For Deftones' 5th full length album, they sure have evolved some since their debut 'Adrenaline'. This album touches on many styles and experiments openly at points, all the while maintaining the bands signature moody yet razor sharp sound. I was somewhat divided on this album, firstly you should know that i love it, like, REALLY love it. But at the same time there is still a part of me that knows it can be better, but we'll come to that. Firstly, its certainly a very different record to that of the last self titled outing. "Deftones" was heavy, seriously heavy, and didn't care much for making easy listening, and then going from that to SNW is where the beauty of this band comes in. It all depends on just what kind of Deftones fan you are, many prefer the old school sound, all screaming hooks and chunky metal riffs, others like the alternative and more complex ambient sounds of 'White Pony', and the truth is theres a little something for everyone here. The heaviest points don't come… more »

For Deftones' 5th full length album, they sure have evolved some since their debut 'Adrenaline'. This album touches on many styles and experiments openly at points, all the while maintaining the bands signature moody yet razor sharp sound. I was somewhat divided on this album, firstly you should know that i love it, like, REALLY love it. But at the same time there is still a part of me that knows it can be better, but we'll come to that. Firstly, its certainly a very different record to that of the last self titled outing. "Deftones" was heavy, seriously heavy, and didn't care much for making easy listening, and then going from that to SNW is where the beauty of this band comes in. It all depends on just what kind of Deftones fan you are, many prefer the old school sound, all screaming hooks and chunky metal riffs, others like the alternative and more complex ambient sounds of 'White Pony', and the truth is theres a little something for everyone here. The heaviest points don't come close to anything on their previous work, songs like 'Rats,Rats,Rats' are undoubtedly heavy, and 'Combat' is a great headbanger. But again this is where some of the niggles come in. Its impossible not to notice that Moreno's voice is changing, not necessarily a bad thing, but you just can't imagine that he's capable of turning out anything close to say, 'Hexagram' from the last record. And it shows. Where he may struggle to hit a certain scream, he'll shout, and while it remains his unique and much loved vocal style, you can't help but miss the ear shredding cries of old. However like i said, this isn't necessarily a bad thing, and look no further for examples of this than 'Cherry Waves', a lazy, euphoria laden example of why nobody does the 'ambient thing' like this band. The rest of the guys have their moments to shine too, the drums on Beware are just excellent, while Carpenters riffs are tight as ever, having said that, Frank Delgado, the perhaps lesser known member, really pulls through with some great sounds and texture work, building a doom laden atmospheric feeling throughout, and if this is indicative of things to come, then expect a great deal more from him in future.
In short, this IS a good album. However, they have made no secret of the fact that they came very close to calling it a day during its recording, citing Moreno's growing distance from the rest of them while concentrating on his Team Sleep project, as well as numerous issues within the camp such as divorce and money troubles, all adding to the tensions. Its been reported that a lot of them recorded their parts in seperate studios, and it was just mixed together afterwards, and at times, it shows. You can't help but think that if they'd spent that little bit longer on the record, and really had their hearts in it, then this could have been a contender for the strongest work in their growing catalogue. However, some of the highlights hint at excellence at points. 'Hole In The Earth' being a fantastic example of radio friendly mood rock, showing that these boys can literally try their hand at anything if they want to.
If you want a life changing album, then buy 'White Pony', if you want to have your ears yanked off by chains, then listen to 'Deftones' or 'Around The Fur', if your somehwhere inbetween, this will be perfect for you.
2008 will see the release of 'Eros' and if SNW is a hint of things to come, then we could hear the best they have to offer yet.