The Deftones Haunt Quite Convincingly During "Phantom Bride"

Alice In Chains ax man Jerry Cantrell gets star billing for "Phantom Bride" the current single from The Deftones new album "Gore". What phenomenal fret work he does throughout this composition. Gave me chills just taking the necessary step back to fully appreciate the damage he'd inflicted on our tender ears. Don't make any mistake..."Phantom Bride" isn't for the faint of heart. Whatever agony there is to slog through, vocalist Chino Moreno makes sure we're plenty muddy. Not that we're not also bloodstained from the deep subject matter in the lyrics. But, let me remind you this isn't The Jerry and Chino Show. We've got a four alarm team effort going on and that's how "Phantom Bride" comes up big in the spooky spectacle department. If at least one listener isn't compelled to faint from too much stimulation, then said person has me beat where machismo goes. So...very...deliberate are the musicians. The pacing squeezes out pathos point after pathos point and never once apologizes for the uneasiness incurred along the way. This song manages to stay alluring and tuneful though. It's not one of those crash and shock experiences. I'd say "Phantom Bride" trickles into the empty spaces of your bones and has its way with them. Bassist Sergio Vega kills here. He rises under your back and dares you to draw even so much as a tiny breath. Abe Cunningham does enough drum work to remind you he showed up for the recording sessions but, simultaneously, he backs away from monopolizing the affair. I made reference to the blood left behind thanks to the lyrics. Time to prove my point. Chino spends much air space discussing how idling away your life in a dark void, life draining away isn't exactly good for one's overall health long term. The culprit making such a void look sexy is simple. Not feeling the tougher emotions does have its seductive hold to apply around the necks of the unsuspecting. Who wants sadness clouding up his fun time when euphoria, self-medicated or otherwise, would be infinitely preferable. The crowning touch comes at the tail end when guitar work employing the force of a Sherman tank punches up the intensity level. The Deftones already gave you the audio equivalent to cyanide candy, To top that off they bring back guitar and all its big gun explosiveness. To say that I was not exactly expecting this grand finale qualifies as the understatement of the blogging month. Sometimes surprises are pretty nifty. Jerry's attention to massive butt kicking fills that bill beautifully. What bravado. What potent chemical reactions. You're glad "Phantom Bride" stops short of the five minute mark. Much more of Chino's minefield of moping and you'd need either that best friend you could call in the middle of the night or a suicide prevention hotline. This go round The Deftones have hit bedrock, the lowest layer firmament of what their respective instruments can do. As an added plus, "Phantom Bride" blesses us richly thanks to multi-hued composition intelligence. Bluntly put, this candy comes in multiple flavors of heart-rending palate challenging. For my money "Phantom Bride" should not be left stranded at the altar. Kiss and make waves certainly beats kiss and make up.