Around the Fur
Abe Cunningham's drums make the heaviness of Around the Fur feel unusually flexible. The snare has a sharp, immediate sound, while the groove keeps moving inside Stephen Carpenter's thick guitar figures. Deftones use that tension to create music that can be aggressive and strangely inviting at the same time.
My Own Summer (Shove It) is the clearest introduction. The opening riff has a simple, recognisable shape, but the rhythm section give it a particular physical character. Chino Moreno's quiet delivery makes the heavier vocal attacks feel more disruptive. The song understands how much force can come from leaving a gap before the next impact.
Lhabia and the title track keep the harder side active, while Mascara slows the movement into something more uneasy. Moreno sounds less interested in giving a clear explanation than in making the voice part of the atmosphere. That ambiguity is valuable because the music's emotional shifts are often more complicated than simple anger. Chi Cheng's bass adds body and movement beneath the guitars, giving the quieter passages a stronger presence.
Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away) opens the album into a much wider melodic space. Carpenter's guitar becomes a sustained texture, and Moreno's voice sounds vulnerable without losing intensity. The repeated phrases create a sense of escape, with the drums keeping the track grounded as the sound expands. Dai the Flu finds another compelling balance between a heavy rhythmic figure and a more searching vocal line.
The most confrontational passages are less distinctive when they depend mainly on shouted force. Some lyrics also feel more like fragments of attitude than fully developed expressions. The music often supplies the missing depth, especially when the band let melody and rhythm pull in different directions. Headup makes a strong late statement through its blunt group energy, including Max Cavalera's contribution. Across the record, Deftones sound most individual when the groove allows both aggression and uncertainty to remain present. That combination gives the best songs an emotional reach far beyond their immediate impact.
