With over 10 years since their first release, the northern California rockers, Deftones, have returned to where they started; (perhaps not so) ironically, by doing nothing the same. Continuing to turn over the countless failed nu-metal projects in their graves, Deftones once again tiptoe the fine line between dementia and brilliance with their new album""Saturday Night Wrist.
If there is one thing you can expect from the Deftones, it is to expect nothing. Lead singer Chino Moreno is not one to revel in rock's tried-and-true, which the track names alone prove. A vast artistic landscape exists between songs like the ear-splitting Rats!Rats!Rats!"" and the ambient, beat-heavy ""Pink Cellphone."" Moreno, whose writing style has always emphasized lyrics over hooks, accesses all levels of amplitude, turning barely audible whispers into full-frontal screams in a bi-polar instant. ""Beware""""a truly chilling standout on the album""juxtaposes his various vocal forms in astonishing fashion.
The other nine tracks on Saturday Night Wrist prove equally incoherent, providing no discernable theme at any point throughout the album. But this lack of direction results from an eclectic, deeply layered musical form in which each member of the five-piece band has their time to shine.
Moreno""who is easily the most recognizable member""has a small role in a few of the tracks, including the sample-laden ""Pink Cellphone"" (which features Giant Drag vocalist, Annie Hardy) and completely steps aside for jam instrumental ""U,U,D,D,L,R,L,R,A,B,SELECT,START"" (presumably a reference to Konami videogame code).
However, the album's first single and opening track, ""Hole in the Earth,"" is noticeably lighter and less inspiring than their previous hits, including ""My Own Summer (Shove It),"" ""Change (In the House of Flies)"" and ""Minerva."" Although the album may therefore receive significantly less radio play, the Deftones refuse to constrain themselves to a mainstream mindset.
Furthermore, what the single lacks in instrumental power, it more than makes up for in lyrical potency: ""I'm out / I hate all of my friends / They all lack taste sometimes / There's a hole in the earth / I'm out.""
Much of the style change and experimental emphasis on Saturday Night Wrist might be somewhat attributable to the switch from longtime producer Terry Date to Bob Ezrin, who produced Pink Floyd's The Wall. But the distortion never drifts too far away, and with the help of tracks like ""Mein""""featuring System of a Down vocalist Serj Tankian""the album retains a provocative edge throughout.
If you want to see the Deftones' schizophrenic live show, make sure to catch them at the Rave in Milwaukee, Tuesday December 12th.
