The Listening Room

I've been doing my best to hold off but it's finally time for some nu-metal. There are few that I revisit anymore. The genre can sound very off-the-time and maybe hasn't aged well, but Deftones seem to have found a way to maintain beyond the late 90s/early 00s and continue to release legit material today. The band seems to pull from other genres, keeping their sound interesting and innovative. There's an undeniable swing that stems from Chino's delivery. Lots of anger and screaming with a hip edge that made them super unique. Pressing play!

One of those albums that consumes you. My Own Summer, Be Quiet and Drive and the Title Track are the definite high points, but the album offers so many twists and turns. We get dark and moody with Mascara and Dai the Flu. We get chugging metal with Mascara and Lotion. We get swinging storytelling with MX. There's even the hidden track at the end of the album. Honestly can't get enough of the Deftones once I start listening. Their music feels so evocative and layered. Always a great spin.

This was the first time I was exposed to Deftones. My music taste in 1997 (I would be 9 years old at this time) was probably not “good”. I listened to mostly radio hits and such, no particular genre in constant rotation. Hearing “Be Quiet and Drive” was an awakening to my musical tastes that have grown stronger as I’ve grown older.

Very true lol