Deftones are a band from Sacramento, CA that are making me feel old as I say they have been putting out albums since 1995's 'Adrenaline.' I have a special place in my heart for these purveyors of spacey post-metal and alternative since I was about 15 years old hearing 'White Pony' for the first time. That album opened up a whole new world of music to me, and I am proud to be a long-time fan with every album to date adorning my shelf. So given my always high expectations of these old friends, how does 'Gore' stack up?
Well here's the thing, I was blown away by 'Koi No Yokan.' I think it is their best album since the aforementioned, seminal 'White Pony,' and possibly even in the top 3 overall. The riffs and grooves were just so crushing. So coming off of that high, I must say I was a bit disappointed with 'Gore.' Deftones have never been one to stick to one sound for very long, but with the new album it is a complete 180. If they set out to make a more indie, post-rock sounding project, I think they have succeeded in that right. But as far as creating something really engaging? I'm not so sure.
It's a similar transition that Hopesfall went through on 'A Types.' Most of the heaviness and grit have been removed in favor of something that is somehow melancholy and totally chill at the same time. In essence, I think 'Gore' has more in common with Team Sleep in many ways than with Deftones. If I were to make the closest comparison with another album in their discography though, it would be the self-titled (skull and flowers) effort. It saddens me to draw that comparison, as no other LP in their career has managed to de-throne it from my "least favorite album" position...until now.
At least that album had some killer tracks that really stuck with me. I still rock out to Hexagram, all the time. But the content on 'Gore' is less memorable, and far more subdued; more like Anniversary Of An Uninteresting Event. And that's my biggest problem here I think: there are no real singles to sink one's teeth into. Even the tracks where Carpenter steps up with the crunchy grooves and distortion like on Doomed User or the title track, the end result lacks the fangs of Poltergeist or Tempest. I see now why Stephen made a few disparaging comments about the direction of the album.
But the real tragedy here is not that the album is not heavy enough. We know from experience that this band can turn a laid-back track like Teenager, Change (In the House of Flies), or Hole in the Earth into a massive success. These guys are the kings of spinning straw (or perhaps hemp) into gold. So what happened here? I'm not really sure. In the end, I still would not call 'Gore' a bad album by any means. It is still well-played, treads some newish territory, and perhaps just needs some time to grow. But right now, even after more than a dozen listens, I am still left feeling a bit cold. Let us know what you thought in the comments.
