Earlier this week, a substantial leak of previously unreleased Deftones material hit the internet. This batch of unfinished demo recordings included the band’s long-shelved and uncompleted final studio album “Eros“, as well as the demo recordings of their ninth studio album “Ohms“, along with some additional b-side recordings.
“Eros” had taken on near mythical status over the years, being the band’s last album with their late bassist/vocalist Chi Cheng. It was ultimately shelved in the wake of the serious 2008 car accident that would leave him comatose and ultimately claim his life. Since then, fans have pined for its release, even though the band themselves had pushed back against the idea, citing too much time having passed and the obvious emotional bagged associated with that time of their lives.
While Deftones have yet to address the matter publicly, it would appear their camp was quick to act in getting copies of the unauthorized material pulled from the internet this week. Appearing yesterday, June 24th, on ‘The Dr. Greenthumb‘ show, the band’s guitarist Stephen Carpenter was asked if it was true that “Eros” had leaked and been subsequently ‘scraped from the internet’.
Carpenter responded [transcribed by theprp.com]:
“I don’t know if it’s been scraped from the internet or not, and I don’t know to what extent it’s leaked, but every record of ours since ‘White Pony” has leaked. It happens.”
After the show’s host, Cypress Hill vocalist B-Real explained the long history of record leaks in the industry, and how someone usually employed at the label or the recording studio are generally responsible, Carpenter offered:
“Yeah, [the leaker is] somewhere in the chain. But I mean the reality is now people have the internet available and you can share stuff instantly. So once it gets on the web, yeah, it’s gone.”
When it was pointed out that songs meant for “Eros” had newly shown up on YouTube, Carpenter went on to reply, “They’ve been on YouTube though for a long time, that’s how I listen to them.”
Some early material from “Eros” had circulated on YouTube and among fans of the band. Back in 2014, the band’s vocalist/guitarist Chino Moreno posted the “Eros” track “Smile” on the first anniversary of Cheng‘s death. Their label would ultimately pull it however.
Another demo recording from the record had also circulated about. However, this week’s leak appeared to be far more substantial, featuring 11 unfinished tracks that were laid down for that unreleased album, as well as the early demo recordings of “Ohms” and two apparently unreleased b-side tracks.
