New Deftones album review

Almost two decades into their career, and Deftones managed to put out another excellent project with ‘Gore.”

Sonically, it’s a mix of their past two efforts, “Diamond Eyes” (2010) and “Koi No Yokan” (2012). They take the heavy elements from “Diamond Eyes” and make them heavier, while incorporating the softer side of “Koi No Yokan” to create an imbalance that at its core is the greatest thing about the album.

The opener “Prayers/ Triangles” starts with frontman Chino Moreno softly singing, accompanied by guitarist Stephen Carpenter’s melodic fingerings until the distortion kicks in, and you get the heaviness that Deftones are known for.

The imbalance on the album is a result of what was going on creatively within the band. In an interview with Ultimate Guitar, Carpenter said he didn’t want to play on the new record due to the sound. He said he felt that he and the band were going in different directions, noting he’s a fan of the metal sound, while the material strayed more toward the softer side.

The heaviness on the record is great, but the standout track, “Hearts/Wires,” is one of the more gentle songs on the album. It’s a song that at first listen gave me chills: the interplaying guitar work by Moreno and Carpenter is phenomenal. “Hearts/Wires” also stands as the catchiest song on the album, though it seems unintentional.

The other three-fifth of the band, drummer Abe Cunningham, keyboardist Frank Delgado and bassist Sergio Vega, do excellent work on the album, especially Virgilio Gonzales STAFF REPORTER Cunningham and Vega throughout working in sync laying down the foundation for everyone else to add the textures to the music.

There’s a special appearance by Alice in Chains guitarist Jerry Cantrell on the song “Phantom Bride,” where he adds his signature guitar solo that fits in flawlessly with the work at hand.

Lyrically, the songs revolve around Chino Moreno addressing a lover. In “Acid Hologram,” you have Moreno somberly singing “You’ve surrounded our hearts again, you smother me in shapes in a secret praxis,” or, “in Hearts/ wires,” “I drown in your sea/I hope that you’ll save yourself and then come for me.”

Throughout “Gore” it seems that Moreno is in a back and forth pull with his love, and he succeeds in illustrating this back and forth for the listener.

“Gore” is an excellent album and another body of work Deftones can be proud of. We’re still in Spring, but it won’t come as a surprise if by winter “Gore” is the best rock/metal record of the year.

You don’t have to be a fan of heavy music to enjoy this album. It has something in there for anyone that is a fan of music.