In fact all the members of the band up their ante in this record. Sergio Vega lays down a chilling bassline in the intro of "Prince" before Stephen's Meshuggah inspired riffs and Abe Cunningham's strong drumming turns this song into a mosh pit affair.
The soft and heavy dynamics, for which the Deftones are well known, is executed with a little more emphasis on heaviness. But that makes the softer songs like "Beauty School" and "Sextape" stand out better. "Beauty School" has a soothing guitar whine while "Sextape" has a resounding melodic sound with the acoustic guitar. The band goes all out with "Rocket Skates". It has a killer opening riff and trashy drumming which blends naturally with Chino's off key vocals. "976 Evil" sees Chino hitting falsetto notes in the chorus with ease and grace and Frank Delgado's bubbling synths in "Risk" stays in your head a long time after the song is over.
Unlike their previous album, Saturday Night Wrist, which at times lacked proper direction, Diamond Eyes has songs that are razor sharp and to the point. To quote a cliché its "All killer and no filler" in this album. This record is a welcome return to form for a band that delivered slightly disappointing albums after White Pony. So how does this album fare against White Pony?? That's a really hard question to answer, but suffice to say, this is an album that should NOT be missed.
Tracks to check out
Diamond Eyes
CMND/CTRL
You've Seen The Butcher
Rocket Skates
