DeftonesFollowing up the colossally expansive White Pony is something Deftones long struggled to achieve, whether they'll admit it or not. After that quantum leap forward came two sonically boundary-pushing but largely forgettable records. Two years ago, Diamond Eyes' shoe-gazing tug-o-war between keeping listeners guessing and dangling hooks to swallow was a masterful response.
This isn't the dramatic progression White Pony was at the time, but cements the Californians' place as one of hard rock's most forward-thinking acts. Koi No Yokan (rough translation: “love at first sight”) flows effortlessly. Their knack of flitting between pensive and pummelling remains strikingly potent. As if to make its point, Swerve City pulsates with almost Meshuggah-like bludgeon, before segueing into the first of Chino Moreno's golden, soaring choruses and sophisticated, yet twisted love stories. It's satisfying upon first listen, but as per the remainder demands effort to fully absorb. Romantic Dreams' chunky riffage and deft time signature changes segue into Leathers, straddling pounding heaviness and sublime melodicism. Moreno's soaring tones and incensed screams are urgent as ever, providing a dramatic, almost cinematic quality. This is best exhibited via Entombed's glistening melodies, the ideal foil for keyboard/effects whiz Frank Delgado's greater wielding of textural and ambient authority. One of the real picks is Rosemary, its lushness wonderfully uprooted by jagged guitars. Poltergeist's blistering beauty is more immediate, while Tempest escalates the tension like an Alfred Hitchcock classic.
Tempest ominously references an “ancient arrival”, inspired by the Mayan prophecy. Should it all go up in smoke on December 21, at least fans were privy to Deftones' most well-rounded, coherent and engaging album in a decade first.
