Deftones - Deftones (Full Album)

Deftones is the fourth studio album by the 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 a 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".[5][6][7]

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.[8] 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.

Track listing

All tracks are written by Deftones except "Lucky You"; by Deftones and DJ Crook

No. Title Length
1. "Hexagram" 4:09
2. "Needles and Pins" 3:23
3. "Minerva" 4:17
4. "Good Morning Beautiful" 3:28
5. "Deathblow" 5:28
6. "When Girls Telephone Boys" 4:36
7. "Battle-Axe" 5:01
8. "Lucky You" (featuring Rey Osburn) 4:10
9. "Bloody Cape" 3:38
10. "Anniversary of an Uninteresting Event" 3:57
11. "Moana" 5:02
Total length: 47:09
Personnel
Deftones

Chino Moreno – lead vocals, rhythm guitar
Stephen Carpenter – lead guitar, drums on "Anniversary of an Uninteresting Event", bass on “Needles and Pins”
Chi Cheng – bass, backing vocals, co-lead vocals on "Needles and Pins"
Frank Delgado – keyboards
Abe Cunningham – drums
Additional personnel

Rey Osburn – additional vocals on "Lucky You"
Production

Terry Date – production, engineering, mixing
Greg Wells – co-production, arrangements
Sam Hofstedt – assistant engineering
Sean Tallman – assistant engineering
Pete Roberts – Pro Tools engineering, additional engineering
Tom Baker – mastering
Frank Maddocks – art direction, design
James R. Minchin III – band photography
Kinski Gallo – additional photography
Nick Spanos – additional photography