AMS album of the Week 7

You need a good reason to pay attention to an alternative rock band releasing their 7th album. Since their magnum opus, White Pony, Deftones have become a household name in making “straight forward” rock songs something bigger. They’re heavy, catchy, and they know just how to structure a good song – often using more than one different chorus or recurring bridge to tell a far more interesting story. The vocals are versatile, jumping from distorted to dreamy as required. Koi No Yokan is Deftones giving all this another shot.

“Swerve City” opens the album, instantly proving they still know how to pull off a gritty guitar riff. However, by the verse, it’s clear that the band care about more than just guitar leads and crash cymbals, as a lush atmosphere streams in. This keeps the mix from feeling static or dull, and makes them sound much bigger than a 5 piece.

Much like Diamond Eyes, their 2010 album, there’s a ballad track. Where most alternative bands fall back to a simplistic chord sequence and uninspired lyrics to attempt the required atmosphere, Deftones seem to flow into their ballads effortlessly. “Entombed” picks up some great electronic sounds to tell a much more serene tale – so serene that you could mistake it for dream pop.

“Tempest” and “Rosemary” are both longer songs bordering 7 minutes, up from the average of 4, giving the band more range to explore a slower, more careful style. “Tempest” is probably the most straight forward song on the album and owes its length to a more subtle pace and the spacious intro. The bridge of “Rosemary” hits the ballad-like mood again before dropping the heaviest outro on the album.

I can’t find much fault with this new material (except, perhaps, the last track, which meanders a little too much for its own good), and most fans of their recent material should agree. Put simply, as alternative rock, nu-metal, or whatever you like to call this genre goes, Deftones seem to have to delivered as usual – hence, how much you’ll enjoy this is just down to how much you like their sound. In Japanese, “koi no yokan” is an expression of knowing one will come to love someone after meeting them (a subtle variation on “love at first sight”). Strong words, but if you enjoy the band, they might just apply.

Robin Thomas