*keepers-6*avg-3.25
Though there has always been a drone-y/ spacey side to about half of the Deftones' songs, they all eventually return to metal progressions. This is the best reason I can come up with that the first big single "Hole In The Earth"**** was so surprising to me. Where Chino's vocals usually creep out of a murky darkness, the vocals of "Hole In The Earth" are unapologetic-ally melodic and float over chiming guitar arpeggios. "Cherry Waves"**** also features floating melodies and a more textural band sound than ever. Except for "Rapture", the whole first half of the album is surprisingly solid. The tone of "Beware"**** is more in the familiar range of metal, only Chino can stretch out a 3-word chorus to sound this dramatic and other-worldly without being hammy. "Mein" (with guest vocals from some guy in System of the Down), doesn't have this kind of power, but at least the riffs are interesting, and the instrumental "U, U, D, D, L, R, L, R, A, B, Select, Start" is surprisingly melodic. Of course, there are still two of the familiar screaming/ percussive riff songs "Rapture" and "Rats! Rats! Rats!", but these songs used to take up half a Deftones album. No Deftones album has ever had a song as polarizing "Pink Cellphone"****, which builds from vocals and generic synth over a drum machine to a dense and aggressive wall of screaming guitar effects and creepy manipulated chant vocal. There has been much discussion on the merit (or lack thereof) of the minute-long gross-out monologue ending the track, but after I get over the silliness of this inside joke I make use of the skip button. Though "Kimdracula"**** would be right at home on the last album, the hooks and familiar sound make it a keeper; though some abrupt transitions and endings hint at the troubles of recording the album and sound unfinished, it may be the most consistent Deftones album to date.
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