Artist: Deftones
Album: Adrenaline
Release Date: October 3, 1995
That was: Before the word “screamo” meant anything to anyone
I’ve tried to listen to and appreciate the music of the Deftones a couple times over the last several years. They’ve been recommended to me nearly every time I mention that I like Linkin Park. But to this day I’ve never been able to get excited for Deftones. Adrenaline was just my latest attempt to see what I’ve allegedly been missing out on. Once again, I come away perplexed by how Deftones are considered as great or important as they are. Is it because they’re essentially Radiohead for metalheads (I can kind of see how that comparison can be made)? Or is it because they more or less paved the way for rap metal (which I must concede, they do by staying quite true to metal’s traditional sound)? Either way, I’m far from sold. The best word I can come up with to describe singer Chino Moreno’s voice is disengaging. Behind him there are some harsh, forceful arrangements and instrumentation, and despite the throaty screams, I don’t feel like he’s fully matching up to the pulsing energy of the band behind him. There are two different intensities going on in the band, and very rarely are they in sync with each other. When they do end up on the same page, as they do on single “7 Words” and the schizophrenic “Engine No. 9″, the results are damn near electrifying and worthy of the praise showered on the band. And to the band’s credit, I can see how these and some of the album’s lesser moments influence later nu-metal bands like Linkin Park or KoRn. But these moments don’t happen enough on the band’s debut, leaving me feeling like I just heard any one of dozens of by-the-numbers heavy metal bands. So while I appreciate the number of people suggesting the music of Deftones to me, I’m still going to respectfully declare myself “not a fan” (and for the record, I picked this up the same time I picked up White Pony, so I’ll inevitably give them one more chance to wow me).
Deftones – 7 Words [iTunes] (YSI)
==TJ==
Filed under: Album A Day | Tagged: 1990s, Album A Day, Deftones, KoRn, Linkin Park, Radiohead
paved the way for rap metal? no that would be fred durst and your very own linkin park that did that.
it takes a certain type to really appreciate Deftones. if you cant see the beauty in the two intensities (music & vocals) then i’d say your not to musical. I cant believe your just now listening to Adrenaline. How old are you? 12? Anyways Deftones is a way of life. Come on Chi pull through man!