The Deftones Say Very Murky Prayers

It's a lucky thing I thought to bring up a lyric sheet for me to refer to because otherwise I honestly couldn't tell you what I make of "Prayers/Triangles", the new single from Sacramento's pride and joy...The Deftones. Stephen Carpenter's lead guitar playing blurs the whole situation because its fuzziness crowds out what lead vocalist Chino Moreno's trying to convey. Again, thank you lyric sheet because I wouldn't know what Chino's telling me. Even the video does not appear grounded in logic. Lots of flapping flamingos, a release date, and "Gore", the title of album connected to upcoming release date. The band's grit hasn't deserted them, a nice plus for the band, now a 28 year veteran outfit. To tell you the truth the overall mood closely resembles something The Cure would have put out in their salad days. Mope guitar, sparing drum beats, and vocals that submerge into the gloom. Avert your gaze from "There's a new strange godless demon awake, inside me." Makes you think Ghostbusters, huh? But wait, it gets better. Are you comforted by "There's a force divine terrorizing the angels I keep while we dream." And up comes the goose flesh. By the time the chorus saunters in it gets difficult to hear the band's intentions. In short the chorus consists of "Prayers! Lay on the line. You'll never be free." Not that conviction never takes the stage because it most definitely does. What The Deftones lack in clarity of lyric they make up for in amplification. Chino has this way of getting under your skin from a sonic perspective. His angst becomes our angst. Sad to say said conflicted attitude doesn't translate well into a convincing rock song. There's a lot of flailing about in the water bur not much to justify listener loyalty. If they're trying to make a bold artistic statement I'm at a loss as to what that might be. Confusing audiences appears to be what The Deftones excel at "My Own Summer (Shove It) blended the same mix of psycho slasher voice with rough edged guitar playing that you wouldn't want haunting you in some dark alley. If Chino wants to free himself from a dark mood then more power to him but in the immediate short term belting out the equivalent of a sonic diary wouldn't be an astute selling point, at least not for a band springing to mainstream lips much of the time. When the choral refrain hits, brain blur begins. It's certainly the case some bands don't make a life's work out of coveting mainstream doubloons so The Deftones can give themselves a pat on the back for preserving their artistic integrity. Some toil in the shadows graciously so others may grasp the spotlight. The Deftones usually can be relied on to march to their own drummer. Does Robert Smith know they've swiped his goth sensibilities? About the best thing I can say about "Prayers/Triangles" is Abe Cunningham's drum playing maintains its focus throughout whether he's conserving his energy or going for the throat. "Prayers/Triangles" streaks across the sky much like the flamingos in the video. Divine guidance might have helped this little number get imaginations excited. As it stands no bag of rosary beads will elevate it to dizzying creative heights.