Review: Deftones – Diamond Eyes

Sergio reviews Deftones’ Diamond Eyes.

Artist Name: Deftones
Album Name: Diamond Eyes
Year: 2010
Genre: Alternative Metal

First off, the Deftones have never created one single bad album – all of them are worthy of at least 4 stars. The hype and expectation surrounding their sixth studio album has been raging on since the release of Saturday Night Wrist. Initially, Eros was scheduled to be their latest release, but after the unfortunate accident involving Chi Cheng, the boys decided to postpone the release indefinitely and record something altogether new, which accurately reflected who they are as musicians and people right now in their lives.

I don’t know if the spirit of Chi sat in the studio with them during the recording of Diamond Eyes, but something about this album is really special – almost magical. It just sits in your soul and draws you in more and more. From the texture of the songs, use of light and shade, aggressive guitar and bass lines, and the haunting whispers of Chino Moreno – Diamond Eyes is extremely powerful and opens up the kaleidoscope of your mind to the visual imagery that the Deftones create.

The eccentricity of the lyrics and unusual song structures make for a unique song listening experience. The heavier metal-laced songs, such as ‘CMND/CTRL’, are beautifully complemented by the atmospheric The Cure-inspired pieces, such as ‘Beauty School’ – once again playing off the notion of light and dark or yin and yang.

Diamond Eyes is a perfect example of oblique and intricate songwriting – the conventions are thrown out of the window, as the album takes you into a journey of true artistry and soul-searching. It is simply the musical Rembrandt of 2010.

Best Tracks: ‘Diamond Eyes’, ‘CMND/CTRL’, ‘Beauty School’ and ’Rocket Skates’

97/100

- Sergio Pereira
sergio@musicreview.co.za
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