Deftones: Underrated?

*one of my.., that is

I'm not a huge fan of "overrated/underrated" discussions tbh but I think Deftones are simultaneously over and underrated, just by different populations.

My metalhead breathren were wont to dismiss them as Korn clones, which even when they did play a similar style, they definitely had their own personality. And less likely to check out albums like the s/t or White Pony.

However, being someone who liked both those albums, I can say that it never really went beyond a strong "like", not a "love". I think they do what they do well, but I've never heard anything of theirs that captivated me or took me to the next level.

So I guess I'm saying they're rated about right in my eyes.

I don't really think they sound that much like Korn...more like Pantera w/ Cure influences

Not that familiar with their stuff but I really enjoy the covers on their rarities comp

yeah i can't stop listening to this new album. not sure if i love it, but theres clearly something i like about it.

so, has anyone else heard the new one?

Heard 'Back to Skooooohoool' (sic) tonight. Fuck, if that isn't the worst song of all time then christ knows what could be.

yeah but Street Carp is probably one of the best songs ever written...

Am I the only one with a soft spot for "Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away)"?

"Change (In the House of Flies)" is my favourite song from White Pony.

"back to school" is indeed bad but it was an alternate version of one of their songs which was tacked onto a "re-release" of White Pony:

"Back to School (Mini Maggit)" was released as both a single and as an EP package; the single was released shortly before the EP.

Vocalist Chino Moreno: "This album right here [the White Pony re-release] is not the album that we turned into the label. As far as we're concerned, the first edition was the record. Done. Then they talked us into re-releasing it with another song on it, and it's not like I'm against the song or whatever, but I liked the sequence we had when we first turned it in. When this version came out, a little part inside all of us felt like: 'Fuck! We just totally compromised.' And I know that a lot of our fans felt bad about it too."[1]

Am I the only one with a soft spot for "Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away)"

no way. that song is great!

that's a good one but I like My Own Summer (Shove It) a little more

i played guitar in a band in high school that covered deftones, metallica, etc... we played at our senior class party thing and opened with my own summer. i broke my low e string almost immediately :(

i've heard the new album once, not enough of an opinion to cast judgment on it yet

regarding "white pony." if i've ever needed an album to remind me of where i was musically/emotionally that year as an upstate high-schooler involved only with what was heard on FM radio, that album is it

"back to school" is indeed bad but it was an alternate version of one of their songs which was tacked onto a "re-release" of White Pony:

"Back to School (Mini Maggit)" was released as both a single and as an EP package; the single was released shortly before the EP.

Vocalist Chino Moreno: "This album right here [the White Pony re-release] is not the album that we turned into the label. As far as we're concerned, the first edition was the record. Done. Then they talked us into re-releasing it with another song on it, and it's not like I'm against the song or whatever, but I liked the sequence we had when we first turned it in. When this version came out, a little part inside all of us felt like: 'Fuck! We just totally compromised.' And I know that a lot of our fans felt bad about it too."[1]

― (latebloomer) (latebloomer)

That's such a fucking lame excuse. If they were truly awesome they wouldn't mind whatever song the label picked as a single. Stop creating music that makes you feel ashamed.

Chino's pretty good at coming across as a doofus in interviews...I also wish he wouldn't scream "Squeal like a pig!" throughout their cover of "Say It Ain't So."

eh my point was that "back to school" is a dumb song to judge the band by

"Stop creating music that makes you feel ashamed."

have you ever made music? sometimes shit doesn't turn out as great as you hoped.

also it wasn't a song originally on the album, and the label tacked it on.

don't know why i'm all cap'n save-a-tone today

So the bonus tracks include a Drive Like Jehu cover and a Japan cover. That works.

man i should have thought about only writing super genius music, too late now

http://www.dischord.com/images.d/release/image/6623/063.jpg

ILM/music critics aren't the world, but certainly in those worlds the Deftones are far from underrated. in fact, they seem to be the only nu-metal band in those worlds that gets positive mentions at all (which is interesting in itself).

since no-one gives a shit about nu-metal anymore, though, i guess in that sense they are underrated.

actually, i see that their new record is selling pretty well so i guess they aren't "underrated" as far as the general public is concerned either.

That favorite albums list on the Quietus confirms that these guys, if anything, have impeccable taste.

^^^was just coming here to post the same thing!
http://thequietus.com/articles/05329-deftones-chino-interview-favourite-records?page=1

Yeah, great list. LOVE that he has that Hum record on there.

It's the main thing that's impressed me with meeting them all several times. A lot of bands pay lip service to having interesting taste in music but Deftones really know their shit. Chino and Frank (DJ) especially. They'll talk to you about Coldcut, Three Six Mafia, Slayer and Aphex Twin.

Super nice guys as well. Awful business with what happened to Chi. He is a gent, y'know.

Someone tell me about the Too $hort and Hum records, please- worth hearing?

Sure didn't expect to see that Spain record there but that was pretty inspired. Good stuff indeed and one exception aside (go away Interpol) I'd happily give an ear to it all. Even Tortwah just because it's not Millions.

The Spain record is great isn't it. Will have to seek a copy out, not heard it in years.

this year's deftones album is very good I gotta say

i dunno, i like them alright - but this new one seemed to drag on for what seemed like forever. there's few very solid tracks - but overall i wasn't blown away.

think the last few tracks are stronger than the first few tbh - the songs are pretty short, can get thru it easily

ya - when i say dragged on i just mean it seemed that way - alot of the tracks got really same-y sounding to me. i didn't mean anything was actually long.

think this album dips a bit in the 8/9 position but then rly picks up again for the last 4 - mebbe w/o those 2 songs it'd be more palatable and wd even seem more varied - no biggie tho afaic

Never occurred to me in all these years that Deftones can be broken into Deft ones.

lol

I made myself a Deftones comp once with that name. I thought it was pretty clever at the time.

the new album is reasonably good, but the band does come dangerously close to tossing in a couple of half-baked re-recordings of songs from previous albums.

two new songs are incredible

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sPO81Fz4s2g

and "tempest," here: http://www.spin.com/articles/deftones-tempest-listen

Like both tunes. Chino's wailing quality vs the chugging guitars on "Leathers" gives me some very vague, but present, Converge vibes.

LOL there is a song on the new record called "goon squad"

koi no yokan leaked. only on the first song but so far it's AWESOME

ahhhhh this record RULES

R.I.P. Chi Cheng

dang, rip

yeah my white pony version didnt have Back to School on it. At the time I was a little upset that i bought it too early. But revisiting that song now, I wasn't missing anything lol. Sorry.

the quietus review is very "the problem with this album is i was once 17 and now i am no longer 17"

https://thequietus.com/quietus-reviews/deftones-private-music-review/

am i the only one who likes back to school? rapping aside lol

― Grebo McEntire (uptown churl), Friday, August 22, 2025 12:45 PM (three hours ago) bookmarkflaglink

Nope. It was the first Deftones song I ever heard, up late idly watching MTV one night, and I remember thinking, "hey, this is pretty good, maybe System of a Down isn't the only good nu-metal band." So you aren't alone. I think the lead vocal (rapping aside) kinda sells it - always sounded to me like some unholy offspring of Mike Muir and Bilinda Butcher or something. Good song

sometimes it feels like the world ended in the early 2010s

actually happened in the early ‘90s

agreed

anyways new one rips pretty hard. it really is loud as hell, some sort of mastering alchemy in effect. feeling locked club and ecdysis in particular.

the hum influence is obvious but after revisiting the old records, i'd argue that shudder to think is pretty key as well. it's secretly record collection rock + emo, with a metallic facade.

and while i agree with the light criticism of the quietus review, retrospection is inevitable when they've been at it for so long and are so consistent. like, i was 12 when adrenaline came out, now i'm old and blasting deftones from my subaru on my way to the dispensary. they played through a twenty year cultural cycle and it's sort of feeding back into their contemporary position. or something ...

now i'm old and blasting deftones from my subaru on my way to the dispensary

putting this on my mood board for the week.

also underrated vocal influence is bono in "hold me thrill me kiss me kill me" mode

xp lol

This release show video is really cool.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OhCWNzogEkE

Really should rename this thread “DEFTONES RULES!”

getting ready to listen to the new one. Spent some of the weekend relistening to the post WP albums and SNW might be my second favorite if it weren’t for the indefensible outro on “Pink Cellphone”.

ok, pretty sure private music is going to be my #2 now. this is precision deftones.

This is the first album by them that's really stuck with me for some reason. Definitely going to go back and try again with the earlier stuff. I was driving somewhere last week on a hot day and playing, "Souvenir" with the windows down and had the thought that this album will be remembered for being my soundtrack to late summer of '25.

saw them live a couple weeks ago and was surprised by how young the crowd was. they’re huge with gen z

There were so many teens at their Montreal show, it was mind-boggling! They brought so much energy to the show, something you don't see at other gen-z/millennial-centric concerts. It's great to see Deftones bigger than ever, they deserve that success, especially after their steady metamorphosis from 2006 to present.

The new record is one of their strongest, too. My fave since Koi No Yokan, easily.

saw them on their EU tour last night

goats