Deftones is the fourth studio album by American alternative metal band Deftones, released on May 20, 2003, by Maverick Records. The album features a strong change in musical direction from the band's previous albums, ranging from some of their heavier compositions to moody trip hop and shoegaze influences. It was also the band's last release to be produced by Terry Date until Ohms in 2020.
Background
Originally titled Lovers, the album was instead given an eponymous title because singer Chino Moreno considered Lovers too obvious in relation to the context of its material (the former title song "Lovers" did appear as an A-side and B-side on the UK "Hexagram" single). Date was frustrated by the very slow pace of the band working in the studio.
Musical style
Deftones is an eclectic album, with songs spanning many different ideas in diverse genres. It has a much different feel than prior efforts, due in small part to Frank Delgado leaving his turntables behind and instead focusing on playing keyboards and synthesizers for a majority of the songs. Most of the album's songs make extensive use of the band's low G# tuning, resulting in some of the heaviest songs in the band's catalog. On the other hand, the track "Lucky You" is a dark, soft, trip hop-influenced piece featuring DJ Crook from Moreno's side project Team Sleep and vocalist Rey Osburn of Tinfed. A grand piano and toy piano were featured in the mournful "Anniversary of an Uninteresting Event."
In addition to trip hop influences, significant shoegaze elements have been noted on the album, especially in regards to the song "Minerva".
Promotion
Deftones produced two singles, "Minerva" and "Hexagram." Music videos were shot for both singles as well as the track "Bloody Cape", which was also intended to be a single, but was released in limited editions for promotional purposes only. The latter's video was only available on the band's official website for one day, but was later released on the DVD portion of the band's B-Sides & Rarities. As the lead single, "Minerva" featured a melodic, commercially viable sound and gained strong rotation on mainstream rock video programming. In contrast, the heavier, more abrasive sound of "Hexagram" landed it on metal-themed shows such as Uranium and Headbangers Ball.
"Battle-Axe" was featured in the video game Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2, while "Minerva" was featured in True Crime: Streets of LA, NHL 2004, House of Wax, and also as downloadable content for the Rock Band series.
Critical reception
Deftones received an aggregate rating of 74 on Metacritic, which indicated generally positive reviews. However, the album was not as well received as its predecessor White Pony, and, at the time of its release, it received some reviews ranging from marginal to negative from critics. Upon its release, Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic described the album as a disappointment compared to the rest of the band's catalogue.
Q praised the album, giving it 4.5 out of 5 stars, stating, "In a genre considered creatively bankrupt, this is genuinely new metal". Rolling Stone stated, "This is metal that crushes, then soothes; collapses, then soars... Deftones just blow open the possibilities".
In 2016, Jonathan Dick of NPR Music retrospectively noted the album's "trip-hop nuances" and included the album as an example of Deftones' varied catalogue, stating that "Deftones' catalogue reads like a case study in how a band can translate influences into a sound that's definitively their own." The track "Minerva" was placed at spot number 12 in Consequence of Sounds article "The Top 20 Deftones Song," with Jon Hadusek claiming that "[in] a way, Deftones brought shoegaze to the alternative metal mainstream with 'Minerva', a crushingly heavy, textured jam indebted to Siamese Dream-era Smashing Pumpkins and Hum [...]" Hadusek further stated that the track was "far-and-away the best track" of the self-titled album and that the track "hints at the dreamier directions" that Deftones would continue to explore.
The A.V. Club gave the album a moderate score but criticized the band for returning to their heavy style, instead of the more soft and artistic style of its predecessor, White Pony.
Spin also gave the album a marginal score, but complained about the album's notable darkness, saying, "On their fourth album, Deftones are sad as hell, and they're not gonna take it anymore; this is less an 11-song album than a single long-form mope".
