Deftones are the kings of rock. Why? Well, it’s simple really, they just are, OK…?

They hit the scene at a time when Metal was in disarray; not sure where it was going; and like others around them at the time, most notably Limp Bizkit and Korn. They breathed new life into a genre that was taking itself to oblivion - fast. They created classic rock club floor fillers. Songs such as 7 Words and Shove It moved the goalposts; they got all dark and moody on our ass with WHITE PONEY - much misunderstood, because they did not keep to the rules - for the Deftones there are no rules, they are quite simply the Radiohead of Metal…

This new album carries on where the PONY rode out to; its twisted melodies infest dark structured songs. Vocalist Chino screams as much as he sings but it never gets on your nerves, it feels right. First single from the album, Minerva sums up what they do; it’s exactly the same as what’s gone before while being totally different at the same time. How can that be possible? It’s not. Yet as I sit here it certainly is, juxtaposed alternative rock can and should not work, yet the Deftones flow with such ease that you question how can they be so right being so wrong?

Unlike the pretenders to their crown, they keep the listener listening; they ask more questions than they give answers. It’s a challenge to listen to an album all the way through and then not spark off a major debate as to whether it’s really any good. Track five, Deathblow, made me sit up and press repeat, because I could not understand it’s lack of direction and its total satisfaction - an enigma at work which makes you feel just, well, weird. Even when they do what they are supposed to do, as on the full frontal assault of When Girls Telephone Boys, it’s hard not to know if it’s for real, or whether it’s just there to show that they can do it all the time if they want to.

Most interesting track for me is Lucky You which is a beats-laden, sinister twist of nails; it sounds like Chino has taken a Depeche Mode demo and made it his own. If only there was more of this, but perhaps that will be saved for Team Sleep which is the side project. I would hope that the Deftones could move between the genres with ease, most of their fans are fucked-up enough to take it. I know I am. Surefire winner and already club floor-filler Bloody Cape takes the whole rock melody thing to the gate. Again it’s like a big tease - again to prove that they can do it - if they want, when they want. Piano on a Deftones, album is always a surprise and no more evident than on Anniversary Of An Uninteresting Event which is fucking depressing, yet not in a sad way, more in a ‘fuck me I’m tired of this‘ kinda way; thoughtful to the extreme. It just brings a sigh of relief and belief that being Chino can’t always be that great - rock stars hurt too… Closing the album is Moana and many could say it’s apt. It is. Yet, as always, there is a flipside. The melody is tangible while not making it melodic; the heavy guitar strides the bass and drums while never becoming metal. You see, the Deftones can be everything and nothing at the same time…

Once again they have made a stunning rock record, and have moved further away from everybody else. They’ve become what others have set out to be - ‘Untouchable In A League Of One.’ Like Metallica before them, they have spawned a generation of imitators but while they are often equalled, they are never matched. It will take one hell of a record to better this in terms of generic diversity. Yes… Mr. Manson is more fun to dance to, and Linkin Park still gets the girls, but only one band straddles the whole spectrum of rock and this is that band, ladies and gentlemen - the Deftones.

More info: www.deftones.com/www.maverick.com

Jj