With a 20-years plus career behind them, Californian ‘nu-metallers’ Deftones are veterans of a genre that remains massively, if mystifyingly, popular, especially Stateside. In fairness, Deftones boast a broad palette of influences, encompassing punk, funk and hip-hop. Diamond Eyes comes after a three year hiatus brought on by the serious injuries sustained by bass player Chi Cheng in a road accident (he remains in a coma).
It finds the band at something approaching the peak of their powers. The crushing title-track – a frantic adrenaline rush of riffage, rock-hard rhythms and soaring vocals from China Moreno – opens proceedings with a bang. ‘CMND/CNTRL’ showcases their mellower side, while ‘Rocket Skates and ‘Beauty School’ thunder along like a pair of freight-trains in a death-race. ‘Risk’ is more punky than metal, while ‘976-Evil’ veers into the kind of metallic funk that saw the Chili Peppers go global over two decades ago. Other highlights include ‘Sex Tape’, which recalls The Stranglers, and the bruising closer ‘This Place is Death’.