Six Definitive Songs: The ultimate beginner’s guide to Deftones
Deftones have amassed a large following primarily because of how they spectacularly combine the genres of metal and alternative rock. Their unique blend is not quite metal enough to alienate the rock kids and not experimentally sufficient to scare the metalheads away has left the Californian outfit in the perfect position of universal adoration.
The band was formed back in 1988 by singer Chino Moreno, guitarist Stephen Cunningham, and drummer Abe Cunningham. Dominic Garcia had initially played bass but was replaced by Chi Cheng, who played in the group up until his tragic car accident in 2008.
Deftones’ debut album, Adrenaline, arrived in 1995, and the band toured the material extensively, gaining an initial following through word of mouth. By the time their sophomore effort, Around the Fur, arrived in 1997 and its follow-up White Pony in 2000, the band had begun to cement their position in the hearts of legions of fans worldwide.
The Moreno-led outfit remain one of the most interesting acts out there, even if many others have subsequently imitated them. Let’s take a closer look at some of Deftones’ best songs and the tunes that define their output.
Deftones’ six definitive songs:
‘My Own Summer (Shove It)’
Deftones’ second studio album, Around the Fur, took the metal sensibility of their debut record, Adrenaline, and began to twist it in the direction that much of their 21st Century output would take. The record’s opener ‘My Own Summer (Shove It)’ is undoubtedly one of the outfit’s most riff-orientated tunes.
The track opens with an undeniable nu-metal fill (notably that killer snare sound) and a deliciously heavy riff played in the band’s iconic Drop D flat tuning. Chino Moreno laments the inevitability of summer and how its bright skies are misaligned with his dour outlook. He longs to shove the sun aside so he can live out his days in the shadows instead.
‘Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away)’
While ‘My Own Summer’ toyed with the profound love of metal that the band evidently possessed, it was ‘Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away)’ from Around the Fur that began to cement the ideas that would be implemented on future releases, notably on 2000’s White Pony.
A standard convention of Deftones songs is to shift between two uniquely phrased chords with the root note on the A string augmented with an open E string. ‘Be Quiet and Drive’ is no different in this light, played once again in Drop D. Moreno’s vocals are in fine form here, delivered in his ubiquitous moaning drawl.
‘Back to School (Mini Maggit)’
While Around the Fur is undeniable in its excellence, its follow-up, White Pony, is Deftones’ best (and certainly most popular) studio album. The record’s opener ‘Back to School (Mini Maggit)’ takes the riffs of the band’s prior release and gives it even more of a nu-metal edge.
Evidently, Moreno and the band wanted to make things even heavier because most of White Pony is recorded in a Drop C tuning, and my word, does it hit hard. The riff in the album’s opener is gloriously heavy and compliments Moreno’s rapped reflections of being an outsider amongst the cliques of high school.
‘Knife Prty’
White Pony’s tour de force ‘Knife Prty’ follows in the same vein as ‘Be Quiet and Drive’ in the way that it expertly toys between quiet and loud thanks to the simple chord progression with the shifting augmented notes. ‘Knife Prty’ is the definitive Deftones song.
What’s most remarkable about ‘Knife Prty’ (aside from its effortlessly excellent composition) is the female screamed vocal that comes in midway through the song. It essentially creates the metal version of Pink Floyd’s ‘The Great Gig in the Sky’, perfect for a song examining a topic as horrific as romantic self-harm.
‘Hexagram’
What’s brilliant about the transition from each Deftones album is they always find a way to get heavier and heavier. By the time the band’s self-titled record arrived in 2003, they had upgraded their guitars to seven strings and recorded in a G# Standard tuning, giving more weight and nuance to the songs.
The album’s opener ‘Hexagram’ is another archetypal Deftones tune in the sense that the verse features those unique washed-out alt-rock guitars before delving into a more traditional metal chorus. Moreno’s vocals are better than ever here, particularly in the screamed sections.
‘Sextape’
It is arguably the softest and most pop-orientated track on this list, but ‘Sextape’ undoubtedly deserves its place. The clean tones come in strong with a generous helping of delay and reverb that we have come to expect from the outfit, and it is simply one of the band’s best songs.
Perhaps Moreno’s vocals are also at their softest on ‘Sextape’ but still performed with utter aplomb. The track largely eschews the metal background of the previous Deftones records and focuses on the alternative rock element that the band perfectly exemplifies. Simply beautiful.
