I know it’s completely subjective, but you know how everyone has their top favorite band(s) of all time? I’ve got three; Nine Inch Nails, Tool and Deftones. While I’ll attempt to include nearly all musical genres on this page for the edification of my dear listener, my personal favorite kind is experimental metal, and the Deftones are a specifically great exemplar of what happens when you keep experimenting and create a catalog that is truly exceptional over nearly three decades. Now, most people (here in America anyways), have at least heard of this band, so I won’t bog this post down with an excessive group history although I know almost everything about them being one of their insane fanboys. I discovered this band nearly twenty-five years ago as a moody, heartbroken teen just getting over my first foolish time in love. I needed an alternative outlet for my dejected attitude, but something less fatalistic than tunes by NIN. Deftones was an up-and-comer in the late 1990’s and provided a sound that was occasionally somber and occasionally angry, and it came with lyrics that literally meant nothing to me to the point where I could just project whatever I imagined I was feeling unto the tune in question. Their lead singer, Chino Moreno, over the decades became my single favorite male lead vocalist, having an ASTOUNDING dramatic tenor range capable of reaching notes that sound almost alien or superhuman, especially live in concert. I have seen these gentlemen play live… I don’t even know how many times, and they sound even better when they’re in front of you. Melodic, hypnotic and with a catalog range that goes from hard to soft and vice versa, this group very early-on earned their way into my heart and stand like a monolith proudly atop my personal favorite musical performers of all time. This sound, Rocket Skates from 2010’s Diamond Eyes took a few YEARS to grow on me. But the song and the band have kept me coming back for nearly three decades and I’m always waiting with bated breath for another album! Smash play and listen to a group that started small and humble but became LEGENDS because of their ability to adapt their sound numerous times to the epoch of modern times.
