Deftones

The multiracial, multicultural, multimusical Deftones have the strange distinction of being perhaps the least critically maligned band associated with new metal. Maybe that's because their breakthrough, White Pony, showed signs that they were as familiar with the Cure's Disintegration and things that girls might like as with downtuned bass, chunk style riffs, and screaming about their various aches and pains. Or maybe it's because the songs are built around singer Cheno Moreno's voice in ways other "heavy music" acts are not. Whatever it is, Deftones' Adrenaline is one thud after another, but even on the monochromatic debut, you can tell there's a depth of focus lurking just out of reach. Moreno has a charisma lacking in other new metal frontmen; you get the sense he would have beer with you without trying to talk to you about serial killers.

Around the Fur focuses their sound into overt aggression. This is pure rock fury, the sound of guys who are smarter than you give them credit for, trying to prove to themselves that they're as tough (and horny) as everyone thinks. Songs like "Be Quiet And Drive (Far Away)" wants to fuck the pain away, but there's never any satiation, never any true release.White Pony strikes a remarkable balance between the raw and the cooked, between beat science and rock dynamics, between metal overkill and quieter moments, between mecha and orga. The pure bulldozer metal on "Elite" gives way to atmospheric, percussive near-balladry on "RX Queen." "Teenager" is as close to warm as new metal gets, while "Korea" shows just how well bassist Chi Cheng and guitarist Stephen Carpenter lock up when called upon to throw down. Through it all, DJ Frank Delgado never lets the beats pull focus away from the songs, providing color without the "hey, we have a DJ!" antics that plague their peers. Perhaps most impressively, Moreno gets off on lyrical nuance and his voice actually signifies passion, instead of the atonal warble that most new metal thinks means they mean it, man. A great leap forward and one of the few new metal albums that wholly justifies the genre.

After three years, Deftones sounds born-again hard even while incorporating White Pony's generic expansiveness. Moreno tears his voice to shreds on songs like "Hexagram," while Carpenter's riffs have gotten more compact and focused, and Delgado's scratching has become more musical. "Lucky You" floats into the sunset, while the epic shimmer of "Minerva" is their loveliest moment. Apparently, the Deftones hear things in new metal that most bands wouldn't dare acknowledge. (JOE GROSS)

From 2004's The New Rolling Stone Album Guide