Deftones Weighed Down By The Heaviness of Being

Listening to The Deftones new "Koi No Yokan" sounds like the way a sore throat feels. To clarify you know how when you have a sore throat you've got this undeniably raw sensation working where to swallow is to consume the sharp feeling of a razor blade? Welcome to The Deftones world, especially this time around. To their credit they hurtle themselves through a canvas of minor chords blending spookily with major. The likes of "Romantic Dreams" is one of those rare exceptions. Here I present the image of a hot shower just completed. Steam has blanketed the bathroom. A white hot core of intensity propels this cut to the realm of that traffic accident impossible not to gawk at. Vocalist Chino Moreno gracefully comes unspooled during the opening moments of "Leathers". Here he commands all who listen to wear their insides out, to show the enemy what they look like. It excels with its primitive guitar rumbles as provided by Stephen Carpenter. Open confessional is the order of the day. Don't know if Chino ever had a thing for Buffy the Vampire Slayer a few decades ago but you can understand where I'd get the possibly absurd suggestion after delving into the lyrics of "Graphic Nature". To the female he's addressing he swears that "Your poison is glowing against the night". Not exactly love poetry, huh? If some guy told me that I'd probably slap him right then and there. The connotations are hardly encouraging. If you're into music to slay demons with this song is just the ticket. For most of the audience I imagine head scratching would be the obvious response. More tortured soul soup is ladled up in "Tempest". Accompanied by more awkward clashes between raw minor chords and lighter sonic flight patterns, Chino adds his conflicted two cents to the bash. He wishes to be taken apart from the inside. Anybody who has an upcoming date with the operating table isn't exactly going to take this slice of surreal life close to his bosom. Not that this commendably ambitious yet coked out weird doesn't have some instrumental highlights. Just pas the halfway mark of "Rosemary" Stephen plunges his guitar downwards into a below the Mason Dixon line level of dirty, bugs in the teeth, wind across the scalp brand of exhibitionism. Not long after that grunge fest is replaced by a soft, touchable acoustic sequence. "Gauze" finds Stephen and drummer Abe Cunningham setting off the sprinklers with an explosive tag team exchange. Unfortunately the trippy lyricism can't help but scare away anyone who's trying to broaden their musical horizons. Devoted Deftone folk will breathe a contented sigh of relief. Moreso if they hit the bong load before plugging in. The Deftones ought to be praised for the depth of their message. The overall sound is challenging in an engaging way. I just wouldn't expect any of the play it safe listeners to be sold so quickly.