Review: Deftones Breaks Their Silence with “private music”
In the years since the 2020 release of their 9th studio album Ohms, Sacramento-based alt-metal powerhouse Deftones has seen its fan base grow at an unprecedented rate.
Whether that surge is thanks to the so-called ‘Tiktok-ification’ of songs like ‘Cherry Waves’ or a broader openness to experiment with their discography is up for debate. But after five years without as much as a non-album single, and the departure of longtime touring bassist Sergio Vega, fans were left wondering what route Deftones would take next.
Questions were laid to rest in August with the arrival of private music, ending Deftones’ longest release gap between albums and marking their tenth studio album.
It’s clear this is not the same Deftones that made Adrenaline (1994). The notable lack of previously band-defining gritty growls and crushing riffs confirms their continuing musical evolution. Simultaneously, private music is not a rehashing of the cloudy and heavy-atmospheric audio palette found in Gore (2016) or the aforementioned Ohms. Instead, the band seems to have found a middle-ground for both seasoned fans and newbies.
Overall, the texture of the new record leans into the moodiness and tension that came with the long lull. Frontman Chino Moreno’s ambiguous lyricism and melodic vocal delivery follows suit, along with Stephen Carpenter’s now-signature reverb-drowned guitars & single string riffs, capped off by Abe Cunningham’s thumping percussion. A brooding yet charming approach that results in a resonance comparable to 2010s Diamond Eyes while maintaining its own character.
Without even getting into the track listing, the production on private music is phenomenal. On top of Frank Delgado’s elite sampling and keyboard performances, recording engineer Nick Raskulinecz creates a unique aural experience that sets the record apart from Deftones’ discography — a recurring theme.
Lead single ‘my mind is a mountain’ acted as the opener, and it more than prepares the listener for the remainder of the track list. While some purists could argue that it sounds like a scrapped track from previous album recording sessions, it is a solid introduction to their 10th album.
Moving down the album, the fourth track ‘infinite source’ cools the early flame set by the early cuts. Complete with harmonic, shoegaze-esque riffage over heavy percussion, it’s a good transition into the middle of the record.
Unfortunately, that’s when the sound starts to get boringly predictable.
Most notably on ‘souvenir’ and ‘cXz’ the cycle of airy vocals over atmospheric instrumentation makes the songs act more like placeholders rather than deep cuts or essential points of an album. It’s these tracks that are easy to forget once the record ends, not because of poor execution or lackluster mixing, but because its formulaic structure and rhythm caused it to start treading into background music territory.
The band is able to pull themselves out of it however, picking up the pace with the second lead single ‘milk of the madonna’ and ‘cut hands,’ with the latter arguably being the heaviest song on the record and the high point for the track list.
Retrospectively speaking, it’s easy for old-school Deftones fans to dismiss their new album completely and claim the band haven’t been the same since White Pony. The lack of breakdowns, screams and aggression on private music might make it difficult to win those guys over.
While some of the pieces definitely felt filler in a way to appeal to the TikTok crowd and radio airwaves, there are some really strong moments on this record. Regardless of whether you’re a diehard or if you’ve only heard ‘Be Quiet & Drive’, the new album is at least worth a listen.
For a band that’s been around as long as they have, Deftones’ longevity has once again been proven with their latest release. But, it was one that left a lot to be desired.
6.3/10.
