It’s been a year since the Deftones released Diamond Eyes, their sixth studio album and there seems to be no sign that they’ve changed much. I can remember the first Deftones song I ever heard. No, it wasn’t their evergreen masterpiece My Own Summer. It was, a cover of a song by the Smiths, Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want. It was around 1998 or so, ages before Bahrain residents were being ripped off with alleged broadband internet packages like they are these days. Back then, if you were going online, everyone in the house, and possibly your neighbours, knew about it simply because of the static dial-up noise. I downloaded the track after reading about the band in several music magazines that were doing the rounds at the time. The song didn’t do it for me, and in hindsight, it’s quite obvious that it was because of something I was oblivious to. It wasn’t one of their own songs. It was a cover. In my jealous confusion, I assumed that the magazines were just contributing to the death of rock and capitalising on the ease with which music could be marketed as a product and not as art. And so the quest began. I had to find out for myself what made the Deftones worthy enough for their lead singer to collaborate with Korn (my favourite band at the time – rock music cliché 13a – if you’re an angry teenager, you will love angry music). When I finally had the chance to listen to their music at my own leisure I was just blown away. Riffage, relentless drum and bass reinforcement and vocals that could curl steel. There was also the fact that a lot of the songs sounded different, which demonstrated their potential for experimutation. They pretty much maintained their winning formula on their follow up albums and gained critical acclaim and love from their fans around the world. I’m still a Deftones fan and the band’s sixth album is one of the reasons why.
The band released the video and single Rocket Skates a month or two before the new album was due out. It was a blistering track. The opening guitar riff is pure menace. What’s that saying about getting back to basics? Whatever it is, the boys did it again. Maybe what makes these guys the band they are is the fact that they know exactly how to kick ass and they don’t hesitate to do so. That’s not to say that the album doesn’t have its softer moments. This has been another weapon in the Deftones’ arsenal, and one that’s made them appeal to both genders. Chino has stuck to his trademark vocal delivery style, complete with abstract lyrics that are a pain in the ass to decipher correctly but are deliciously somber and perilous. And then there are the hoots after he screams the guns, razors, knives lyric in the second line of each chorus. Make of those what you will, but listening to this track on repeat like a good little Deftones junkie should, assured me that something big and evil was about to surface.
In the weeks prior to the album launch, details about the album’s artwork, title and other sound bites hit the internet. These included bits from the title track and some kind of owl, who probably contributed guest vocals on Rocket Skates. Now, if you’re familiar with these guys, you know that of course they tend to experiment with sounds and melodies. They aren’t a metal band. They shouldn’t be brought to book for anything they record. It’s all good. But I had my reservations when I listened to the title track. Even to this day, its one of my least favourite tracks on this album. It doesn’t do it for me. It sounds a little too cheesy for the Deftones. It let me down. The radio-friendly chorus lyrics had me covering my gaping mouth in sheer disgust. But time was to once again prove me wrong. Weeks later, the album was out, and I bought myself the disc. I listened to it relentlessly for a week and it became the soundtrack to me eating humble pie.
Track by track:-
I. Diamond Eyes -As I mentioned earlier, the opening track isn’t my cup of tea. The guitar tone, though great, seems just a little too leashed in that particular. I’m not entirely sure what the point of this track was or why it shares the album name. The mouthwatering guitar tone is rabid, but the song took a turn that left me on the curb.
II. Royal-Who needs eardrums anyways right? This track is an absolute monster. It’s a sonic assault. Legions from hell’s maw are coming for you. Chino’s screams are course corrected by lush melodic choruses. It’s almost as if they’ve got two personas on the same mic. This is the Deftones sounding like the Deftones of yore. Razor sharp. If you love screaming, this one will have you foaming at the mouth. You’ve been warned.
III. CMND/CTRL- This track was the band’s attempt to refresh everyone’s memory as to why they’re as relevant today as they were when Around the Fur came out over a decade ago. This one’s for everyone in the moshpit. Possibly the last thing you hear before someone elbows you in the nose. Amazing. Just because they can.
IV. You’ve Seen the Butcher – Stephen ate a Meshuggah bar for breakfast the morning he went into the studio to record the guitar parts to this strong, and it’s written all over his chunky riffs. The steady, opening bars paves the way for something heavy to land. Maybe an atomic bomb. I wonder what was going through their minds when they wrote this track. This song is ideal for anyone who wants to hear how drums should be recorded for a rock record. It’s clear that Abe enjoys banging. Banging is a word that has multiple meanings, and this is a bangin jam.
V. Beauty School – I noticed at once how this had pop song written all over it. That opening drum beat made an impression on me. The impression was that, in my opinion, the deft ones were jamming one day when they had their experimental hats on. This encouraged them to record their experiment. No I’m not hating on them at all. I wasn’t even the biggest fan of their track Hole in the Earth. But any good critic knows that contrast is a great way to create a work of art that defeats time. The song starts off without aggression or ill intent. It’s very poppy, sans day of the week choruses and bubblegum hooks. The reason it does this, is to set the stage for an airy, chorus that makes you sing along. The verses have some fun guitar parts that would’ve originated from just innocent noodling. After the second chorus, it’s all suspended for a moment before a majestic bridge - the song’s crowning glory- takes listeners by the hand. Beautifully drawn out dreamy vocals once again suck you into wanting to sing along.
VI. Prince – In line with rediscovering their simplistic awesomeness the boys didn’t just decide to work like they did on their earlier albums. Soundscape engineer Frank Delgado threw in a few quirks here and there on this track that elevate this offering away from the status of just another filler track. The cricket chirps sounded a lot like they did on Beware the Water. The musicians adopted a minimalist approach on this one. Except of course for Abe with a steady beat that beginner drummers would do well to mimic. The chorus and post-chorus are reminiscent of the 90s and early 2000s Deftones. I almost thought it was time to get my school uniform on.
VII. Rocket Skates – Ferocious, savage, bloodthirsty and merciless. The track every old head will break his or her neck too.
VIII. Sextape- Like everyone else in the world who isn’t afraid to admit it, the reason we immediately expect to like this one is because it has the word sex in its title. Oddly enough, this isn’t the reason why Sextape is an amazing song. Its place on the album, immediately after Rocket Skates, puts the listener in some kind of limbo. Clean tone guitar intro, churchy vocals, a gentle, steady drumbeat, and a rich sounding mellow bassline combine. Audiophiles will take note of Stephen’s homage to U2’s the Edge in the pre-chorus guitar parts. A fact of life is that girls love bad boys. And with a bad boy being slightly vulnerable for all the world to hear, suffice to say juices will flow. Chino’s vocals could possibly put a few people in the mood without them knowing the song title. Personally, this song speaks to me like an old friend you’ve not seen in ages who stops by for a midnight liason before she leaves again.
IX. Risk- Vintage Deftones. Thus far, I haven’t underlined how much I admire Chino’s lyrics in each album. There has been much discussion and speculation that lyrics in this album emote the band’s attempts to deal with their bassist Chi Cheng still being in a coma following an automobile accident. I don’t know. I don’t think it’s as straightforward as that. Why is this song called Risk? Maybe because Chino’s being quite frank and almost scarily honest in his lyrics and taking a chance on losing face for choosing certain words. Like many, I love this song. Unlike many, I will not make love to this song.
X. 976-Evil -The low point of the album. Maybe it’s the porter scene in this play. At least that’s what I thought when I heard this for the first time. When a Deftones phile extols them to the pinnacle of greatness, you can rebuff them with this track. He will concede defeat. Not to say a track like this would feature on the soundtrack to Twilight, or Glee, or even on Top 40 radio. It doesn’t make me feel anything, that’s all. P.S was the title a deliberate attempt to make the song seem a lot more brutal than it really is?
XI. This Place is Death- I read somewhere that Chino is, or was, a Lostie. Fellow losties may recognise the line ‘this place is death’ as said by ginger stunner Rebecca Mader on one of the episodes in the show’s final season. But no, this track isn’t about the island. It does have potential to be a soundtrack to videogames about armies, war, mythology and magic. Each musician uses their instrument to create large sonic scapes, similar to the use of synths, it’s almost as if they’ve got some kind of a distorted orchestra covering backup duties. A grandiose album-ender.
I made excuses to myself as to why it took so long for me to take this album out of the CD player, but after a good number of tries, I did. An informed criminal mind will argue that reward should justify any risk. No, I wouldn’t condone stealing this CD or even stealing money to get this album. I wouldn’t hesitate to endorse this disc though. Are diamonds forever? Are they a girl’s best friend? These are answers a simple man does not know. What I do know is that this album is ageless and therefore pure quality. Their mommas would be rightfully proud.
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| Hootie offered hauntingly eerie guest vocals on Rocket Skates. |
