The disc blasts off with "Swerve City", a fluid, consistent rocker that sets everything in motion with frontman Chino Moreno's high energy and bombastic vocal outlook setting the stage for the rest of the album to come and all of the intricate musical twists and turns this disc is bound to make. My favorite track off the disc is "Romantic Dreams", an extremely downtempo, moody number where you can instantly detect the overall emotional output of the song and what emotions you'll be feeling as you listen to it, something that is very rare these days. "Poltergeist" picks up that intense, melodic energy that we had been anticipating since the album commenced with Chino's vocal power emanating strongly from all crevices of the song with remarkable precision. "Entombed" features a slight chord progression that decreases the amount of energy considerably from the previous song, but still has a subtle calmness to it that makes you feel at ease right away.
We venture into the second half of the disc where we stumble across "Tempest", a sprawling 6 minute jam that is a moody, transient rocker that depends on very little but Chino's quiet and calming vocal presence that allows the instruments to do all the rest and flow naturally like a waterfall. "Gauze" feeds on the energy of the guitar riffs and Chino's vocal talents to create a multi-layered track that is more concise and musically adventurous than the prior tracks are. We get ready to end it all here with "Goon Squad" an eerie, moody rocker that builds up until a barrage of guitars and Chino's powerful vocal abilities break out and ramp up the velocity factor considerably to give us a great charge as we head into the dark. "What Happened To You?" ends it all here on a varied, consistent rocker that features great guitar interludes and Chino's powerful vocal presence making sure the album ends much like the same way it began in the first place with solid and straightforward guitar riffs and a fluid, consistent approach that allows each song to be connected with one another in some way. I was impressed with Deftones when I first heard them back in 2000 after they released White Pony, and how they were able to craft songs that had a certain calmness to it, before the songs broke out in a near metal fashion with cutting edge guitar riffs and loud passionate vocals present at every turn that really speaks to mind about the sheer influence that Deftones have had on a generation of music listeners growing up in the early 2000's.
Looking back, another solid and well orchestrated effort from Deftones, who have continued to prove that they're worth every penny on a solid and straightforward collection of songs that show why they're one of the most consistent and well known groups out there in the alt-metal scene today.
Album Score: 4/5
Track Listing
- Swerve City
- Romantic Dreams
- Leathers
- Poltergeist
- Entombed
- Graphic Nature
- Tempest
- Gauze
- Rosemary
- Goon Squad
- What Happened To You?
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