The scene is the late nineties, and it is a strange time for the heavier side of music. The recent death of Kurt Cobain and the grunge era left many angst ridden youngsters out alone, without any group of bands that they could pour their hearts into. That is, until, the ever ever-so-infamous nu-metal movement appeared…
Spearheaded by bands like Korn and Deftones, it was a time when guitars were radically detuned, hip-hop beats were integrated with heavy rock, and singers were pouring there hearts out for all to see. It was too perfect for the angsty youth. Its popularity soon subsided though, with the record industry milking the market making a ridiculous amount of “trendy” bands to appear with a lot of style and no substance, leading to the genre’s demise.
One group however, that has outlived the scene that
“created” them is ‘Deftones’, a band from Sacramento, California comprising of:
Chino Moreno (Vocals)
Steph Carpenter (Guitars)
Chi Cheng (Bass)
Abe Cunningham (Drums)
With the release of their debut album adrenaline, it was made clear that the Deftones were one of the more talented bands from the nu-metal bunch, with songs such as ‘Bored’, ’Minus Blinfold’ and ‘7 words’ illustrating the quality of their songs. But there is something about the Deftones which is the reason why they are still around making incredible, progressive albums to this day. It’s difficult to put your finger on why exactly; is it Chino’s distinctive vocals and poetic lyrics that sets them apart from the rest of the pack? Or maybe its Steph’s aggressive but unique riffs that put them in a league of their own. Whatever the reason, one thing to be sure about is that Deftones are different, and their here to stay. We can see the progression clearly of Deftones music clearly in the group’s second album, ‘Around the Fur’.
Kicking off with one of the groups most well-known songs, ‘My Own Summer (Shove It)’, we immediately see what Deftones are about. Stephs beautifully heavy and unique riffage, Abes loose drums, Chi’s creeping bass and Chino’s whispered-to-screaming vocals and his anguished, poetic lyrics come to the fore, and leave you breathless.
This melodic-yet-heavy approach is continued in excellent songs such as ‘Lhabia’(My personal favourite), ‘Around the Fur’, ‘Mascara’ and ‘Dai the Flu’ as well as in possibly the ‘tones most famous song, ‘Be Quiet and Drive(Far Away)’.All these songs are simply excellent and completely distinctive from another, with Chino’s vocals drawing you in and not letting you out and Stephs brutal riffing and the brilliant rhythm section of Abe and Chi keep your attention where it should be. Awe-inspiring stuff.
But as well as the more melodic moments, ‘Around the Fur’ is full of heavy, aggressive moments as well, such as ‘Lotion’, ‘Rickets’ and live favourite ‘Headup’. These songs are all excellent again, and they wouldn’t have sounded completely out of place on ‘Adrenaline’. Once again, the lyrics are nothing short of brilliant, and these songs sure get your ‘adrenaline’ flowing… 
‘Around the Fur’ was an important album for Deftones. It was their first real showcase to the world what they were about, and it also showed the extreme potential they had to create inspirational music that would inspire. Deftones are different, but beautifully so, and if you are new to the Deftones PLEASE don’t be turned away from them due to the initial ‘scary’ screaming and aggressive riffs. Deftones are a unique bunch of people, who make unique, awe-inspiring music and that is the reason they are still around to this day continuously making incredible albums and gathering more and more supporters, and the world is much better off for it.
5 out of 5? How could it be any less?
(Ps this is my first review, so any criticism is welcome…See y’all).
