Deftones (album)

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Deftones
A skull with red and blue roses in the background.
Studio album by
Deftones
ReleasedMay 20, 2003
RecordedMarch–October 2002
Studio
Genre
Length47:14
LabelMaverick
ProducerTerry Date
Deftones chronology
White Pony
(2000) 		Deftones
(2003) 		B-Sides & Rarities
(2005)
Singles from Deftones[1]
  1. "Minerva"
    Released: April 22, 2003
  2. "Hexagram"
    Released: August 26, 2003

Deftones is the fourth studio album by American alternative metal band Deftones, released on May 20, 2003, by Maverick Records. The album features a broader spectrum of musical styles than the band's previous albums, ranging from some of their heaviest compositions to moody trip hop and shoegaze influences. It was the band's final album in nearly two decades (until Ohms in 2020) to be produced by Terry Date, whose collaboration with Deftones dated back to their debut album Adrenaline (1995), although he did produce their unreleased album Eros.

Background[]

Originally titled Lovers, the album was instead given an eponymous title because singer Chino Moreno considered Lovers too obvious in relation to the context of its material (the former title song "Lovers" did appear as an A-side and B-side on the UK "Hexagram" single). Date was frustrated by the very slow pace of the band working in the studio.

Musical style[]

Deftones is an eclectic album, with songs spanning many different ideas in diverse genres. It has a much different feel than prior efforts, due in part to Frank Delgado leaving his turntables behind and instead focusing on playing keyboards and synthesizers. Most of the album's songs make extensive use of the band's low G# tuning and Moreno's high screams, resulting in some of the heaviest songs in the band's catalog. On the other hand, the track "Lucky You" is a dark, soft, trip hop-influenced piece featuring DJ Crook from Moreno's side project Team Sleep and vocalist Rey Osburn of Tinfed. A grand piano and toy piano were featured in the mournful "Anniversary of an Uninteresting Event."

In addition to trip hop influences, significant shoegaze elements have been noted on the album, especially in regards to the song "Minerva".[2][3][4]

Promotion[]

Deftones produced two singles, "Minerva" and "Hexagram." Music videos were shot for both singles as well as the track "Bloody Cape". The latter's video was only available on the band's official website for one day, but was later released on the DVD portion of the band's B-Sides & Rarities. As the lead single, "Minerva" featured a melodic, commercially viable sound and gained strong rotation on mainstream rock video programming. In contrast, the extreme heaviness of "Hexagram" landed it on shows such as Uranium and Headbangers Ball.

"Battle-Axe" was featured in the video game Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2, while "Minerva" was featured in True Crime: Streets of LA, NHL 2004, House of Wax, and also as downloadable content for the Rock Band series.

Critical reception[]

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic74/100[5]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic3/5 stars[6]
Dot Music(8/10)[7]
E! Online3.5/5 stars[8]
Entertainment WeeklyB[9]
Playlouder2.5/5 stars[10]
Q4.5/5 stars[8]
Rolling Stone4/5 stars[11]
Pitchfork(4.7/10)[12]
Spin3/5 stars[13]

Deftones was well received by critics, earning an aggregate rating of 74 on Metacritic.[8]

Q praised the album, giving it 4.5 out of 5 stars, stating, "In a genre considered creatively bankrupt, this is genuinely new metal".[8] Rolling Stone stated, "This is metal that crushes, then soothes; collapses, then soars... Deftones just blow open the possibilities".[11] Reviewers from sites such The A.V. Club and AllMusic gave the album positive scores but criticized the band for returning to their heavy style, instead of the more soft and artistic style of its predecessor, White Pony.[14][6]

Spin magazine also give it a positive score, but complained about the album's notable darkness, saying, "On their fourth album, Deftones are sad as hell, and they're not gonna take it anymore; this is less an 11-song album than a single long-form mope".[13] Playlouder's mixed review praised the band's musicianship, but criticized Moreno's high, screamed vocals.[10]

In 2016, Jonathan Dick of NPR Music retrospectively noted the album's "trip-hop nuances" and included the album as an example of Deftones' varied catalogue, stating that "Deftones' catalogue reads like a case study in how a band can translate influences into a sound that's definitively their own."[15] The track "Minerva" was placed at spot number 12 in Consequence of Sound's article "The Top 20 Deftones Song," with Jon Hadusek claiming that "[in] a way, Deftones brought shoegaze to the alternative metal mainstream with 'Minerva', a crushingly heavy, textured jam indebted to Siamese Dream-era Smashing Pumpkins and Hum [...]" Hadusek further stated that the track was "far-and-away the best track" of the self-titled album and that the track "hints at the dreamier directions" that Deftones would continue to explore.[2]

Commercial performance[]

This album sold 167,000 copies in its first week of release in America, debuting at No. 2 on the Billboard 200, making it the highest-charting album to date by the band,[16] and went on to sell over 500,000 copies in the U.S., giving it gold status. The album also debuted at No. 1 on the Canadian Albums Chart, selling 10,700 copies in its first week of release in Canada.[17]

Track listing[]

All tracks are written by Deftones except "Lucky You"; by Deftones and DJ Crook.

No.TitleLength
1."Hexagram"4:11
2."Needles and Pins"3:21
3."Minerva"4:18
4."Good Morning Beautiful"3:28
5."Deathblow"5:28
6."When Girls Telephone Boys"4:36
7."Battle-axe"5:02
8."Lucky You" (featuring Rey Osburn)4:11
9."Bloody Cape"3:37
10."Anniversary of an Uninteresting Event"3:57
11."Moana"5:04
Total length:47:09

Personnel[]

Deftones

Production

  • Terry Date – production, engineering and mixing
  • Greg Wells – co-production and arrangement
  • Kinski Gallo – additional photography
  • Sam Hofstedt – assistant engineering
  • Frank Maddocks – art direction and design
  • James R. Minchin III – band photography
  • Rey Osburn – additional vocals (on "Lucky You")
  • Pete Roberts – Pro Tools engineering and additional engineering
  • Nick Spanos – additional photography
  • Sean Tallman – assistant engineering
  • Tom Baker – mastering

Charts[]

Certifications[]

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[41] Gold 50,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[42] Silver 60,000^
United States (RIAA)[43] Gold 500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References[]

  1. ^ "FMQB Airplay Archive: Modern Rock". Friday Morning Quarterback Album Report, Incorporated. Archived from the original on March 22, 2013. Retrieved October 30, 2016.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b "The Top 20 Deftones Songs". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved April 16, 2016.
  3. ^ Unterberger, Andrew. "The SPIN Interview: Deftones". SPIN. Retrieved April 4, 2016.
  4. ^ Gormely, Ian. "Deftones: Beauty and Brutality". Exclaim!. Retrieved April 29, 2016.
  5. ^ "Deftones - Deftones Warner Brothers / Maverick Summary". Retrieved September 8, 2012.
  6. ^ Jump up to: a b https://www.allmusic.com/album/r641315
  7. ^ "Deftones Reviews". June 3, 2012. Archived from the original on June 3, 2003. Retrieved September 8, 2012.
  8. ^ Jump up to: a b c d "Deftones by Deftones".
  9. ^ "Deftones". ew.com. 23 May 2003. Retrieved June 7, 2017.
  10. ^ Jump up to: a b "PLAYLOUDER - review - Deftones". archive.org. June 24, 2003. Archived from the original on June 24, 2003. Retrieved June 7, 2017.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  11. ^ Jump up to: a b "Deftones Album Reviews". Archived from the original on February 12, 2007. Retrieved September 8, 2012.
  12. ^ Bryant, Andrew. "Deftones: Deftones Review". Pitchfork. Pitchfork.com. Retrieved June 21, 2015.
  13. ^ Jump up to: a b "Deftones, 'Deftones' (Maverick) - SPIN". June 15, 2003.
  14. ^ "Deftones: Deftones". June 3, 2003.
  15. ^ Dick, Jonathan. "Deftones' Chino Moreno on Surviving, Evolving And 'Gore'". npr.org. NPR. Retrieved June 3, 2016. From the trip-hop nuances of its self-titled album in 2003 to the bleak math metal tendencies of 2006's Saturday Night Wrist to the goth-rock tinged shoegaze of 2010's Diamond Eyes to the prog-rock flirting of 2012's Koi No Yokan, Deftones' catalogue reads like a case study in how a band can translate influences into a sound that's definitively their own.
  16. ^ https://www.billboard.com/music/deftones/chart-history/
  17. ^ "Deftones, Staind shake up charts". Archived from the original on November 13, 2004. Retrieved April 26, 2020.
  18. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Deftones – Deftones". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
  19. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Deftones – Deftones" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
  20. ^ "Ultratop.be – Deftones – Deftones" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
  21. ^ "Ultratop.be – Deftones – Deftones" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
  22. ^ "Deftones Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
  23. ^ "Danishcharts.dk – Deftones – Deftones". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
  24. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Deftones – Deftones" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
  25. ^ "Deftones: Deftones" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
  26. ^ "Lescharts.com – Deftones – Deftones". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
  27. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Deftones – Deftones" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
  28. ^ "Irish-charts.com – Discography Deftones". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
  29. ^ "Italiancharts.com – Deftones – Deftones". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
  30. ^ "Charts.nz – Deftones – Deftones". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
  31. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Deftones – Deftones". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
  32. ^ "Portuguesecharts.com – Deftones – Deftones". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
  33. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Deftones – Deftones". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
  34. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Deftones – Deftones". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
  35. ^ "Deftones | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
  36. ^ "Deftones Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
  37. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2003". Billboard. Retrieved July 15, 2021.
  38. ^ "Deftones Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
  39. ^ "Deftones Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
  40. ^ "Deftones | Charts | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved May 27, 2021. Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)
  41. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Deftones – Deftones". Music Canada. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
  42. ^ "British album certifications – Deftones – Deftones". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved January 18, 2021.Select albums in the Format field. Select Silver in the Certification field. Type Deftones in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  43. ^ "American album certifications – Deftones – Deftones". Recording Industry Association of America.
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