After the lineup settled in 1993, Deftones secured a recording contract withMaverick Records, and subsequently released their debut albumAdrenaline in 1995. Extensive touring andword-of-mouth promotion of the album helped Deftones garner a dedicated fan base. Their second album,Around the Fur (1997), was certifiedplatinum in the US. The band found further success with their third albumWhite Pony (2000), which marked a transition from their earlier, more aggressive sound into a more experimental direction; its track "Elite" won theGrammy Award for Best Metal Performance. Theirself-titled fourth album was released in 2003 and debuted at number 2 on the USBillboard 200. Deftones' fifth studio album,Saturday Night Wrist (2006) was marred by creative tensions and personal issues within the band, some of which influenced its material.
In 2008, while Deftones were working on an album tentatively titledEros, Cheng was involved in a traffic collision. As a result, he was left in aminimally conscious state until his death in 2013 ofcardiac arrest. After Cheng's accident, Deftones halted production onEros and recruitedQuicksand bassistSergio Vega until his departure in early 2021.[a] The band returned withDiamond Eyes in 2010, and their next three albums,Koi No Yokan (2012),Gore (2016) andOhms (2020), all received widespread critical acclaim. In 2025, Deftones released their tenth studio album,Private Music, which became the band's most acclaimed album of their career, also charting in a career-high 26 countries.
WhenStephen Carpenter was 15 years old, he was hit by a car whileskateboarding. Confined to a wheelchair for several months, he began teaching himself to play guitar by playing along to songs bythrash metal bands such asAnthrax,Stormtroopers of Death, andMetallica.[3] A long-circulated myth alleged that the driver paid Carpenter a cash settlement that allowed the band to purchase equipment,[3][4][5] butAbe Cunningham commented in a 2007 interview that the story about the settlement was false.[6]
Carpenter, Moreno and Cunningham began playing together while attending C. K. McClatchy High School in Sacramento.
Carpenter, Cunningham andChino Moreno were childhood friends. All three went toC. K. McClatchy High School in Sacramento and remained friends through the city's skateboarding scene.[3] Carpenter was a fan ofheavy metal, and Moreno was interested inhardcore punk bands such asBad Brains andpost-punk andnew wave bands such asDepeche Mode andthe Cure.[7] When Moreno found out that Carpenter played guitar, he set up ajam session with Cunningham, who played drums, and the three began playing regularly in Carpenter's garage around 1988.[3] They recruited bassist Dominic Garcia some time after, and the band became a four-piece.[8] When Cunningham left Deftones to joinPhallucy, another band from Sacramento, Garcia switched to drums.[8][9]Chi Cheng joined to play bass, and the band recorded a four-track demo soon afterwards.[3] John Taylor replaced Garcia on drums in 1991, until Cunningham's return in 1993.[8] Within two years, the band began playing club shows and later expanded their gigging territory to San Francisco and Los Angeles, where they played shows alongside bands such asKorn.[5][10] While closing for another band in L.A., after the majority of the audience had left, the band impressed aMaverick Records representative. They were signed to the label after performing three of their songs forFreddy DeMann andGuy Oseary.[5][10]
Carpenter created the band's name by combining thehip hop slang term "def" with the suffix "-tones".[11] The name is also a pun on the term "tone deaf."[7]
The band's debut album,Adrenaline, was recorded atBad Animals Studio inSeattle, Washington and released on October 3, 1995. It was produced by Deftones andTerry Date, who would go on to produce the band's next three albums. While they were initially commercially unsuccessful, the band built a dedicated fan base through extensive touring, word-of-mouth and Internet promotion. Through their efforts,Adrenaline went on to sell over 220,000 copies.[4] It is regarded as an important part of the 1990snu metal movement.[12][13][14] An early track which predatedAdrenaline but did not make the album's final cut was "Teething"; the band contributed the song tothe soundtrack for the 1996 filmThe Crow: City of Angels. The band can also be seen performing the song live during The Day of The Dead festival scene as themselves.[15]
The album spent 21 weeks on theBillboard Heatseekers chart, reaching a peak position of 23.[16] When asked what he attributed the album's success to, Cheng responded, "One word: perseverance. We've been together for almost eight years, on the road for two, and we do it with honesty and integrity—and the kids can tell".[17] The album was certified gold by theRIAA on July 7, 1999, and was certified platinum on September 23, 2008.[18]
Regarding the recording of the album, Cunningham said, "At the time we did the first record—which I really like and think is good—you can tell the band was really young. We'd been playing most of those songs for quite a while, and we were just so happy to be making a record that we didn't really think a whole lot about making the songs better".[19] Moreno felt thatAdrenaline was recorded "really fast"[20] and performed all his vocals live with the band in the room using a hand-heldShure SM58 microphone.[21]AllMusic's review ofAdrenaline praised the album's musical control, precision, overall groove and Cunningham's "surprisingly sophisticated drumming". It was also noted that "there is a bit of sameness in Chino Moreno's whispered vocal melodies, which drags the record down a bit".[22]
Deftones' second album,Around the Fur, was recorded at Studio Litho inSeattle, Washington, and produced by Date. Released on October 28, 1997, the album was dedicated to Dana Wells, the late stepson of the singerMax Cavalera ofSepultura,Soulfly andCavalera Conspiracy. Cavalera also collaborated on "Headup", a tribute to Wells.[23] Although not yet a member of the band, Delgado was credited as "audio" on five of the album's tracks. Cunningham's wife, Annalynn, provided guest vocals on "MX".[24]
In a 1998 interview withChart magazine, Moreno stated, "When we went in to make this record, we really didn't have a set idea of what we wanted to come out with". He felt that the album "fell into place" once the band settled into the studio.[20] The band expanded its sound, spending more time with Date and giving more thought to the album's production. Cunningham varied his drum sound and experimented by using different types ofsnare drum on almost every track.[19] The album was praised for its loud-softdynamics, the flow of the tracks, Moreno's unusual vocals, and a strong rhythm-section performance by Cheng and Cunningham.[20][25][26]Stephen Thomas Erlewine's retrospective review noted that "while they don't have catchy riffs or a fully developed sound,Around the Fur suggests they're about to come into their own."[27]
Around the Fur propelled the band to fame in the alternative metal scene on the strength of radio and MTV airplay for the singles "My Own Summer (Shove It)" and "Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away)".[4]Around the Fur sold 43,000 copies in its first week of release, and entered theBillboard 200 at No. 29 (its peak position), remaining on the charts for 17 weeks.[26][28] The band went back to touring, making appearances at theWarped Tour (in the United States, New Zealand and Australia),Pinkpop Festival,Roskilde Festival andOzzfest as well as releasinga live EP on June 22, 1999.Around the Fur went on to reach RIAA gold status on June 24, 1999, and platinum status on June 7, 2011.[18] "My Own Summer (Shove It)" appeared onThe Matrix: Music from the Motion Picture, released March 30, 1999.[29]
Moreno has been credited as contributing guitar fromWhite Pony onwards.
On June 20, 2000, the band released their third album,White Pony, yet again produced by themselves and Date. It was recorded at theRecord Plant studio inSausalito, California, and at Larrabee Sound Studios,West Hollywood.[30] Delgado, now a full-time band member, added new elements to the band's music. The melancholy "Teenager", for example, was a departure in style and mood, a "love song", according to Moreno.[31] Programming duties were carried out by DJ Crook, a friend of Moreno (and bandmate in his side projectTeam Sleep). "Passenger" was a collaboration with singerMaynard James Keenan ofTool, and the refrain in "Knife Prty" featured vocals by Rodleen Getsic. Moreno also started contributing additional guitar work.[32]
Sample of "Change (In the House of Flies)", the first single fromWhite Pony (2000) and also the band's highest charting single to date.[33] The sample shows Delgado's atmospheric sound effects during the verse leading into a guitar-heavy chorus with guitars played by both Carpenter and Moreno.
An interview with the band inAlternative Press described the recording process ofWhite Pony. After a break from touring, the band spent four months in the studio writing and recording it, the longest amount of time they had dedicated to an album thus far. Moreno said that the majority of this time was spent trying to write songs, and that the writing of "Change (In the House of Flies)" was the turning point where the band began working as a unit. Despite being pressured to release the album sooner, the band decided to take their time. Cheng explained, "We didn't feel like we had anything to lose, so we made the record we wanted to make." Moreno did not have an overall lyrical theme in mind, but made a conscious decision to bring an element of fantasy into his lyrics: "I basically didn't sing about myself on this record. I made up a lot of story lines and some dialogue, even. I took myself completely out of it and wrote about other things".[34]
The album was originally released as an 11-track edition beginning with "Feiticeira" and ending with "Pink Maggit", and featuring gray cover art. A limited-edition print of 50,000 black-and-red jewel case versions ofWhite Pony was released at the same time with a bonus twelfth track titled "The Boy's Republic".[35] Later, the band released "Back to School (Mini Maggit)", a rap-influenced interpretation of "Pink Maggit". The song was released as a single and included as the new opening track of a re-releasedWhite Pony on October 3, 2000. The new release still had "Pink Maggit" as the final track and featured altered white cover art. Not entirely happy with re-releasing the album, the band negotiated to have "Back to School" made available as a free download for anyone who had already bought the original album. Moreno noted that "Everybody's already downloaded our record before it came out anyway, otherwise I'd be kind of feelin' like, 'Man, why [are] we putting [out] all these different versions of the record?' [...] that's the best way we can actually get this song out to the people who already purchased this record, for free basically. And if they wanna buy the record again, it's cool".[36]
White Pony debuted at No. 3 on the U.S.Billboard chart with sales of 178,000 copies.[37] Reviews were generally positive, commenting on Moreno's increasing sophistication as a lyricist and the group's experimentalism.[38] Allmusic's review said that "Deftones went soft, but in an impressive way, to twist around its signaturepunkthrash sound".[39] The album achieved platinum status on July 17, 2002,[18] selling over 1.3 million copies in the US,[37] and earning the band a 2001Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance for the song "Elite".[40]
Sample of "When Girls Telephone Boys" fromDeftones's self-titled album (2003) which showcases the album's heavier sound, Moreno's screamed vocals and Delgado'ssampling effects in the background.
Deftones began work on their fourth album under theworking titleLovers.[41] Regarding the album's direction, Cheng commented, "We've proven that we can musically go in any direction we want, and we want to get kind of heavy on this one".[42] Moreno underwent vocal training as a precaution after severely damaging hisvocal cords on the band's 2001 summer tour.[42] The band converted their rehearsal space in Sacramento into a fully equipped studio and recorded most of the album there at negligible cost. The band brought in Date to assist with production and also received input on musical arrangement fromGreg Wells on several of the album's tracks. The band later added more material at Studio X in Seattle, Washington and at Larrabee Sound Studios. Overall, the album took 12 months and cost roughly $2.5 million to complete.[43] The band was fined by Maverick for missing deadlines.[44]
In January 2003, Deftones left the studio to perform several one-off shows in Australia and New Zealand as part of the annualBig Day Out festival.[45] Shortly after, the band returned to the studio to finish their fourth album. The self-titledDeftones was released on May 20, 2003. It entered theBillboard 200 at No. 2 and sold 167,000 copies in its first week.[37] The album remained in theBillboard Top 100 for nine weeks, supported by the first single, "Minerva".[46] The band shot a video for the album's second single, "Hexagram", with fans watching the band play the song in an indoorskatepark inSimi Valley, California.[47]
Reviews were mainly positive, praising the band for the album's progression and originality in the midst of declining creativity in contemporary metal.[48] Moreno was quoted as saying, "It's all on record. We told motherfuckers not to lump us in withnu metal because when those bands go down we aren't going to be with them".[43] In reviewingDeftones, Stephen Thomas Erlewine wrote that "Hexagram", the album's opener, "hitshard—harder than they ever have, revealing how mushyStaind is, or how toothlessLinkin Park is". He also went on to say, however, that the album "sticks a little too close to familiar territory".[49]The A.V. Club similarly called the album "less rewarding than its predecessor, though its peaks rival any in the genre".[50]
The band released a compilation album titledB-Sides & Rarities on October 4, 2005. The CD includes variousB-sides andcovers from throughout their career, while the DVD contains behind-the-scenes footage and the band's complete videography up to that point.[51]
Rather than work with Date, their producer for many years, Deftones decided to record withBob Ezrin on their fifth studio album. Cunningham said that while the group enjoyed working with Date, "at this point, we just needed to change things up [...] And this is definitely a different style. Working with him [Ezrin] is just putting us fucking upside down. He's cracking the whip".[52] After recording all the instrumental parts for the record, Moreno decided to record his vocals separately, and finished recording the album with formerFar guitaristShaun Lopez as producer.[53] According to an interview with Abe Cunningham, there were tensions involved with the recording ofSaturday Night Wrist that were related to the band members' personal lives. Cunningham compared the process to “pulling teeth.”[54]
The band released the album, titledSaturday Night Wrist, on October 31, 2006. It debuted at No. 10 on the U.S.Billboard chart with sales of just over 76,000,[55] a significant decrease in the first-week sales of their two previous releases. The album's first single, "Hole in the Earth", was released on September 12, 2006.[56] The single was featured in the video gameSaints Row 2 and as downloadable content for thePlayStation 3 andXbox 360 versions ofGuitar Hero 3.[57]Blabbermouth.net wrote that Deftones "have rallied to create one of the strongest discs in the band's repertoire".[58] "Mein" was the album's second single, which was released on March 9, 2007.[59] Collaborations on the record includeAnnie Hardy fromGiant Drag on the song "Pink Cellphone" andSerj Tankian fromSystem of a Down on the track "Mein".
Deftones spent the majority of 2006 and 2007 touring around the world in support of the album, performing in North America, Europe, South America, Japan and Australia. The band also performed on such tours asTaste of Chaos,[60]Family Values Tour[61] and theSoundwave Festival.[62]
Eros sessions, Cheng's car accident and Vega's arrival (2008–2009)
In the fall of 2007, Deftones started writing songs for what was planned to be their sixth studio album,Eros. Moreno described the album as unorthodox and aggressive. Recording started on April 14, 2008.[63] The band returned to working with Terry Date as the producer forEros.[64]
On November 4, 2008, Cheng was seriously injured in a car accident inSanta Clara, California. As a result of the injuries sustained in the crash, he remained in aminimally conscious state. Following the accident, Cheng's bandmates and his mother, Jeanne, began using the Deftones blog to post updates on Cheng's condition. On December 9, 2008, it was announced that Cheng had been moved into the care of an unnamed hospital that "specializes in the care and management of traumatic and non-trauma related brain injuries."[65]
In late January 2009, the band released a new statement, stating that "our fallen comrade has not yet made significant progress", and that a friend of the band,Sergio Vega (formerly ofQuicksand), would be taking over as bassist in Cheng's absence, as he had done temporarily in 1998.[66] On April 5, the band played their first show without Cheng since 1998 at theBamboozle Left festival inIrvine, California.[67]
On June 23, 2009, Deftones announced on their official website thatEros would be delayed indefinitely, saying, "As we neared completion onEros, we realized that this record doesn't best encompass and represent who we are currently as people and as musicians. And although those songs will see the light of day at some point, we collectively made the decision that we needed to take a new approach, and with Chi's condition heavy on our minds while doing so. We needed to return to the studio to do what we felt was right artistically". They also said, "The decision to hold off on releasingEros has no connection with Chi's condition or anything associated. This was, and is, purely a creative decision by the band to write, record, and deliver an amazing product".[68]
Korn membersBrian "Head" Welch andReginald "Fieldy" Arvizu, along with members ofSevendust,Slipknot and other alternative metal bands, recorded and released "A Song for Chi", with proceeds benefiting Cheng and his family.[69] To aid in the fundraising for the Cheng family, the band announced two 2009 benefit shows in Los Angeles.[70]
A website—One Love for Chi—was launched by Deftones fan Gina Blackmore on March 10, 2009, about four months after Cheng's accident. The site served as a platform for updates and information on Cheng's condition, as well as serving as an auction site for items donated by friends of the band. All proceeds raised by the website were donated to his family so they could provide him the best possible medical care.[71]
Deftones' sixth album,Diamond Eyes, was originally scheduled for release on April 27, 2010; this date was later pushed back to May 18. In March, it was announced that the album had leaked onto the Internet, and the album's release date was moved forward to May 4 as a result.[72] On February 23, 2010, the album's first single, "Rocket Skates", was made available for free download at www.gunsrazorsknives.com.[73][74] The album was produced byNick Raskulinecz. In contrast toEros' dark and aggressive nature, the band took a more optimistic approach both lyrically and sonically onDiamond Eyes.[75]
On March 15, Deftones debuted their first radio-ready single, "Diamond Eyes". Both "Diamond Eyes" and "Rocket Skates" received positive reviews from fans and critics, with many making comparisons of the two singles' style and sound to that of material from theAround the Fur album.[76]
Teaming up with bandsMastodon and Alice in Chains, Deftones went on tour in the fall of 2010 in the United States and Canada. The tour was calledBlackdiamondskye from the three bands' latest albums (Black Gives Way to Blue,Diamond Eyes andCrack the Skye). The tour included a limited edition series of silk-screened art prints promoting each show individually, created by the poster artistJermaine Rogers. Rogers has created a majority of the Deftones concert poster and print artwork since the late 1990s.[77]
On April 16, 2011, in honor ofRecord Store Day, the band released an LP titledCovers, containing several cover songs that the band had recorded over the years, including "Drive" (originally bythe Cars), "If Only Tonight We Could Sleep" (originally bythe Cure) and "No Ordinary Love" (originally bySade).[78] On October 25, Deftones releasedThe Vinyl Collection 1995–2011 in a limited edition of 1,000 copies.[79]
On March 29, 2012, Carpenter revealed that the band were working on a new record in an interview posted onESP Guitars'sYouTube channel.[80] It was reported that Raskulinecz would return to produce their as-yet-unnamed seventh studio album.[81]
It was also reported that the band would be recording several B-sides for the album, including anElvis Presley cover and possibly anEarth, Wind, and Fire cover.[82] It was later announced that there would be no bonus tracks.[83] On July 28, Deftones performed a brand-new song titled "Rosemary" and also debuted another track titled "Roller Derby" (later retitled "Poltergeist").[84] Continuing the experimental direction ofDiamond Eyes,[85]Koi No Yokan was announced on August 30, 2012,[86] and released on November 12, 2012, byReprise Records.Metacritic ratedKoi No Yokan 86 out of 100, indicating "universal acclaim" based on 18 reviews.[87] In May 2013, it wonRevolver's Golden Gods Award for Album of the Year.[88]
On April 13, 2013, despite making a partial recovery and returning home, Cheng died in a hospital in his hometown of Stockton, California, after falling into cardiac arrest. It had been more than four years since his 2008 accident.[89][90] Moreno announced in May that the albumEros, shelved in 2008 after Cheng's accident, was now more likely to be released following his death.[91]
In March 2014, while Moreno was touring with his side projectCrosses in support of theirself-titled debut album, the rest of Deftones began writing a follow-up toKoi No Yokan.[92] Deftones also previously reported that they intended to record a new album either in late 2014 or early 2015.[93]
On April 13, 2014, the first anniversary of Cheng's death, Deftones released a track fromEros titled "Smile" on YouTube,[94] the first officially released material from the long-shelved album. The video was removed byWarner Music Group two days later due to copyright infringement, despite the track having been uploaded by Moreno.[95] Although the track has again been made available, it remains the only recording to be released from theEros sessions to date.
Carpenter and Vega during Deftones' performance atRock im Park 2016
In late February 2015, just after the band had finished the new album's drum tracks, Moreno toldRolling Stone that Deftones had written 16 songs during the album's sessions. He described the album as "a little more of a heady record" than the previous album.[96] On May 15, 2015, Moreno was interviewed byKerrang! about the new album, which he described as having "a lot of different moods". He further explained that it was not a "happy record", but also "not a completely angry record".[97] Despite reports of Carpenter's initial difficulty getting into the feel of the album, band members have noted the album's distinct collaborative nature.[98] Vega utilized a six-string bass when recording the new material, helping to push the band into new sonic territory.[99] After producing their previous two records with Raskulinecz, Deftones worked withMatt Hyde,[100] who had been a recording engineer onKoi No Yokan.[101]
The album was pushed back multiple times from its originally scheduled September 2015 release date.[102][103][104] On February 4, 2016, the band released the first single fromGore, titled "Prayers / Triangles".[105] "Doomed User" and "Hearts / Wires" were also made available ahead of the album's release, on March 16 and April 3, respectively.[106][107]Gore was officially released on April 8, 2016. The second official single, "Phantom Bride", was released on June 7.[108] The song featured aguitar solo byAlice in Chains guitaristJerry Cantrell; this is considered unusual for a Deftones song.[109] Gwilym Mumford ofThe Guardian praised the album for its emphasis on experimentation and ambiance and noted the exploration work in the tension between the "croon" in Moreno's "soulful" voice, his "opaque" lyrics, and Carpenter's "pile-driving" guitar riffs.[110]
In 2017, Chino Moreno revealed that Deftones had begun writing material for their ninth studio album, which he stated hoped would be out sometime in 2019. Moreno went on to state that the band would be going in a different direction than they had onGore and that he would be taking a step back from leading the song writing to allow Stephen Carpenter and Abe Cunningham to be more involved in the material on the new album. In May 2018, Moreno was again asked about the new material and he stated the songs were "considerably heavier" than those onGore.[111] That same month, Deftones embarked on a South American tour with support fromQuicksand andDeadly Apples.[112][113]
In April 2020, Deftones announced that they were mixing their new album.[114] During the recording sessions, which reportedly took place in Los Angeles, the band reunited withTerry Date as the producer of the album, making it the first time Deftones had worked with him since the unreleasedEros album in 2008.[64][115] On August 19, 2020, the band teased the release date and the title of their upcoming ninth studio album.[116][117] A day later, the band officially announced the title of the album,Ohms, set for release on September 25, 2020. At the same time, the band revealed the album itself, the album cover, the track list, and release date. The title track serves as the first single, and was released on August 21.[118][119] On September 17, 2020, the band released the second single from the album, "Genesis".[120] On September 22, the band announced their "Adopt-a-Dot" campaign in which fans could digitally sponsor a dot from theOhms album cover via a charitable donation.[121]
In October 2020, they officially announced a 20th anniversary reissue ofWhite Pony to be released in December of that year. The reissue was packaged alongsideBlack Stallion, a companion remix album featuring artists includingLinkin Park'sMike Shinoda,DJ Shadow andRobert Smith.[122][123][124]
In March 2022, it was announced that bassist Sergio Vega had left the band in early 2021, with Vega claiming he was never an official member of the band and was just a contracted bassist for his tenure. Vega said he sought what he perceived as official membership, and chose to leave after being offered the same status as he had had since he began performing with the band.[2][126] The following month, it was announced thatFred Sablan had joined the band as Vega's touring replacement.[127][128] The band was also joined by touring guitarist Lance Jackman;[128] on May 20, 2022, it was announced that Jackman would be temporarily replacing Carpenter during the band's 2022 European Tour.[129]
In April 2024, Chino Moreno toldKROQ that the band had completed the bulk of its tenth studio album. He said the entire album was tracked instrumentally, but vocals had yet to be recorded.[130]
In September 2024, Deftones announced a 2025 North American headlining tour, the band's first headlining tour since 2022. On November 4, 2024, the band announced a headline show in Crystal Palace Park, London on June 29, 2025 withWeezer andHigh Vis.[131] In March 2025, it was revealed that the band would be playing at the UK's biggest music festivalGlastonbury for the first time since 1998 on June 28, 2025.[132][133] However, the group was forced to cancel their appearance on the day they were set to perform due to a band member's illness.[134] On July 10, 2025, they announced their tenth studio album,private music; the album's lead single, "My Mind Is a Mountain", was released the same day.[135] The album was released on August 22. In addition to Carpenter, Cunningham, Delgado and Moreno, touring bassist Sablan appears on the album.[136] The album's second single, "Milk of the Madonna", was released on August 8, 2025.[137]
Originally, the band was often associated with the nu metal movement in the press. However, Moreno has emphatically rejected the application of that label to the band.[169] Asked about their connection with bands such asKorn, Moreno has also stated that their commonality came down to only the shared influence ofFaith No More, especially the percussive approach to vocals byMike Patton.[170] Following the release of Deftones' third album,White Pony, they were acknowledged by many critics to have moved beyond that label,[171][172][173] though some would continue to use the label on the effort anyway,[174] and it continued in some degree up throughDeftones.[175][176] In a review ofB-Sides and Rarities,Stylus Magazine dubbed the band "perhaps the smartest members of the now moribund Nü-Metal genre".[177]
Moreno's lyrics were described byTime as "suggesting emotions rather than announcing them".[187] Moreno himself described his lyrics as ambiguous and sometimes impersonal, saying: "I like to be ambiguous when writing to a certain extent, and throwing something so brash [as Chi's accident] against that and playing with it. And also making it sound dimensional. Giving the feeling off that it is raw and it is emotional, but it's not just connected with our personal story. It's not merely about our career and our lives, it's bigger than that. When I hear the music, I get inspired to paint the lyrical pictures you describe, but I'm not always talking about myself".[188] The band is also well known for having song titles that don't appear in lyrics, which oftentimes feel "random." Moreno explained that during writing and recording, a song will get a working title — something thrown out casually, sometimes by Cunningham or Carpenter. These are often silly or offhand, inside-joke sorts of things. When it comes to writing the lyrics, Moreno would often write them spontaneously during recording rather than keeping a "book of lyrics."[189][190]
Deftones' legacy has been compared to alternative rock groupRadiohead, with some dubbing Deftones "The Radiohead of metal".[160][167] Music critic Johnny Loftus wrote, "Rock critics usually reserve a special place for Deftones above or at least away from the rest of the turn-of-the-century metal movement ... Deftones have always seemed more curious, more willing to incorporate traditionally revered sounds likeD.C. hardcore and dream pop into their Northern California alt-metal".[51] Peter Buckley, the author ofThe Rough Guide to Rock, called the band "one of the most primal, powerful, and experimental" bands in the alternative metal scene.[191] A 2020Billboard article noted the band's outlasting of multiple rock trends and sustained success, along with their dedicated fan community; Moreno also attributed their longevity to their diverse musical influences.[192]
^Despite appearing in promotional material during his tenure, Vega disputes his status as a full time member of the band, claiming that he was a member of the band only under contract.[1][2]
^Sablan has been recording with the band and appearing in press photos alongside the other members as of 2025; however, he is not officially listed as a band member.
^Although it was originally reported that Lopez would be taking over from Jackman, it was later revealed that he would perform alongside him, covering Moreno's guitar parts so Moreno could focus solely on vocals.
^Ramirez, Carlos (June 22, 2009)."#11: Deftones - White Pony".MetalSucks.com.Archived from the original on December 8, 2015. RetrievedDecember 24, 2015.
^abcSievers, Alex (February 2, 2021)."Deftones – Ohms".Kill Your Stereo. RetrievedMarch 24, 2021....it's trying to be a relevant and consistent record blending old and new sounds of their varying era for Deftones at this point into their lengthy career. To say it accomplishes those goals is an understatement, meeting all of my shoegaze, groovy, alt-metal and sensual expectations of their music.
^abJack, Malcolm."Deftones - Review".The Guardian.Archived from the original on June 20, 2015. RetrievedMay 5, 2015.
^abcdPacheco, Fernando."Mos Deftones".Honolulu Weekly.Archived from the original on June 26, 2015. RetrievedMay 5, 2015.
^abDick, Jonathan (May 3, 2016)."Deftones' Chino Moreno On Surviving, Evolving And 'Gore'".npr.org. NPR. RetrievedJune 3, 2016.From the trip-hop nuances of its self-titled album in 2003 to the bleak math metal tendencies of 2006's Saturday Night Wrist to the goth-rock tinged shoegaze of 2010's Diamond Eyes to the prog-rock flirting of 2012's Koi No Yokan, Deftones' catalogue reads like a case study in how a band can translate influences into a sound that's definitively their own.
^Erlewine, Stephen Thomas."Deftones - Deftones".AllMusic. RetrievedAugust 15, 2023....since even if the harder stuff is done well (again, better than their peers), it doesn't carry nearly as much promise as when Deftones don't play by the nu-metal reviews.
^Jenkins, Mark (April 10, 1998)."DEFTONES' DEFT DIVERSITY".Washington Post.Archived from the original on August 27, 2017. RetrievedNovember 30, 2023.I think that, being so close to the Bay Area, that when we started out,Faith No More andPrimus were a lot bigger influences. And theBad Brains were a huge influence on us.
^"Stephen Carpenter".Total Guitar. July 2001.Me and Chino rowed a lot when we were working on White Pony. It was a really abrasive process and that's because we're both into really different music. Basically, I just wanted to make a heavy metal album, and Chino was like: 'No way.' He's always represented the softer side of Deftones. He likes stuff like The Smiths and The Cure and Depeche Mode, whereas I'm into heavier music, particularly bands that have seven string players like Fear Factory and [Swede metallers] Meshuggah.
^Guzman, Isaac (July 30, 2000)."The Bleaker Side of Metal".The Los Angeles Times.Archived from the original on February 19, 2023. RetrievedNovember 30, 2023.A lot of it has to do with the music I listened to growing up, from listening to Duran Duran and stuff like that. I don't know if anybody really looks back and listens to that stuff these days, but lyrically Simon [Le Bon] was a genius as far as I'm concerned. I love the way he wrote. The same with Robert Smith of the Cure. He was another big influence on the way I write.
^"7 Angels 7 Plagues".Plead Your Case Fanzine (13). April 2015.[Interviewer:] 7A7P was pretty ahead of it's [sic] time sonically. What bands were major influences on you guys? [Matthew Mixon:] Hmm. I'll try and speak for Ryan here, because he, Matt Matera, and Jared were really the brains of the music. Deftones might be number one. White Pony came out like right when I joined the band and was gigantic for us.
^"Disembodied interview with vocalist: Aaron Weseman".Vista Zine. March 12, 2010.As we progressed i got more into Metal and found influence in Meshuggah, Machine Head and Sepultura...I thought Rob Flynn had some of the meanest vocals out there, until he started rapping and screaming. I've always been a big fan of Chino Moreno's vocal stylings in Deftones.
^Payne, Chris (2023).Where Are Your Boys Tonight? The Oral History of Emo's Mainstream Explosion 1999-2008. Dey Street Books. p. 263.ISBN9780063251281.HAYLEY WILLIAMS: The guys and I didn't listen to pop punk before writing "Pressure". We listened to heavier stuff like Deftones. We wanted to be darker. Suddenly, we wrote "Pressure", and that was it—we were gonna write emo bops! Sick!
^Payne, Chris (2023).Where Are Your Boys Tonight? The Oral History of Emo's Mainstream Explosion 1999-2008. Dey Street Books. p. 156.ISBN9780063251281.BERT MCCRACKEN: I went to Warped in '95. Deftones were playing and I saw Chino jump off the top speaker stack. I was like, "That's like a hundred feet high!" . . . It's so not a hundred feet, ha, ha, ha. But in that moment, I made that a weird goal, a promise to myself: "We're going to play the Warped Tour one day and I'm going to jump off the top speaker stack into the crowd."
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