KILL or KEEP Vol.4

Deftones – White Pony

Welcome back once again to KILL or KEEP, where we take a classic album that everyone knows but not everyone loves, and run it through a set of users with conflicting takes. They will consume the album for public entertainment and post their slander for all to see.

This time is a little different because our most ambitious plans got postponed for boring reasons andwe didn’t want to leave things hanging for too long. The solution? Do what the rest of the Sputnikmusic userbase does when it runs out of ideas and needs a ten-a-penny Masterpiece to chew over:

We are listening to Deftones. Specifically White Pony, but if there’s one thing we can tell you about White Pony right off the bat, it’s that it certainly is a Deftones record.

Deftones are a band that needs no introduction. What a relief. Today’s KILL or KEEP is brought to you by Pheromone and JohnnyoftheWell, but we felt a little self-conscious about trawling through one of the most lowest-common-denominator Sputnik classics as two of the most washed up Sputnik personalities, so we decided to add some spice by fishing out a new friend from our Discord web of horror. Please welcome Windowpain11 to Sputnikmusic!

Rules

Each participant must KILL and KEEP a minimum of three songs. Because White Pony is a pretty tiny album by KILL or KEEP standards, we have a special rule for this round! This revolves around the magnetic appetite, thick myth and unique presence of Deftones frontman Chog Bongo. We tried to pretend we wouldn’t make this session entirely about him, but this was in vain and our rule stems from this fixation: for every song we KILL, we have to name a frontperson less cool than Chimeno Frittino, and for every song we KEEP, we have to name one less cool than him. Simple? Let’s begin!

STARTING COMMENTS

Each participant, please explain your attitude going into and/or prior experience with Emotion Sides A and B and/or intentions for this exercise.

Pheromone:  I barely hear it anymore… Aged probably about 8, watching Kerrang, seeing Chino in his fuck-you punk nu-metal rap attitude, in a school! On the last day (if I remember.) This enamoured 8 year old me to pick up the Back To School Singles release CD and spin that disk non stop baby. Truth is, Deftones never really stayed on rotation and White Pony was one of those albums I tried to get into when I hit the White Pony age but never gave it a fair enough shake. Thus, this is big. Bigger than that, it’s large. I have it 2.5’d but that was probably just after I joined with no genuine weight behind it. I have faith.

JohnnyoftheWell: I don’t think I like Deftones (much) but I do like White Pony? Some of it? Most of it, maybe? Every Deftones album I’ve heard is full of throwaway songs and they’re therefore not an album band. This is exciting! It means I can KILL and KEEP without wondering what we’ll end up with, because there was never going be a cohesive album at the end of the tunnel. And it’s a long tunnel. This band sings about sex and stuff. In we go.

Pheromone: We will have a chance to go back through this and edit the fuck out of things, because I usually do this hungover and it doesn’t make way for on the spot opinions.

JohnnyoftheWell: Yeah, all this can be edited later.

Pheromone: Ironically not hungover now and maybe feel less equipped. 

JohnnyoftheWell: This is fucked bring your depression back.

Pheromone: Is White Pony a depression album? Does White Pony have lyrics that matter?

JohnnyoftheWell: It has a song called Knife Party. 

Pheromone: I have a track by track by FrailLimbNursery from 2012 on Sput up to help me gather thoughts.

Windowpain11: Where to even begin with Deftones… I remember when I first heard them, it was in a basement in the outskirts of Berlin in 1998 which I had been led to by some people I had met that night at a lame club. The DJ went straight from the deep house/techno blend into a Deftones mashup. I waited patiently in a state of awe until he was about to leave, begging him to tell me where that strange metal came from, and since then I’ve been hooked.

JohnnyoftheWell: Okay, are we ready?

Pheromone: Sir yes sir.

JohnnyoftheWell: Windowpan are you ready?

Windowpain11: Ready to do what?

Pheromone: U make me sick

JohnnyoftheWell: To start the album you melt.

Windowpain11: O ok. Am ready.

The album starts.

(1) Feiticeira

Pheromone: Oh man I love Back to School.

JohnnyoftheWell: I hate you.

Windowpain11: We are all listening to Feiticeira right?

Pheromone: Yeah, Feiticeira. Fuck, I’m drunk, but I’m on my knees is unironically a kind of sick opening line. It being about a kidnapping is funny. Ok guys bear this in mind, the 5/5 tbt review by hybridofsound says “Felticeira – A freaky story of a man being kidnapped by a woman. You can actually imagine the story in your mind as you listen to the music. It has a freaky tinge to it and Chino pulls off the vocals well.”

JohnnyoftheWell: I like how this goes from a wavy badboi riff to a Linkin Park song.

Pheromone: Yeah that riff still pierces, apparently they listened to a ton of pornography before making this. The Cure album, not the sex movies.

JohnnyoftheWell: Lol, bet.

Pheromone: I mean the last lyric was “I’m choking from gnawing on the ball”, so maybe both?

JohnnyoftheWell: We could KILL or KEEP Pornography

Windowpain11: Hmm.

Pheromone: You love the Cure now

JohnnyoftheWell: Yeah. I killed a mosquito, this has really started now. Should have trapped it in my hands and synced with the soon I’ll let you go.

Pheromone: I think this is a lot better than I remember.

Windowpain11: The dude singing just sounds like he’s crying

Pheromone:  Put respect on Chino’s name.

Windowpain11: The guitar sucks, they can barely decide what notes to play.

Pheromone: Wow happy ending

JohnnyoftheWell: Great opener, love that riff, love that creepy chant and mood and y’all. Good Tones. KEEP. Chino is cooler than Anthony Kleidis.

Pheromone: Okay, I liked that. I think hybrid had it wrong when he said creepy vibe i thought it was more punk cool. KEEP.

Windowpain11: OK KILL song 1. Sorry :'(

Pheromone:  DON’T BE SORRY, you’re perfect Window.

(2) Digital Bath

JohnnyoftheWell: Man I love this song. The title makes no sense but it’s still perfect.

Pheromone: These titles are like 2000s set out to make a classic alt-metal song titles.

Windowpain11: When does Digital Bath get good? It’s like they make you think they’re gonna start playing and they never do.

JohnnyoftheWell: Is this shoegaze?

Pheromone: “You taste foreign”, oh wow Weezer influence shining. I love how all our KILL/ KEEPs at this point, even somehow including Carly, are pure teen-angst.

JohnnyoftheWell: Oh man you can feel him reaching for that note. I don’t even know if he hits it

Pheromone: One of these dudes was in a car accident right? Understandable angst.

JohnnyoftheWell: Yeah man, it could happen to anyone.

Chino Moreno (cit. Pheromone): It was probably 5 in the morning – we were still up partying – and I just pictured this whole scenario of having this girl, bringing her downstairs and taking a bath and like, out of nowhere, just reaching back and electrocuting – basically throwing some kind of electrical device in the bathtub and then taking her out of the bath and drying her off and putting her clothes back on. It sounds morbid or whatever, but … every word fit in every crevice of the song. It just worked. When I was done with it, I even thought, ‘Why the hell did I write that?’ … It just crossed my mind. It’s not anything I want to do or hope to do.

JohnnyoftheWell: Trent Rez level edgelord.

Pheromone: Digital Bath, as a pun for throwing a toaster in a bath??? cool. I like it, I might even love it, surprisingly. KEEP. I think Chino is more cool than Marilyn Manson because he grew up.

Windowpain11:This song sucks even worse than the first one, all he did was sing really badly while the intro riff keeps playing in the background. KILL.

Pheromone: But who’s a cooler frontman? Chino singing about electrocuting a chick at a party is hard to beat on the cool scale.

Windowpain11: Uh Dave Mustaine. He rocks.

JohnnyoftheWell: Absolutely KEEP Digital Bath, beautiful edgy edging pacing and a big reach. The toaster-in-bath title makes no sense so it is uncool, but so are Deftones so it is okay. Chino is cooler than Trent Reznor because he never wrote a double album.

(3) Elite

Windowpain11: Yeah this rocks! Elite!!

Pheromone: This song won an Oscar. Or a grammy. I think a grammy. Bear this in mind.

Windowpain11: I love the bit where you can’t hear what they’re saying cos they sound like robots.

Pheromone: Lol yeah what the fuck is being said other than When you’re ripe, you’ll bleed out of control.

JohnnyoftheWell: This vocoder bullshit is big Grammy points. I love how strained his harshes are. By which I mean I hate them.

Pheromone: Did the mosquito bleed out of control?

JohnnyoftheWell: Mosquito voice.

Pheromone: In what is almost certainly hyperbole, hybridofsounds praises this song, stating “It’s certanely a good song.”

Windowpain11 It kind sounds annoying now, like when are the robots gonna fight or something? I want the zombies to come and kill them.

Pheromone: Yeah dude zombie fights or electrocuting chicks.

JohnnyoftheWell: Is it sexy?

Pheromone: Sexy?

Windowpain11: They keep on forgetting to play then remembering again and it’s really confusing, but all they can remember is like the same riff.

Pheromone: This definitely reminds me of Linkin Park

JohnnyoftheWell: Pretend just for one sec that this is a Cynic song.

Pheromone: Lol I had a cynic poster when i was 13. I never listened to them.

Windowpain11: If you do listen to the posters you have wtf are you.

Pheromone: Truer words ever spoken. Oh man ok wait, I know this next song, but first – I didn’t like it. It was repetitive as fuck. I didn’t like it. It was repetitive as fuck. KILL.

Windowpain11: KEEP Elite. Even though they could only remember the same riff it rocked so that’s cool.

Pheromone: Woah Window you’re rogue.

JohnnyoftheWell: KILL Elite, Mellon Collie level awful sequencing and bad dated metal. About a minute and a half too long and Chino wasn’t overweight enough to nail those vocals at that time. Wayne Coyne is cooler and he is not a cool guy.

Pheromone: I think Tom Delonge is cooler than Chino, he definitely kissed more babes amiright.

(4) RX Queen

Pheromone: Lol did I just hear “I’d steal a carcass for you”?

JohnnyoftheWell: This reminds me a little of Angel Dust.

Pheromone: How is this not on metal archives smh.

Windowpain11: I love how romantic he’s being.

Pheromone: It’s really Bruno Mars – Grenade with a sexy twist.

Windowpain11: Might be a lame song but at least the message is good, plus he has a chick so that means he must score which is cool.

Pheromone: Oh no Window, “By the end of the song, the girlfriend is killed when she overdoses, leaving the protagonist with nowhere to go but to reminisce on the memories of his time with her.” He no longer scores.

Windowpain11: Oh no that sucks.

JohnnyoftheWell: Imagine that riff, but it’s a trombone and this is a mime piece.

Pheromone: Where does that mime perform, Johnny? I think in an alley at 2am. He might still score.

JohnnyoftheWell: He has nowhere to go. It is an alley.

Pheromone: He’s stealing carcass.

JohnnyoftheWell: Deer in headlights. He is the headlights, it is too late. This percussion is kinda very cool.

Windowpain11: Why are they whispering, I wanna hear what they’re saying.

Pheromone: It is a secret.

JohnnyoftheWell: Oh it’s over.

Pheromone: Wow topical.

Windowpain11: KEEP cos it was cool when he was singing about his girl or something.

JohnnyoftheWell: I don’t really wanna KEEP this song, but I don’t feel strongly enough about it to KILL. RX Queen can stay, I guess – would definitely flow on from Digital Bath better than Grammy pimp blood song. KEEP it, Chino is cooler than Varg.

Pheromone: That went in and out of my head fast. KILL and I think Bruno Mars is cooler maybe, idk I might change that. Apparently Scott Weiland was on that song.

(5) Street Carp

Pheromone: “The song is from the lead singer’s point of view. Chino sees somebody in person that he used to associate himself with. An ex-girlfriend, or an old fling perhaps.” Chino scored so much man. Dead ex’s, old ex’s, back to school ex’s.

Windowpain11: He must be really cool to score so much.

JohnnyoftheWell: Did he keep a mean notebook? Imagine waking up at 3am to find him taking notes on you.

Pheromone: Chino and Carly are similar that way.

JohnnyoftheWell: They are growing very tall. Omg he almost gave his address. Oh, he didn’t.

Pheromone: Chino forgets his address, what are the implications of this?

Windowpain11: Man this song is awesome but the singing sucks.

JohnnyoftheWell: Another fadeout. Fucking cowards.

Pheromone: 2:42 I liked how short it was and lol it goes into soft guitar aw. KEEP. I think Chino is cooler than Mooncat.

Windowpain11: KILL and Nikki Sixx is way cooler

JohnnyoftheWell: Street Carp is short and boring but it does have a riff. Is that enough? He forgot his address. KILL it, Chino is less cool than the guy from Hum.

(6) Teenager

Pheromone: This song is called Teenager. They are self-aware.

JohnnyoftheWell: Is it about any teenager or just one teenager?

Pheromone: It’s about CHINO!!!

JohnnyoftheWell: Wow I see. He too was a teenager.

Pheromone: “This song is about how Chino fell for this girl (“I climbed your arms”), how she ignored him and didn’t return that love (“And you moved away”), and how this killed him inside.” Wow lol Chino and Carly need to collab.

Windowpain11: Woah I wonder if he scored when he was a teenager.

JohnnyoftheWell: This album speaks to so many experiences.

Pheromone: Yeah I fancied this girl once and she did not fancy me back.

Windowpain11: Dude same.

JohnnyoftheWell: Wow.

Pheromone: Can’t believe someone else experienced that woah.

Windowpain11: Girls suck

JohnnyoftheWell: This is a cute song. I like it now.

Windowpain11: This song is boring.

Pheromone: Haha the duality. The turntable scratch on this reminds me so much of 00s rock and I can’t hack it. KILL. Who do you think fared better, teens raised off Creed or teens raised off Deftones?

Windowpain11: KILL this song, even that lame dude, I think Louis Armstrong, was cooler.

JohnnyoftheWell: This album having a midway lull is an unsurprising twist because it’s very experimental and does things like that, but it’s surprisingly good and I like this more than I remembered. KEEP Teenager, Chino is cooler than Courtney Love.

(7) Knife Prty

Pheromone: Chino missing the ‘a’ is super cool. Super relevant. Super e-boy.

JohnnyoftheWell: Man of his generation. He typed like a man.

Windowpain11: Did you guys see Courtney Love totally blast that Olivia person everyone seems to be listening to these days? That was cool.

Pheromone: Oh yeah lol. She boomered the fuck out of it. It’s because she had a prom.

Windowpain11: Huh huh yeah she really is a total boomer.

Pheromone: In more than one way if you catch my drift (boom boom shotgun blast).

Windowpain11: Yeah she totally killed him dude. She should kill that Olivia girl too.

JohnnyoftheWell: Imagine being dumped in 2021 tbh.

Pheromone: Yeah imagine being dumped AFTER High School Musical. You should be at the peak of existence. I love this song it’s super Myspace. I would make this play automatically when people come onto my Piczo site.

JohnnyoftheWell: Oh wow this song goes space emo now. Forgot this.

Pheromone: Wow this background sounds like me taking a big dump. 

JohnnyoftheWell: Sing for it. It’s a lil bit SOAD maybe.

Windowpain11: KEEP this song, and Chino is way cooler than that Geddy Lee dude cos he can sing high.

Pheromone: This isn’t Chino but fucking lol at the thought of it being Chino, him in the studio reaching all these highs.

JohnnyoftheWell: Theremin voice. How do you spell theremin?

Pheromone: Pheromone.

Windowpain11: Wait what? It sounds just like him though.

Pheromone: It is Olivia Rodrigo. She is -3 [years old] it is prophetic.

JohnnyoftheWell: Problematic prophecy. Is this determinism?

Windowpain11: Dumbass she wasn’t even born when this came out.

Pheromone: “The song features vocals from female singer Rodleen Getsic.” Rodleen Gestic sounds like a fake name. Oh man that was my favourite track so far, I love angst. Strong KEEP and Chino is cooler than Elvis Presley post-obesity.

Windowpain11: Who the fuck is Elvis Presley? 

Pheromone: He’s like the American Rob Brydon.

Windowpain11: I dunno who that is either.

Pheromone: I don’t know who you are. Kill Windowpain.

JohnnyoftheWell: Knife Prty is a little silly and very angst pie and it’s definitely better than RX Queen, but it also annoys me more so I’ll KILL it for leaning too much on that diva bridge. Chino is more uncool than John fking K Samson my uncool boi poet.

(8) Korea

Pheromone: That opening riff rocked. Is this a good album period?

Windowpain11: Yeah they should play that opening for like the whole song.

Pheromone: The “Elite” method.

JohnnyoftheWell: This riff really be bitching tbh.

Pheromone: This is about strippers and drugs.

JohnnyoftheWell: It is Korea.

Windowpain11: This song is awesome.

Pheromone: Yeah this is dope.

JohnnyoftheWell: Fun facts, this is Doof’s favourite on the album.

Pheromone: It’s because Doof is a fiend for strippers and drugs. My friend once went to a strip club and tried to pay in pound coins.

JohnnyoftheWell: What happened?

Pheromone: They laughed at him. He was 18, poor boy.

JohnnyoftheWell: Wow, that’s a good stripper scream.

Pheromone: Yeah that one WAS Chino and not Olivia Rodrigo. This is probably my favourite so far. I am Doof Doof.

Windowpain11: Yeah this is the best song.

Pheromone: Wow sudden end.

Windowpain11: KEEP and Chino is probs cooler than James Hetfield.

Pheromone: Dirty grimy track KEEP and Chino is cooler.

JohnnyoftheWell: Yeah I always liked this, but it got better somehow. I am Doof as you are Doof and it’s a very easy KEEP. Epic points for ending suddenly and without a fadeout. Chino is cooler/

Pheromone: /than Wings era Paul McCartney.

JohnnyoftheWell:  /than Paul McCartney. Wtf.

Pheromone: Woah. That’s crazy.

JohnnyoftheWell: Hexed.

(9) Passenger 

Pheromone: This is the most listened to song on the album get excited.

Windowpain11: Oh man he’s trying to sing again.

Pheromone: Is this Linkin Park?

JohnnyoftheWell: This one has Tool man. He can actually sing but is more annoying.

Pheromone: Tool gives me the ick.

Windowpain11: How do you guys know all this stuff? Is there like a cheat sheet somewhere?

Pheromone: I do my research, i.e. I have one 5.0 sputnik track by track up and also Genius lyrics.

Windowpain11: Woah that’s smart.

JohnnyoftheWell: Apparently he came to visit Deftones when they were making this alb and he thought they were uninspired so he brought a load of Eastern instruments and tried to make them medijam and they weren’t vibing it but then they did this duet and laid the bedrock for Breaking Free and other duets and it was all okay.

Pheromone: I reckon Maynard went to every 00’s nu metal band with different instruments.

JohnnyoftheWell: Who got the most out of it?

Pheromone: Maybe Ill Nino. Maybe Papa Roach. He gave them a Hot Topic mag to play with.

JohnnyoftheWell: And actual roaches.

Windowpain11: Woah imagine if he brought like a tambourine to Lemmy. Also imagine if Motorhead went nu metal.

Pheromone: Lol Lemmy. Imagine the power. Imagine he gave the sitar to George Harrison. I know this song!

JohnnyoftheWell: I think Maynard in this song make the point that Chino being a better vocalist wouldn’t have made Deftones a better band. That breakdown was cool.

Deftones person (cit. Pheromone): : “Maynard was listening and he said, ‘Why put things in 4/4 when you can go ¾ or 7/8 or something like that?’ And then he just grabbed the mic and started singing, and it was like [sigh]–you know what I mean? And Chino had come back at that point, so they started trading off and doing their thing. We didn’t ever really intend to use Maynard on the new album, because every band is like, ‘Okay, here’s our token celebrity guest appearance, our celebrity crutch for the album.’”

Pheromone: This is such a funny story – Maynard just hops on their album without consent. Respect.

Windowpain11: KILL that song, it had a good bit but the rest was so boring and the singing sucked. Lemmy is cooler.

Pheromone: KEEP. Chino is cooler than 2006 hit youtube sensation Tay Zonday.

JohnnyoftheWell: Passenger can stay. Maynard’s constipvox is annoying but the song is a good song and that breakdown/bridge combo is creepy and I like it. Chino is cooler than Pete Wentz. KEEP.

(10) Change (In The House Of Flies)

Pheromone: This is ACTUALLY the most listened to song on the album. I got ahead of myself.

Windowpain11: Yeah this song is cool, he reminds me that I feel alive, cos for most of this album I have not.

Pheromone: Isn’t there a movie about this?

JohnnyoftheWell: Oh it’s the Kafka song from that movie. 

Pheromone: Metamorphariff. Ew. 

JohnnyoftheWell: Didn’t Richard Dawkins trash that the other day?

Pheromone: I don’t follow Richard Dawkins movie discourse much.

JohnnyoftheWell: It’s what he’s best at. Think he deleted the tweet, but https://www.indy100.com/news/richard-dawkins-mocked-twitter-literary-take-b1860449

Pheromone: Wow I will read that when i copy paste this entire convo.

JohnnyoftheWell: This is such a Deftones song.

Pheromone: This song is about being toxic as fuck to a girl. Another girl. Chino you sly dog. I love this little moan part, but genuinely, this song was in the soundtrack to Little Nicky? KEEP. Chino is cooler than Richard Dawkins

Windowpain11: It started out strong but never really went anywhere and now I’m bored again. Literally Elite 2. KILL was boring and the Daft Punk dudes are cooler cos their songs are more varied.

JohnnyoftheWell: As far as toxic verse chorus transformation rock music goes, that is one of the songs. KEEP for sure and Chino is cooler than Phoebe Bridgers because he retired from memeing younger.

(11) Pink Maggit

Pheromone: Okay Pink Maggit is the only song that I used to fucking adore on this album back in the day. I forgot it existed until this morning. “Chino has said that this was song was about the first day of school.” Wow what a moody boy.

JohnnyoftheWell: Yeah I like this a lot. It is so moody. That reverb is drenched in angst

Pheromone: Yeah man this reverb makes me wanna cut up pictures of the pop-ular kidz!

JohnnyoftheWell: I love that this came out of Hum’s zen space love shit when it’s underage locker room panic.

Windowpain11: I bet whale music would go really well with this song

JohnnyoftheWell: Music is transformative.

Windowpain11: Woah they actually did mix in some whales

Pheromone: Woah it’s about to do the drop

JohnnyoftheWell: Oh boi it is a drop. We are mooching.

Pheromone: Pink Maggit – Mysterious sounding, it’s a very slow song with no drums and just vocals, guitar and turntables. It’s a very mellow way to end the album and it’s a surprisingly strong track.

JohnnyoftheWell: We are sulking

Windowpain11: What? I hear drums.

JohnnyoftheWell: We are swaying with the fucking beat. Ugh this band really does have them grooves when it counts.

Pheromone: Yeah this is their best song, what does Sowing think of it?

JohnnyoftheWell: Idk, that this album is nostalgic but Ohms is better lmao. Have you heard the Squarepusher remix?

Pheromone: I have not. Is it on Black Stallion, what a fucking funny remix album name.

JohnnyoftheWell: Yeah. Stallion me silly.

Windowpain11: Woah the way he said back in school made me forget I’m not in school

Pheromone: Yeah we are all old and will never return to youth.

Windowpain11: He said it so convincingly I totally felt back in school.

Pheromone: Yeah man I was about to kick rocks in my converses and stick my tongue out at teachers.

JohnnyoftheWell: Beat me. The flow of time is distorted.

Windowpain11: Use crystal to navigate it.

Pheromone: I guess that’s why they call it window pain.

JohnnyoftheWell: The album is over but our journey is no longer going forward. It is going backwards.

Pheromone: Wow the heartbeat in the background. Are we dying? Looking back?

JohnnyoftheWell: It could be any of us.

Windowpain11: Life is over once we leave school.

Pheromone: Is that why Johnny teaches at school?

Windowpain11: We sell out and get jobs and stuff.

Pheromone: This is the essence of white pony. This is no longer strippers and drugs, it is sats and A-levels. Ok good album. KEEP Pink Maggit.

Windowpain11: KILL Pink Maggit., I fell asleep. Willy the whale is cooler.

JohnnyoftheWell: KEEP Pink Maggit, I think I was wrong about Digital Bath being the best song. Gotta be this or Korea, Chino is cooler than Billy Corgan because of course.

Closing Comments

Pheromone: Okay, White Pony now probably (maybe) one-ups Carly for the favourite album we’ve done. It’s super angsty, but at this point all four albums we’ve done are so I’m kinda vibing with it. I’m not sure how often I will ever listen to White Pony but at least now I can get the hype. White Pony is cute, I want to wear its carcass. 3.5

JohnnyoftheWell: I enjoyed that! I wasn’t blown away enough to bump it up much higher, but I think White Pony is definitely more consistent than I gave it credit for. So I was wrong and that’s quaint! Most of my KILLs are very solid KILLs though; I don’t think any of those songs have aged remotely well, but the good’uns drag their scrappy anxy angsty millennial time and place into the present and I’m glad they’re still around. Good album but not quite Carly, 3.5.

Windowpain11: That album was really lame but had some strong moments, which were mostly when each song started. After that they either played the same thing again and again or it got really boring and dumb. The singer keeps singing about chicks but he can’t even sing so I think he must be lying cos I don’t believe he’s ever scored, he’s probably just pretending. In fact I bet he got an over the pants hand job in school and never moved on which is why it sucks so much.

Final KILLstats

JohnnyoftheWell: 3/11 (27%)

Pheromone: 3/11 (27%)

Windowpain11: 7/11 (64%)

The En/

> I n c o m i n g   t r a n s m i s s i o n

Woah, hold on one second, someone’s paging us here

> D i s s e n t i n g   v o i c e  :  d e t e c t e d

That is not how this game works!

> Y O U   F O R G O T   B A C K   T O   S C H O O L !

We didn’t forget it, we omitted it!

> Y O U   W I L L  :  D I E E E E E E E E E E ??>?>”?”?>”???????////////////////////////////////

Intermission

Kompys2000: Though it’s been maligned by Deftones acolytes and even the band itself as a cheap, cash-grab radio single mandated by greedy label suits and tacked onto a re-release to sell a couple hundred thousand more copies, “Back to School (Mini Maggit)” nonetheless captured a looseness, a spontaneity and a “you can’t tell me what to do, dad” punkiness that the band never fully achieved again. Perhaps that’s for the best, given that the band members were around this time moving from young adulthood to adulthood proper, and once you’re in your 30s that posture loses a pretty substantial amount of its luster (and 27 is arguably pushing it already). 

Still, I think there really is a thrilling youthfulness to this song’s irreverent, piss-take rap rock, a sense that Chino Moreno is getting away with rhyming “sippin’ vodka” with “no one can stop us” right before he becomes too old and/or too famous to justify doing so, that makes the dumb, surface-level pleasures on offer feel truly vital and alive, if only for the four-ish minutes the track occupies. A key piece of the White Pony mythos is that it marks the moment where Deftones transcended nü-metal and became something that could endure past its turn-of-the-century pinnacle. In that context, “Back to School” serves as an explosive kiss-off to the genre, a final proof that, without even really trying, the ‘tones could pull this shit off better than Fred Durst or anyone else before they set their sights on more heady, mature sounds and styles.

KEEP (even at the expense of the original “Pink Maggit”, which is good but stylistically rehashes “Change” and drags out the album after what feels like a proper finale)

….

The End

For now.