Fucking right!!! I watch that performance probably once a month. That show had the best performance of Hexagram as well. It's weird, the performances around the time of the self-titled are so varied in that they were starting to go through quite a dark time as a band and Chino was also having pretty bad problems with his voice and his throat (probably not helped by all the drinking and drug-taking) so there's some really bad performances in there and yet there's also some breathtaking stuff. You can tell just by watching live videos that everything was really intense.
It's not that surprising that they've never put out a bad record in 20+ years. Reason being that this isn't a band who take big risks and evolve radically. Their sound has stayed consistent since at least WP, with each record generally taking that core sound and applying a certain theme. There's no clear trend or evolution over time. Gore sounds as much like WP as S/T did - which is to say, a lot of similarities, but not so much that their catalog is completely repetitive. I would recommend WP or DE as an introduction to the band. For someone who has only heard WP, then definitely jump to DE. It's the most balanced and representative of their post-WP catalog, overall. From there, you can use Atlas's description to decide where to head next.
Idk how someone could put the S/T and SNW in the same conversation as Adrenaline for "weakest record." That baffles me. I think the S/T is a great album and SNW is a damn good one too thAt gets severely underrated.
I'm excited for you to go on this journey. I was gonna recommend that album too and just tell you to go forward from there, then come back around to Around The Fur.
Completely agree. Adrenaline isn't even in the same conversation as all the rest, IMO. Sounds really dated and not much like the band they became afterwards.
I can understand this as these would be the 3 at the bottom of my list, but that doesn't necessarily mean any of them are bad. Adrenaline is at the bottom for sure. The other 2 are my next least favorite of their discography, but they're still great.
That's one of the many reasons why I love this band. So hard to pick favorites and least favorites. You can say that about a lot of bands, but idk this band's die hard fans seem to have a hard time. I can't really even say either. I know WP and DE are my top 2, but which is #1? I can't just pick one damnit. This album though has been good. Up with their best? Not overall. Some tracks are up with their best but there's not really any "oh fuck" song on this like some of their others.
Lhabia, Mascara, and Dai the Flu are such amazing songs. Not to mention Be Quiet and Drive, which perfectly encapsulates the band's sound. Around the Fur rules.
S/T is still their weakest album to me. Now weakest for them is still a good album, but it just kind of bored me the most out of their discography.
I've finally come around to liking Around The Fur recently, but I still don't get all the praise it gets. I guess it's just a me thing, there's definitely nothing wrong with all the praise I see. Just makes me feel like I'm just not getting it. The atmospheric side of this band is what draws me in the most and I feel like there's still some of those nu-metal tendencies from Adrenaline on ATF as well. Obviously it all just comes down to preference. ATF certainly has a handful of bangers, but I think every following album does too.
Around the Fur is my favorite so I dunno, I like how much of an in-between it is for being super in-your-face but starting to really develop that special something for them.
A large part of it depends on when you got into them. If album X was your first exposure, that's Deftones to you. A lot of younger fans love the recent albums, compared to older fans like myself that hold the first four in such high regard.
too much hate for snw imo. that's such a huge record. besides the coda of "pink cellphone" i'd say every song really holds its own especially in the second half. "xerces," "combat," "kimdracula," man. it sounds so enormous.
SNW is incredibly underrated. Not my favorite they've done but it's right up there for 2nd. Only Mein and Pink Cellphone don't really do it.
Just got my download. It's time..... I held off and only listened to Prayers/Triangles, so this album is a surprise to me.
I've got to say, even though I've only been listening to the new album for five days, I think Rubicon is one of the best songs Deftones have ever written. I think this whole record is great and even the songs that seem weak on first listen grow on you. But Rubicon has honestly floored me. Everything about it is brilliant - the epic sounding intro, the seamless shift in tone as it goes into the tense-sounding verse. But the chorus - my goodness, I feel like I'm floating on air listening to it. I would honestly be surprised if I hear another chorus this year that I love as much as that.