Although I once played in a band myself – one that could loosely be described as rock/rap crossover – and although I generally consider myself a pretty open-minded listener, Nu Metal has always been my least favorite genre. A rock band should simply not have a DJ, if you ask me. It just shouldn’t be allowed! No offense, but: Linkin Park used to be my sworn enemies; Limp Bizkit are the absolute bottom of the barrel for me; and don’t even get me started on Korn. Deftones, who rejected the genre label early on (but clearly belonged to the same wave in the 1990s), were by far the best act amidst what was otherwise a pile of truly awful bands.
Nu Metal only partly fits this group anyway. By the time they released their brilliant third album White Pony, Deftones had already transitioned into a more “vibey” alternative rock band with a metallic edge. Normally, I don’t go for that kind of thing – too Rock am Ring for my taste – but private music, the band’s tenth album, really works for me again. Why am I able to forgive a song title like “metal dream,” especially when it features chugging guitar riffs and even hints of rap?
Because, at its core, this band still sounds more like The Smashing Pumpkins than Bring Me The Horizon. Thank god! Chino Moreno remains an outstanding, elegant vocalist; the instrumentation is dense and muscular, but also infused with a strong shoegaze component. That tension pulls the sound in multiple directions at once – it’s heavy and tender, and always original.
Technically, the band never really went away, but since Deftones are having something of a hype moment right now, private music feels like a comeback album. Their current popularity is likely tied to the fact that their signature sound is suddenly everywhere: You can hear their influence in Turnstile, in the aesthetic of many shoegaze revival acts, and even on Romance, the ultra-popular album by Fontaines D.C.. I’ve seen a ton of people wearing Deftones shirts lately. Seriously noticeable! And honestly, this band deserves it.
Still, I wouldn’t wear a Deftones shirt myself…
