The Deftones are a band that many hold in high regard, even though they spawned from the once fertile nu-metal plains alongside their then peers of Korn, Limp Bizkit and the like. Undoubtedly the main reason they attained such a lofty status is directly attributed to the fact that they always stayed true to their roots and avoided the much easier commercial routes taken by their former associates. As such, this honest approach allowed them to forge a sound all their own that has brought them success on their own terms - no matter what direction they turn in.

While their last outing "White Pony" was an ethereal journey through electronics and melody with a few massive eruptions, this latest offering instead draws parallels to 1997's "Around The Fur". Dark, brooding, claustrophobic and outright heavy in ways one would not expect; The band have successfully managed to merge their love of electronically augmented atmospheres with a style of deeply moving melodic metal that lacks nothing in the intensity department. Featuring some of their most complex and intricately layered material to date, the sound here is surprisingly fierce and will no doubt blow away many of the bands longtime fans who haven't seen this type of fury being unleashed since their formative years.

As always though, an eerily romantic feel is still present in their music. Yes it is densely heavy and almost always suffocating, but band vocalist Chino Moreno still exudes a certain soft-hearted swagger that maintains an ever looming delicate aura - even past his enraged screams. Packed with some of their heaviest riffs to date, not to mention their most stunning amalgamation of electronics and bludgeoning aggression yet; "Deftones" is quite possibly the groups most mature and well rounded release thus far. Admittedly it might be a bit too clustered and tempered for some, but it still far too much of a beautifully brutal album for any fan of modern metal to be without. Brilliance as usual.