Deftones
Koi No Yokan

“We told motherfuckers not to lump us in with nu metal because when those bands go down we aren't going to be with them”: that’s how Chino Moreno, on the occasion of the release of “Deftones” (2003), wanted to dissociate his band from a massified and ephemeral phenomenon like nu metal. According to him, their music is not a standardized fad destined for a rapid decline.

After almost a decade, time seems to prove him right. The group had risked contradicting their frontman’s statement by hitting rock bottom with the mediocre “Saturday Night Wrist” (2006), but then they made a grand comeback with the excellent “Diamond Eyes” (2010) and now with the substantial latest work, “Koi No Yokan”, released last November, they decidedly reaffirm themselves at the top. That's what it's about: not an absolute novelty, but a welcome confirmation. Indeed, because honestly, everything contained in this disc has already been heard throughout the Deftones’ discography, from the first to the last note, from the usual somewhat helmetian rhythms (“Poltergeist”, “Goon Squad”) to the synth flavors that emerge here and there, especially in the second part. Are the Deftones repetitive? In a sense, yes, but with such style! Everything is still so enchanting, vital, beautiful. Perhaps the dynamics and structures are no longer as surprising and unpredictable as they once were, but they are still captivating and convincing. After all, is it really necessary to reinvent oneself every time, to always change and experiment, when they were at their time one of the most original and interesting groups in their genre? In truth, no, as long as one doesn’t rest on their laurels. Something that certainly the five from Sacramento haven’t done (with Sergio Vega once again, after "Diamond Eyes", in place of the poor Chi Cheng). Let’s rather say that the Deftones have remained true to themselves, offering quality music without presenting who knows what innovations.

Their brilliant state of form is immediately apparent from the beautiful opener “Swerve City”, a remarkable example of how only they know how to combine powerful modern grooves and seductive vocal melodies. Possibly not even the best song, which could be one of the extraordinary singles “Leathers”  and “Tempest”, substantial and rich in nuances, among the most elaborate pieces of the album (kind of a paradox for potential hits). Nonetheless, the restless suggestions of “Romantic Dreams” and “Graphic Nature”, the industrial ballad “Entombed”, and that powerful midtempo that is “Rosemary” deserve a mention.

It often happens that certain musicians, after reaching their creative peak, continue their career by inertia, gradually releasing increasingly negligible albums. This is not the case for Ours: just like its predecessor, this “Koi No Yokan” adds nothing to their history, yet from a purely sonic point of view, it holds up well against the past, endowed as it is with brightness and inspiration not easy to find in a band with about twenty years of career and on their seventh album. One of those records that I will listen to with pleasure even in the future and that certainly will not sadly end up gathering dust on the shelves.

Who knows, finally, what the Deftones were referring to when they chose a Japanese expression as a title meaning “premonition of love”... If they have once again predicted, without false modesty, that they would not end up forgotten, and that we fans would love them still, like before and more than before, then once again they were right. Let’s hold onto them tightly!