Deftones - ‘Prayers / Triangles’
- Written by Jamie Hallaman
Deftones have become a legacy group that exist in a world of their own, unlike the rap-metal hybrid bands from the late 1990s or screamy rock bands from the early 2000s, the Sacramento quintet aren’t locked into an association with other artists or scenes, the way KoRn and The Used arguably are. They’re the perfect choice to play on virtually any “Alternative” bill in the land (Warped Tour, Ozzfest, Family Values, Reading Festival, Download Festival, Roskilde Festival, Taste of Chaos), without necessarily being the obvious choice for any of them. Deftones are the group that many in their twenties or thirties (or otherwise) stick with, regardless of changing tastes or times, because Chino and company aren’t truly beholden to any one style or moment. What they offer is spill-your-guts-out art and there’s no nostalgia sell with that.
As such, with a legacy to maintain, new Deftones material is as exciting as it is worrying. The previous two LPs (Diamond Eyes and Koi No Yokan) were stunning and more than made up for the slight two album dip in quality that followed the remarkable White Pony and part of us might prefer to see them cease to be than go one album too long and finish with a weaker record, even one as ultimately enjoyable as Saturday Night Wrist.
Gore, their 8th album, is due soon, preceded here by lead single ‘Prayers / Triangles’. This first taste of new material opens with a shriek of feedback, teasing something in the vein of ‘Elite’ before transitioning seamlessly into a composition more in line with Moreno’s extracurricular projects; Team Sleep, Palms and Crosses all come to mind as comparable to the song’s early moments, the melodious Chameleons-esque dreamy post-punk guitar lines and Chino’s sweet lilting delivery. But similarities to Chino’s side-work or not, Deftones have always been his home and all stylistic adventures sound best with Carpenter, Cunningham, etc - all the crunch and warmth that you’d expect in a Deftones single is here, with a full booming chorus and moments of controlled chaos. The two minute mark brings about something a little more familiar with a classic sounding bridge, as Chino screams “I will never walk this street again”. Which we're trying not to read into too much.
Time will tell if Gore lives up to what’s come before but ‘Prayers / Triangles’ does a lot to calm our nerves. Long live the Deftones.
’Prayers / Triangles’ is available now from iTunes and Amazon, and Gore is out on April 8th.