After being signed to Maverick Recordings nearly on the spot, the Deftones released their debut album Adrenaline in October of 1995. I was a very casual fan of some of their singles since the White Pony era, but about one year ago, I started to really get into Deftones. Adrenaline was actually the last album I gave a listen to out of their four released, but I regret it, because it is currently my favorite. On to the review of this great disc:
1. Bored: What a way to start off a CD. It introduces the quiet verse, hard chorus theme used throughout the album in an awesome way. The climactic "get bored!" and then the chorus riff gets me every time. Nothing too complicated, just a very well done song for the genre of this album, which I guess would be rap metal.
2. Minus Blindfold: A change from the first track. An almost haunting opening guitar line gives way to a heavy riff, and then it's quiet again as Chino slow raps the verse. The chorus, in my opinion, is actually a weaker part of the song, but it's still a great way to complete this solid track.
3. One Weak: This track opens with a bass line that sets the mood for the song perfectly. It never gets very heavy, but the slow tempo is a change of pace for most of the other songs on the album. Not a favorite of mine, but a good song to relax to.
4. Nosebleed: Blowing away the mood of the last two slower songs, this one opens with one of the catchiest guitar riffs I've ever heard. Harsh palm muting and harmonics for the verse as Chino growls and screams perfectly. The bridge kicks in with an awesome bass line, and repeatedly stops and starts the song until it finally breaks into Chino screaming in his signature way. Great song.
5. Lifter: I didn't initially like this song, but after a bunch of listens, it's actually very catchy. A quiet verse that leads to a great display of Chino's singing ability in the chorus. It picks up a lot towards the end, and is becoming a favorite of mine.
6. Root: The best guitar line to open a song I've heard from the Deftones leads to a brutal riff, and then it goes quiet for the verse as Chino whimpers the lyrics. The guitar lines are just addictive, and Abe throws it down on the drums most noticeably in this one. The ending is a little strange, with Chino yelling tribally, but it rounds off this excellent song pretty well.
7. 7 Words: The stand out song on this album. A simple but effective guitar riff gets joined by the best bass line on the album, with Chino slow rapping some very angry lyrics. Then it happens, all chaos breaks out to a brutal chorus of "Suck! Suck! Suck!" repeated eleven times. The bridge is amazing, with a great guitar riff behind the fast rapping skills of Chino Moreno. You'll listen to this song many, many times.
8. Birthmark: The most emotional song on the album. The chorus riff is very catchy, and sets the downcast mood to the song. The chorus shows off Chino's singing voice once again, and is just very powerful. The end of the song is probably the best part, and makes this a favorite of mine.
9. Engine No. 9: Wow, this song is just plain wicked. A lightning fast guitar shreds behind Chino's lightning fast rapping for most of the song. This one does not relent for a second until the bridge, but that's very short lived, as two awesome guitar riffs kick in one after the other. Probably the perfect rep metal song, it's that dope.
10. Fireal: The only song on this album that I don't enjoy all that much. Very quiet through a lot of the song, with random screaming kicking in through the verses. A pretty long track, and not all that memorable or catchy to me.
11. Fist: The hidden song on the album. It's pretty emotional, and a beautiful song for its short length. The lyrics are hard to make out, but sang very sweetly by Chino.
Favorites: Nosebleed, 7 Words, Engine No. 9, Lifter
Basically every song on here is constantly on my play list, and it's so hard to pick favorites. I (obviously) recommend this CD very highly to any fan of metal, or even rap. A couple of things bring it down to a 4 out of 5, but seriously, this is a masterpiece of rap metal amazingness. Check out any Deftones album you can get your hands on, especially Adrenaline.
