Deftones

Chino Moreno: Voice/Guitar Abe Cunningham: Drums Chi Cheng: Bass Frank Delgado: Samples/Keys Stephen Carpenter: Strings

With a sound that steadfastly defies any and all categories, ignited by the passionate commitment of five friends who have spent a lifetime working and playing together; and international acclaim that conclusively proves their boundary-crossing appeal, Deftones have been making music history since 1988...selling over three million tickets and four million albums in the process.

That history now takes on a breathtaking new dimension with their fourth Maverick Records release, Deftones. The immediate impact of that simple and unadorned title is underscored and amplified in its eleven stunning new original tracks.

All the trademarks of the Deftones' potent and propulsive sound are here in abundance: from the fearless thrust of an audio assault that effortlessly mixes and matches a score of divergent influences, enveloping rock, soul, pure punk, metal and beyond, to seamless ensemble playing of almost telepathic tightness.

From the cryptic and cinematic Iyrics of vocalist Chino Moreno to the rolling thunder rhythm section of drummer Abe Cunningham and bassist Chi Cheng; from the rich rush of sounds sampled by turntableist/keyboardist Frank Delgado, to the volcanic power of guitarist Stephen Carpenter - there is no mistaking the Deftones.

It's a realm immeasurably enriched by everything that's gone before. From the one-two punch of Adrenaline (1995) and Around The Fur (1997) to the breakthrough success of 2000's Grammy-winning platinum-plus seller, White Ponyfeaturing the smash hit "Change (In The House Of Flies)," Deftones makes a huge leap into a vast new sonic space, fueled by nearly two years of non-stop global touring that took the band from the US to Europe, Asia, Australia, South America and back again.

"We couldn't sit still," asserts Stephen, on the genesis of Deftones. "We had built up a lot of creative steam on the road and were hitting on all cylinders. You can't just turn that off. We tried relaxing and living like regular civilians but it wasn't happening. We'd forgotten how."

"We kicked it for about three months," continues Chino, Uthen got bored. We drifted back together, started writing songs and messing around at The Spot, the rehearsal space and studio we had built for ourselves. And we could tell immediately that we were on to something."

"It just came naturally," asserts drummer Abe Cunningham. "Playing in the studio is just an extension of playing live for us. We have the same focus and energy, the same way of making it a party no matter what's going on around us. It's been three years since we put out White Pony and we were under a lot of pressure to follow it up. We just ignored all that shit. When the time was right, we all knew it."

By the summer of 2002, the time was definitely right. The band had brought their music to a whole new level thanks to a blistering touring schedule that kept them sharp, focused and formidable night after night.

"This is our life," asserts Stephen. 'We are a band. We eat, sleep and everything else you can think of together...as a band. We don't know another way." It was a common bond also forged with fans around the world. "People are the same wherever you go," says Chino.

"And music is the same in any language. I could tell you we were surprised about the way people reacted to us no matter where we played. But we weren't. It was like the same party everywhere, just different directions to get to the place."

Those directions eventually landed the band back at their home base in Sacramento.

"We planned on Iying low for six months," Chino explains. "But the music just kept pouring out. All we could do was stand back and let it happen."

"I was throwing away more licks than I was keeping," adds Stephen. "l figured there was always more where that came from. We all just tried to stay in the moment, focusing on what was in front of us and giving it everything we had."

"We had to work to stay ahead of ourselves," agrees Chino, adding that producer Terry Date had his hands full keeping control of the torrent of music the band was generating.

The result is Deftones, an album that punches through to the next dimension of the Deftones' utterly original sound. Featuring such blazing standouts as "Needles & Pirls," the dark, smoldering "Deathblow," the jagged, scrawl of "Battle-Axe" and the blistering yet unnervingly melodic first single "Minerva," Deftones takes the band off the road, right through the studio and straight into your ears.

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2003 EntertainmentMagazine.net