Deftones - Diamond Eyes

It’s said that in moments of grief and anguish that bring us together more than ever. In many respects it’s true, and with Deftones it’s more than true. In November 2008 bassist Chi Cheng was involved in a horrific car accident that left him in a coma, a coma that he is still in to this day. The band was, more or less, near completion of their new record at the time entitled Eros. With the tragedy all those plans were put on hold but after some months the band reconvened to play some shows with ex-Quicksand bassist Sergio Vega filling in. Before long talk of a new album sparked up again, Eros was scrapped (for now) and they started fresh. The fruit of their labour is this: Diamond Eyes.

The record leaked online a number of weeks before its release and in a frantic decision from both band and record label; the release date was brought forward. So, the truth is that the people have had plenty of time to digest this record.

Lead single, the (even more than) mass consumed by this stage, ‘Rocket Skates’ is urgently heavy and visceral but simultaneously ambient and soothing. Similarly, Diamond Eyes’ title track, and album opener, has an otherworldly wow factor, being ominously heavy only to surge through to a beautiful, epic and textured chorus. If anything it’s emblematic of Deftones as a whole, being dizzyingly sublime in its melody but completely and inescapably sharp when it needs to be.

From the primitive Deftones dawn on Adrenaline through their mystic, ethereal edge of White Pony, Chino Moreno has always utilised his voice as the band’s fifth instrument. Here, that continues. ‘976-Evil’ harks to soaring ambient numbers from yore - most notably ‘Digital Bath’ with its heady choruses.

But tracks like ‘Royal’ and ‘CMND/CTRL’ keep the abrasive aspects of Diamond Eyes at the level it needs to be. They’ll fill rock club dance floors soon. Meanwhile, ‘Sextape’ shifts things again. Similarly the imposing and swirling melodies of ‘Beauty School’ enthral with ease.

Diamond Eyes may not deliver in every aspect that its overwhelming hype and buzz promised, but the most important thing is that is does deliver. It’s a well deserved chin up, earned from wading through times of distress and uncertainty.

8/10