Deftones - Private Music

Marking both their tenth studio album and a cataclysmic 30 years since the release of scene-leading debut ‘Adrenaline’, ‘Private Music’ arrives as somewhat as a reinvigoration for Deftones, even for a band rarely not at the top of their game. Glastonbury cancellation aside, the lead up in the last few months has seen the outfit storm stages worldwide, building to the album’s announcement at a triumphant Crystal Palace headline show and the reveal of opener ‘my mind is a mountain’; a brisk near-three minute banger landing somewhere between the ferocity of their early material and the experimental melodies of their underrated ‘Saturday Night Wrist’. Where 2020’s ‘Ohms’ brought ‘Adrenaline’ producer Terry Date back into the fold, here they team up with Nick Raskulinecz - the man behind the expansive melody driven ‘Diamond Eyes’ and ‘Koi No Yokan’. The result is a sound that builds effortlessly on their wide ranging core principles, traversing dark claustrophobia and sprawling soundscapes, beautiful in both is composition and delivery.

‘Private Music’ leans on the softer moments to power the heavier, not least as the gentle closing of ‘Souvenir’ gives way to Chino Moreno’s distinctive screams as ‘cXz’ kicks into gear. ‘Metal Dream’ embodies the ebb and flow most, taking the frontman back to the verge of nu-metal rap with remarkable precision, far from cliche or pastiche, and paired with an ever-mesmerising chorus. Standout ‘Milk of the Madonna’ explodes with chugging guitars that pave the way for some of his most affecting vocals to date. That he reportedly took over a year to complete the lyrics and lay down his voice after the music was complete is evident - somehow playing as their most complex yet most simple to date. Few bands survive 30 years, and less with such clarity and vision. At 10 albums and three decades deep, ‘Private Music’ showcases a band both at the top of their game and with still much more to come.