Deftones - Koi No Yokan

If we’re being honest, Deftones are a band who seem unable to disappoint and with their latest album ‘Koi No Yokan’, we’d expect nothing less. From the ravagingly insatiable opening riffs of ‘Swerve City’, we’re carried through a myriad of heaviness. Twisting and turning through an array of endless differing soundscapes, there’s a hypnotising quality to the guitars, whilst the pounding drums are enough to shatter our consciousness completely. The eerie introduction to ‘Leathers’ works simply to emphasise the power held by frontman Chino Moreno’s vocals as he somehow manages to make even the most fervent of screams sound absolutely sultry, before the instrumentation of ‘Poltergeist’ stands as utterly possessive.

The most remarkable quality of the band’s seventh effort though, seems to lie in the fact that they are so willing to push their own boundaries, even after twenty-something years of life as a band. Self-admittedly exploring more expansive sounds than ever before, it’s instantly evident. This is like Deftones honed and perfected, all the while discovering new territory and seizing it as their own. In fact, ‘Tempest’ proves that to a tee, as it slowly builds before delving headfirst into different sonic directions at every corner, with the the bass commanding all. swelling and rising like a tide. Thus, with ‘Koi No Yokan’ the band have not only delivered on their promises, but exceeded them so, whilst remaining one of the most engaging but remarkable heavy bands of our times.