Deftones is the fourth studio album by Deftones, released on May 20, 2003, by Maverick Records. The album features a broader spectrum of musical styles than the band’s previous albums, ranging from some of their heaviest compositions to moody trip hop and shoegaze influences.
It was the band’s last release to be produced by Terry Date until Ohms in 2020. 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.
In addition to trip hop influences, significant shoegaze elements have been noted on the album, especially in regards to the song “Minerva“.
Tracklist:
- Hexagram
- Needles and Pins
- Minerva
- Good Morning Beautiful
- Deathblow
- When Girls Telephone Boys
- Battle-Axe
- Lucky You (featuring Rey Osburn)
- Bloody Cape
- Anniversary of an Uninteresting Event
- Moana
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
Frank Delgado: keyboards
Abe Cunningham: drums
Production
Terry Date: production, engineering and mixing
Greg Wells: co-production and arrangement
Kinski Gallo: additional photography
Sam Hofstedt: assistant engineering
Frank Maddocks: art direction and design
James R. Minchin III: band photography
Rey Osburn: additional vocals (on “Lucky You”)
Pete Roberts: Pro Tools engineering and additional engineering
Nick Spanos: additional photography
Sean Tallman: assistant engineering
Tom Baker: mastering
