It’s almost bizarre to think that for at least 30 years now, Deftones have stood as the vanguard of alternative metal. While a force in their own right during the mid-to-late 90s, their decision to boldly plant their own flag with 2000’s “White Pony” changed their trajectory forever. No doubt, abandoning nü-metal at the height of the genre’s commercial appeal was a bold gambit. And yet, it was that moment of artistic determination that laid the foundation for the astonishing success that has since followed.
It certainly hasn’t been all accolades and flowers for the band. They’ve been through the ringer, from losing their beloved bassist/vocalist Chi Cheng to a traumatic brain injury, to enduring their own battles with addiction and their well-documented internal conflicts; not to mention their struggles with mental illness, physical ailments, financial setbacks, and more. And yet despite all the hardships, the group have rarely fallen short of fan expectations. For the most part their catalog stands as a proverbial gold standard in consistency.
Perhaps that may be why that now, even as the band collectively enter their fifties, their music still resonates with younger generations. The pandemic years saw Deftones‘ profile explode on social media, with newfound viral fame on TikTok helping elevate the quintet to selling out arenas earlier this year, even in the absence of a new album or single to promote. Hell, Deftones last ‘hit’ album arrived all the way back in 2003.
The real indicator of the endearing quality of their craft and their longevity here is that it’s not even just the singles that are still connecting with the youth of today. Relatively obscure tracks from their mid-career albums have recently been awarded gold status as well.
That resurgence has been inspiring to watch. The so-called fairy tale ‘ending’ finally going to a band that deserved it. One that stuck to their guns and put in decades of hard work and are now wise and mature enough to appreciate and be thankful for every moment of this second victory lap. It’s that kind of inspiration and gratitude that is entirely prevalent on their tenth studio album “private music‘.
The conclusion of a trilogy of records the band have recorded with producer Nick Raskulinecz (he also helmed “Diamond Eyes” and “Koi No Yokan“), this sonic display arrives fully-formed. Sprawling in scope and tone, it encompasses so many of the strengths that have made the band such a remarkably singular entity among their peers over the years.
Even now, decades into their career, risks are still being taken. Take “locked club“, wherein a wholly invested Chino Moreno, now several years into his sobriety, alternates his vocal cadence between proclamatory and nomadic melodicism, letting a bullish, droning riff hammers away forge the path ahead.
“ecdysis” is an early standout, littered with digital breadcrumbs and obtuse ambience. The song starts with jittering industrial screeches and a direct showcase of new bassist Fred Sablan‘s meaty tone. However, that all gives way as an instinctively melodic chorus inserts itself, aided with light synthy new wave flourishes and whirs that are left to bloom and decay just outside of the margins.
“infinite source” packs swirling staccato harmonics and dreamy vocal harmonies. The vibe it gives off feels almost akin to the dusk-filled reflections one feels after a day lived to the fullest. There’s even a callback outro that might as well have been lifted from “Around The Fur“.
“Souvenir” builds it’s open-ended sonic walls upon clicky, understated percussion, leaving the listener a helpless victim to the trademark lunging riff that lurks throughout the track.
“i think about you all the time” fills the role of the traditional love song, spending much of its existence as a bedroom-style guitar driven ballad, it comes off as lovelorn with faint textural embellishments. Where most bands would fumble the eventual payoff, Moreno‘s soft croons, a scratchy meandering guitar riff and synthy swells lay a skeletal framework that doesn’t call in for reinforcements until nearly two minutes in when the rest of the band joins the party.
The record’s second advance single, “milk of the madonna“, easily stands with the best work the group have done to date. It almost effortlessly maintains a wiry, pulsating pace that is flush with angular post-hardcore grit and echo-laden vocal effects. It also presents one of the strongest arguments the band have ever conjured for melding new wave-influenced choral arrangements with sustained, propulsive velocity.
“cut hands” is a surprising addition to the mix, with Moreno‘s expressive delivery dripping with all the swagger of the “Adrenaline” era. While it’s perhaps the most retro sounding track on the album in a sense, it’s still littered with decades of sonic seasoning and a chorus that remains light years what the band were capable of during their salad days .
Things continue to get a bit weird from there on out. On “metal dream“, you’ll find the barely obscured underpinnings of a mid-90s era trip hop song, complete with a loop-worthy combo of blown out snare and snaky bass line. Moreno remains gruff and emphatic on that track as well — at least during the weighty verses. The wistfully melodic chorus instead finds him shifting gears, while the ever astute Abe Cunningham capitalizes with some subtle fills. It’s a rewarding listen in a sense, because even though the song’s dynamic shifts are easily telegraphed, they still hit just right.
The closing track “departing the body” is perhaps the biggest swing for the fences. Like some gutted pastiche of “Space Oddity” and Pink Floydian mind expansion, it evokes a spacey sense of isolation and longing one could imagine only an lonely astronaut could experience. That the song starts with Moreno offering up what might as well be a Leonard Cohen impression is an intriguing stylistic choice in itself. The inclusion of what appears to be simulated launch countdowns nested deep into the mix only furthers its gravitational pull into cosmic territory, while also adding weight to its breathy descent.
Perhaps the most defining factor found within this release that sets it apart from past entries in the band’s catalog is the prevalence of ambience. Likely the benefit of the decision to approach the album across multiple writing sessions, in various different locales, across many months, the sonic palette found here runs deep.
In that sense, “private music” is so accentuated by sonic manipulation that it’s almost like some fragmented synth-laden score runs throughout the entire record. The ebb and flow of this recurring digital splendor almost makes your first few headphones listens akin to experiencing the album with the auditory equivalent of HDR. A sonic onion is underselling the amount of layering invested in this album.
However, while “private music‘ is impossibly dense, it manifests itself in a fashion that is immediately familiar to fans of the band’s past works. It’s both exhilarating and adventurous. Still, the breadth of the material on display, and the vastness of aural ground the band have not only managed to cover, but stitch into a cohesive journey here, might be impenetrable to some. I know it certainly took me more than a few plays to grasp the entirety of it all.
The divergent nature of some songs may also be a bit off-putting, as you may personally find a track or two that doesn’t appeal to your preferred Deftones platter. But even so, what’s served up here as a whole certainly feels worthy of standing in the upper pantheon of the band’s largely venerated discography. With “private music“, Deftones have proven themselves worthy of the career renaissance they are currently enjoying, all while further cementing their legacy as alternative metal’s guiding star.
Theprp.com may receive a commission from items purchased through the links in the above post.
