Deftones | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | May 20, 2003 | |||
Recorded | March–October 2002 | |||
Studio | ||||
Genre | ||||
Length | 47:09 | |||
Label | Maverick | |||
Producer | Terry Date | |||
Deftones chronology | ||||
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Singles from Deftones | ||||
Deftones is the fourth studio album by the American alternative metal band Deftones, released on May 20, 2003, by Maverick Records. The album features a strong change in musical direction from the band's previous albums, ranging from some of their heavier compositions to moody trip hop and shoegaze influences. It was also the band's last release to be produced by Terry Date until Ohms in 2020.
Originally titled Lovers, the album was instead given an eponymous title because singer Chino Moreno considered Lovers too obvious in relation to the context of its material (the former title song "Lovers" did appear as a b-side on the UK "Hexagram" single). Terry Date was frustrated by the very slow pace of the band working in the studio.
Deftones is an eclectic album, with songs spanning many different ideas in diverse genres. It has a much different feel than prior efforts, due in small part to Frank Delgado leaving his turntables behind and instead focusing on playing keyboards and synthesizers for a majority of the songs. Most of the album's songs make extensive use of the band's low G# tuning, resulting in some of the heaviest songs in the band's catalog. On the other hand, the track "Lucky You" is a dark, soft, trip hop-influenced piece featuring DJ Crook from Moreno's side project Team Sleep and vocalist Rey Osburn of Tinfed. A grand piano and toy piano were featured in the mournful "Anniversary of an Uninteresting Event".
In addition to trip hop influences, significant shoegaze elements have been noted on the album, especially in regards to the song "Minerva". [5] [6] [7]
Deftones produced two singles, "Minerva" and "Hexagram". Music videos were shot for both singles as well as the track "Bloody Cape", which was also intended to be a single, but was released in limited editions for promotional purposes only. [8] The latter's video was only available on the band's official website for one day, but was later released on the DVD portion of the band's B-Sides & Rarities . As the lead single, "Minerva" featured a melodic, commercially viable sound and gained strong rotation on mainstream rock video programming. In contrast, the heavier, more abrasive sound of "Hexagram" landed it on metal-themed shows such as Uranium and Headbangers Ball .
"Battle-Axe" was featured in the video game Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 , while "Minerva" was featured in True Crime: Streets of LA , NHL 2004, House of Wax , and also as downloadable content for the Rock Band series.
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 74/100 [9] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Dotmusic | 8/10 [4] |
E! Online | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Entertainment Weekly | B [11] |
Pitchfork | 4.7/10 [12] |
Playlouder | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Q | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Rolling Stone | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Spin | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Deftones received an aggregate rating of 74 on Metacritic, which indicated generally positive reviews. [10] However, the album was not as well received as its predecessor White Pony, and, at the time of its release, it received some reviews ranging from marginal to negative from critics. Upon its release, Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic described the album as a disappointment compared to the rest of the band's catalogue. [1]
Q praised the album, giving it 4.5 out of 5 stars, stating, "In a genre considered creatively bankrupt, this is genuinely new metal". [10] Rolling Stone stated, "This is metal that crushes, then soothes; collapses, then soars... Deftones just blow open the possibilities". [2]
In 2016, Jonathan Dick of NPR Music retrospectively noted the album's "trip-hop nuances" and included the album as an example of Deftones' varied catalogue, stating that "Deftones' catalogue reads like a case study in how a band can translate influences into a sound that's definitively their own." [15] The track "Minerva" was placed at spot number 12 in Consequence of Sound's article "The Top 20 Deftones Song", with Jon Hadusek claiming that "[in] a way, Deftones brought shoegaze to the alternative metal mainstream with 'Minerva', a crushingly heavy, textured jam indebted to Siamese Dream -era Smashing Pumpkins and Hum [...]" Hadusek further stated that the track was "far-and-away the best track" of the self-titled album and that the track "hints at the dreamier directions" that Deftones would continue to explore. [5]
The A.V. Club gave the album a moderate score but criticized the band for returning to their heavy style, instead of the more soft and artistic style of its predecessor, White Pony . [16]
Spin also gave the album a marginal score, but complained about the album's notable darkness, saying, "On their fourth album, Deftones are sad as hell, and they're not gonna take it anymore; this is less an 11-song album than a single long-form mope". [14]
Pitchfork reacted negatively to the album, describing the album as pretentious and as a bizarre departure from their previous work, claiming "Deftones sounds more like a band in the throws of a mid-life crisis than a group of musicians that could be called the 'Radiohead of Metal'. This is music on the fence-post of popular pining and dulled experimentation, an anachronistic addition to an otherwise respectable discography, and it will be remembered as such." [17]
Playlouder gave the album a negative review, criticizing the album's droning melodic songwriting structures, proclaiming: "it's why this album almost completely fails to deliver on that promise. When Chino's not screaming, he's generally busy turning 'Deftones' into 'Tonedef', improvising a series of randomly-pitched moans which seem never to have shared so much as a rehearsal room with their generic metal backing, let alone a chord sequence." [13]
During a 2020 interview with Metal Injection, frontman Chino Moreno expressed his dissatisfaction of the album for both personal and musical reasons. [18]
Deftones debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200, behind Staind's 14 Shades of Grey , one spot higher than its predecessor. The album also debuted at No. 1 on the Canadian Albums Chart, selling 10,700 copies in its first week of release in Canada. [19] The album sold 167,000 copies in its first week of release in America, outselling the previous album. Despite the strong initial sales, it quickly became apparent that the album did not match the success of White Pony after its first month; the band's label described it as a commercial disappointment. [20] [21] The album was certified gold by the RIAA on July 7, 2003. [22] [23] To date, it was the highest-charting debut for any album by the band; [24] it would manage to sell over 492,000 copies in the U.S. by 2005. [25]
All tracks are written by Deftones except "Lucky You"; by Deftones and DJ Crook
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Hexagram" | 4:09 |
2. | "Needles and Pins" | 3:23 |
3. | "Minerva" | 4:17 |
4. | "Good Morning Beautiful" | 3:28 |
5. | "Deathblow" | 5:28 |
6. | "When Girls Telephone Boys" | 4:36 |
7. | "Battle-Axe" | 5:01 |
8. | "Lucky You" (featuring Rey Osburn) | 4:10 |
9. | "Bloody Cape" | 3:38 |
10. | "Anniversary of an Uninteresting Event" | 3:57 |
11. | "Moana" | 5:02 |
Total length: | 47:09 |
Deftones
Additional personnel
Production
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
Singles
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Canada (Music Canada) [50] | Gold | 50,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [51] | Silver | 60,000^ |
United States (RIAA) [22] | Gold | 500,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
Deftones is an American alternative metal band formed in Sacramento, California in 1988. They were formed by frontman Chino Moreno, lead guitarist Stephen Carpenter and drummer Abe Cunningham, with bassist Chi Cheng and keyboardist and turntablist Frank Delgado joining the line-up in 1990 and 1999, respectively. The band's experimental nature has led some critics to describe them as "the Radiohead of metal".
White Pony is the third studio album by the American alternative metal band Deftones, released on June 20, 2000, through Maverick Records. It was produced by Terry Date, who produced the band's first two albums, Adrenaline (1995) and Around the Fur (1997). Recording sessions took place between August and December 1999 at Larrabee Sound Studios in West Hollywood and The Plant Recording Studios in Sausalito, California.
Around the Fur is the second studio album by the American alternative metal band Deftones, released on October 28, 1997, by Maverick Records. The songs "My Own Summer " and "Be Quiet and Drive " were released as singles with accompanying music videos. The album was certified gold by the RIAA in 1999, and was later certified platinum in 2011.
Adrenaline is the debut studio album by the American alternative metal band Deftones, released on October 3, 1995, by Maverick Records. The majority of the album was produced by Terry Date, while a hidden track titled "Fist" was produced by Ross Robinson.
Team Sleep is an American experimental alternative rock/post-rock group led by singer/guitarist Chino Moreno. Moreno is better known for fronting the Sacramento-based alternative metal band Deftones. Other recent members include guitarist Todd Wilkinson, keyboardist and turntablist CrookOne, bass guitarist and keyboardist Rick Verrett, drummer Gil Sharone, and bassist Chuck Doom, with past members Zach Hill, Rob Crow, Mary Timony, and Dan Elkan contributing significantly to the band’s debut album.
Team Sleep is the only studio album by American rock band Team Sleep. It was largely produced by Greg Wells. It was released in Europe on May 9, 2005 and a day later in the United States through Maverick Records.
B-Sides & Rarities is a compilation album by alternative metal band Deftones, consisting of a CD and a DVD. The CD compiled previously released and unreleased B-sides, while the DVD featured multimedia content, including a complete videography. It was released in 2005 by Maverick Records.
"Back to School (Mini Maggit)" is a song by American alternative metal band Deftones. It is an altered version of the song "Pink Maggit" from the band's 2000 album White Pony. Shortly after the album's initial release, in a contentious move by the band's label Maverick, it was re-released with "Back to School (Mini Maggit)" added on. The song's style has been described as nu metal as well as rap rock.
Saturday Night Wrist is the fifth studio album by the American alternative metal band Deftones, released on October 31, 2006, by Maverick Records. Despite early contributions that were later scrapped, it marked the departure of Terry Date, who had produced the band's first four albums. It was also the last Deftones album with bassist Chi Cheng, as well as the last album of his career and his lifetime, prior to being involved in a serious car accident in 2008, which put him in a coma. He eventually died five years later from cardiac arrest.
"Hexagram" is a song by American alternative metal band Deftones. It was the second single released from their eponymous fourth studio album. The cover art for the single is a work titled "Bandaged Love" by artist Elliott Rae.
"Minerva" is a song by American alternative metal band Deftones. It was released in 2003 as the lead single from their self-titled fourth studio album. The song charted at No. 9 on Billboard's Alternative Songs chart, No. 16 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and No. 15 on the UK Singles Chart.
The discography of Deftones, an American alternative metal band, consists of nine studio albums, three extended plays, three compilation albums, five demo albums and 22 singles. Their back-catalogue of B-side material encompasses 52 tracks. One release is certified gold by the RIAA in recognition of shipments exceeding 500,000 copies, and three are certified platinum for exceeding one million copies. They have sold over 10 million albums worldwide.
Diamond Eyes is the sixth studio album by the American alternative metal band Deftones, released on May 4, 2010, by Reprise Records. It was the first album to feature bassist Sergio Vega, who replaced original bassist Chi Cheng. An album tentatively titled Eros was originally intended to be the band's sixth full-length release following Saturday Night Wrist (2006), but was not finished due to Cheng entering a coma after a serious car accident that occurred in November 2008, eventually resulting in his death in 2013. The band continued on with Vega as his replacement, and the release of Eros was put on hold in favor of Diamond Eyes in June 2009.
Crosses is an American musical side project of Deftones singer Chino Moreno and Far guitarist Shaun Lopez, based in Los Angeles, California, and formed in 2011.
Koi No Yokan is the seventh studio album by the American alternative metal band Deftones, released on November 12, 2012, by Reprise Records. Its title is a phrase from the Japanese language "恋の予感", translating to "premonition of love".
Palms is the first studio album by the alternative rock band Palms. It was released in 2013 in CD digipack, limited edition vinyl, limited edition cassette and digital download formats by Ipecac Records. The album was made available for streaming by Spin on June 18, 2013, one week before its release. Upon its release, Palms debuted at No. 55 on the Billboard 200 and received positive reviews. The album has been described as post-metal and alternative rock, much like singer Chino Moreno's main band, Deftones.
Crosses is the debut full-length album by the American musical group Crosses. The album was released on February 11, 2014, on Sumerian Records. The album contains remastered versions of songs from the band's previous two EPs as well as five new songs that were originally set to be released as EP 3. The album debuted at No. 26 on the Billboard 200 upon release. The album's sound reflects elements of electronic rock, nu gaze, dream pop, ambient, dark ambient, gothic rock, trip hop, dark wave, witch house and electronica.
VII: Sturm und Drang is the eighth studio album by the American heavy metal band Lamb of God. The album was released on July 24, 2015, through Epic Records in North America and through Nuclear Blast outside North America. It is the final Lamb of God album of original material to feature longtime drummer Chris Adler, who left the band in 2019.
Gore is the eighth studio album by the American alternative metal band Deftones, released on April 8, 2016, by Reprise Records. Its release was met with critical acclaim, debuting at number two on the US Billboard 200; it is the band's fifth album to debut within the chart's top-ten and is their highest-charting since their 2003 eponymous album.
Ohms is the ninth studio album by the American alternative metal band Deftones, released on September 25, 2020, through Reprise Records. The album was produced by Terry Date, making it their first collaboration since the unreleased Eros and the final with bassist Sergio Vega who departed from the band in early 2021. The album was preceded by the release of two singles: "Ohms" and "Genesis". The song "Ceremony" was later released as a single. Ohms received acclaim from critics. The opening track "Genesis" was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance and the closing track and title track Ohms was nominated for Best Rock Performance at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards.
...since even if the harder stuff is done well (again, better than their peers), it doesn't carry nearly as much promise as when Deftones don't play by the nu-metal reviews.
Still, the band's very loud 2003 self-titled follow-up still ranks among the decade's best hard-rock records...
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: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)From the trip-hop nuances of its self-titled album in 2003 to the bleak math metal tendencies of 2006's Saturday Night Wrist to the goth-rock tinged shoegaze of 2010's Diamond Eyes to the prog-rock flirting of 2012's Koi No Yokan, Deftones' catalogue reads like a case study in how a band can translate influences into a sound that's definitively their own.
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