Deftones (album)

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Deftones
Deftones-selftitled albumcover.jpg
Studio album by
Deftones
ReleasedMay 20, 2003 (2003-05-20)
RecordedMarch–October 2002
Studio
Genre
Length47:09
Label Maverick
Producer Terry Date
Deftones chronology
White Pony
(2000)		Deftones
(2003)		 B-Sides & Rarities
(2005)
Singles from Deftones
  1. "Minerva"
    Released: April 22, 2003
  2. "Hexagram"
    Released: August 26, 2003

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.

Contents

Background

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.

Musical style

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]

Promotion

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.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic 74/100 [9]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [1]
Dotmusic 8/10 [4]
E! Online Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [10]
Entertainment Weekly B [11]
Pitchfork 4.7/10 [12]
Playlouder Star full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [13]
Q Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [10]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [2]
Spin Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [14]

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]

Commercial performance

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]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Deftones except "Lucky You"; by Deftones and DJ Crook

No.TitleLength
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

Personnel

Deftones

Additional personnel

Production

Charts

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada) [50] Gold50,000^
United Kingdom (BPI) [51] Silver60,000^
United States (RIAA) [22] Gold500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deftones</span> American alternative metal band

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".

<i>White Pony</i> 2000 studio album by Deftones

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.

<i>Around the Fur</i> 1997 studio album by Deftones

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.

<i>Adrenaline</i> (album) 1995 studio album by Deftones

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Team Sleep</span> American rock band

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.

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<i>B-Sides & Rarities</i> (Deftones album) 2005 compilation album by Deftones

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Back to School (Mini Maggit)</span> 2001 single by Deftones

"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.

<i>Saturday Night Wrist</i> 2006 studio album by Deftones

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hexagram (song)</span> 2003 single by Deftones

"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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Minerva (song)</span> 2003 single by Deftones

"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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deftones discography</span>

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<i>Diamond Eyes</i> 2010 studio album by Deftones

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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.

<i>Koi No Yokan</i> 2012 album by Deftones

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".

<i>Palms</i> (Palms album) 2013 studio album by Palms

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<i>Crosses</i> (Crosses album) 2014 studio album by Crosses

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<i>Gore</i> (Deftones album) 2016 studio album by Deftones

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.

<i>Ohms</i> (album) 2020 studio album by Deftones

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.

References

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