Deftones continue to evolve and grow on ‘Private Music’ – a glowing return for one of metal’s most precious and beloved bands, and a testament to their rare ability to remain timeless while always moving forward.

Stream: ‘private music’ – Deftones

Deftones have forged multiple creative arcs throughout their 30+ years together, employing nuanced musical rebirths as they grow into themselves.

There have been no Kid-A-style 180’s, no heel-turns to alienate large swathes of the fanbase, but they are now something undeniably different from their roots in early ’90s Sacramento rock clubs. Ranging across the scratchy proto-nu-metal of Adrenaline, to the cinematic, cosmic rock of Koi No Yokan, the band’s music has seen them defy easy categorisation, with many critics giving them the vague label of alternative metal – though their style is an idiosyncratic blend which tone-shifts with each project.

Released August 22nd via Reprise Records, Private Music is at the spacier end of the Deftones continuum, occupying its own niche, but sitting closest to Diamond Eyes in style. Direct and melodic, it is a change from the last two releases. Everything feels cleaner on this dulcet and bright record, which is as much to do with maturity than anything else. Chino Moreno’s voice has been remarkably well-preserved over the years, it is the accepted wisdom that he still has the pipes, and a lot of that will be down to the screaming element of his vocals being gradually eked out with each release.

Collapse in your room,
preparing your strength
The power you feel from the contact
So in love with the calm and the chaos
Closer to God, closer to space, locked in

Not that Private Music isn’t heavy – this is still the epic, soaring music the band have been putting out for decades. It has cliff-edge drops, stadium-rocking drums, and is as loud as anything else they’ve done. But there is a level of restraint. After so long in the game, Deftones are approaching their craft in a considered, sagacious way. 

“Milk of the Madonna” is instant vintage. Announcing the final act of the album, the high-energy power chords insist upon immediate attention, a sonic wall which hits all the harder after a couple of slower tracks. It’s Deftones at their simplest, with the catchiest hooks they’ve put out in a while. Moreno glides over the frantic noise, repeatedly asserting “I’m on fire” with characteristic vigour. It’s got that raw, kinetic pulse the band’s later material has liberally employed, and it will stand out on every run-through of the record.

An ode to the privilege of playing live, “Infinite Source” will light up all the Deftones receptors in your brain. That harmonic guitar intro, Abe Cunningham’s splashy ride cymbal, Moreno clutching the lyrics close to his chest, smiling into the mic, it’s all very familiar. He implores – “hold me tight” and “last time adorning the stage, our final wave and bow” – and it sounds like the band are calling it quits. But in a more literal sense, it’s about the last few minutes of the show. Every night they play one final song, so you’d better get the most out of it. That’s a running theme in Moreno’s lyrics – chasing the ethereal moment, holding it briefly, then watching it dissipate like cigarette smoke into the air. It’s all worth it for those few seconds of bliss.

Feel the waves
Crash against the concrete from below
A new wine
Intoxicates you slowly out of time

The secret to Deftones’ strength is their consistency.

Throughout the gradual evolution of their sound, through changes both mandatory and creative, they have maintained a core aural aesthetic. Straight away, you just know that it’s Deftones. Obviously Moreno’s voice is a celebrated and unique force in heavy music, but Stephen Carpenter, one of the most innovative metal guitarists to ever grace the stage, is an equally important part of the Deftones DNA.

Carpenter has given riff-laden guitar work a wide berth for the best part of 20 years, developing instead a solo-free, textural style that thickens out the sound without dominating; a facet to his ethos which many players of his generation have failed to hone. He is an expert practitioner in technical minimalism, choosing to adorn uncomplicated chord progressions with walls of feedback and a bristling pedalboard. From the militaristic march of “My Mind Is A Mountain,” to the sparse, low-revved luxuriance of “Departing the Body,” Private Music is one of Carpenter’s most triumphant moments.

In your dreams, all we see
Are the gold-drenched days laid ahead
Off we sleep, and soon, we’ll sink
In perfect pose together

“Souvenir” buries itself in inky melodies; it’s got the slower side of the band’s vibe, the one that feels like diving into a mirror-flat pool at midnight. It takes two minutes to reach the shimmering peak, with Moreno’s falsetto “We ride!” flying into the stratosphere after a tempo shift and a chorus about owning the intimacy and kinship between two soulmates. It’s breathless stuff, and just before you get too comfy, the alt metal grooves drop, and Frank Delgado’s keyboard symphony guides the song to its conclusion.

The adroit changes in approach on Private Music allow the band to explore new areas. “I Think About You All The Time” would not have existed on a Deftones record 20 years ago. It is delicate, essentially an acoustic song in the first half. And when it does inevitably burst into life, the band’s highly-attuned understanding of their craft allows them to deliver a warm and welcoming piece which would have been unthinkable in the past. This calmer side comes out much more on Private Music than any other Deftones album, bringing a natural and timely shift of creative perspective.

All of my life
We’ll never change
All of our days
Show me the way

It’s been a little while since Deftones landed a true knockout blow.

Private Music does feel more of an initial success, and is certainly much more straightforward than the wandering, experimental Ohms. Good though that last release was, it lacked the immediacy and groove-led philosophy which allowed the band to shine on their post-’00s releases. Deftones are at their best when they make room for their enormous, dynamic sound. It can be challenging at times, but always dense and enchanting. Private Music is a solid attempt to really bring that all back, and remind us why, even after 10 full length LPs, there’s still room for more diamonds in the Deftones rough.

And that’s the biggest prize for long-time fans. This album is a plateau of self-acceptance, it is the band moving onwards with no self doubt. It’s not a sea change or a revolution – It’s just the next chapter. Like every Deftones record, Private Music delves into the bared soul of its creators, and dares you to love them for all their magnificent faults. It is bittersweet and full of yearning. It aches with Moreno’s melancholic poetry, and rattles with the band’s widescreen noise.

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 © Jimmy Fontaine

private music

an album by Deftones