October 3, 1995 - Deftones and Adrenaline

Just one day after my last release a new band joins my library when Deftones released their debut album "Adrenaline" on October 3, 1995. But who are Deftones? They are a four-piece alternative metal band from Sacramento, California consisting of lead singer Chino Moreno, guitarist Stephen Carpenter, bassist Chi Cheng, and drummer Abe Cunningham. Deftones play a style of metal that is pretty heavy, but they definitely have a unique sound and are one of the first to play in the new alternative metal genre. Let's see what Deftones is all about!

The album kicks off with it's second single "Bored" and Carpenter plays a simple but catchy guitar riff that drives the song and Moreno sings in a quiet but purposeful voice that sounds interesting for sure. They jam through a couple solid verses and choruses and then quiet things down as Cheng takes the lead on bass briefly. Chino is holding some long notes in the final couple choruses and by the end he's full-on screaming and I love it! A very interesting and cool intro to Deftones! Up next is "Minus Blindfold" and Carpenter plays sole cool lighter guitar before snapping into some nice heavier stuff. Cheng's bass sounds pretty good as well and Moreno sings in his quiet voice for the verses and he turns it up with some nice emotional screaming in the chorus. It's a nice switch between the lighter and groovier verse and the heavy chorus and my head is definitely banging! They speed it up for a fantastic finish as well, an early favourite! Track 3 is "One Weak" and Cheng plays a cool bass riff to drive this song and Moreno once again sings quiet in the verse and turns it up nicely in the chorus. The guitar is quiet at first bit once it gets loud things sound pretty metal and sweet. Chino goes full scream towards the end again and he sounds awesome when he is just letting it all out. It's some of the heaviest vocals in my library so far, but the fact that Chino contrasts that with his quiet but epic voice makes him a pretty sweet singer! The next song is "Nosebleed" and there's some pretty cool guitar as well as Moreno singing so fast he's almost rapping and also belting out some great screams! He is really yelling on this one and things sound pretty damn heavy and pretty freaking cool. The mood shifts dramatically for a quiet part with some psychedelic guitar by Carpenter, but they segue nicely from here back to the heaviness. They do one more quiet to loud bit and end the song on a very loud and awesome note. The bangers just keep coming! Track 5 is "Lifter" and Moreno keeps it to singing for basically this whole song and he still does a solid job overtop some catchy guitar. I haven't mentioned him yet but Cunningham seems like a solid drummer even if the drums are never the focal point. There's a bit of screaming near the end for a little spice but if this was the worst song so far, then it's still a pretty high bar. Up next is "Root" and it's driven by a pretty catchy riff that is played on bass, light guitar and heavy guitar at different times, all sounding pretty good. Chino does a short screaming part in the middle that sounds great but most of the song is in his quiet singing voice, but things still sound pretty good then too. Track 7 is called "7 Words" and the verse is quiet but it nicely shifts into a sweet heavy chorus with some cool guitar and Chino sounding great screaming overtop. They segue really nicely into a heavy new riff and Chino does some more borderline rapping in a pretty cool part that ties nicely back to the main riff. They end things on a noxe heavy note as well and this was another pretty cool song! The next song is "Birthmark" and Cunningham lays down a catchy drum beat that everyone builds around nicely for a smooth main riff. The chorus is nice and loud as they like to do and Chino does another short screaming bit that just makes you wanna bang your head! Just another solid track here, no weak links. Track 9 is "Engine No. 9" and it's driven by a heavy and pretty awesome main riff that is also somehow groovy. Moreno mixes his singing and screaming really well as he spitfires vocals in this one and things sound pretty damn heavy and cool. It's hard to describe how hard everything hits and I think this is my favourite song on the album! Full tilt from start to finish! Up next is the longest song on the album, the six and a half minute "Fireal" and the verse is pretty quiet, but it's needed to make the loud chorus feel even heavier. Chino does some all out squealing in the chorus on this one and I love it, his high voice just wailing and wavering. After a couple quiet verses and loud choruses they move into a solid new riff with Chino singing that Carpenter eventually starts to solo overtop of to nice effect. They end it as it began quietly but this was another great track! The final song on this pretty rockin' debut album is "Fist" and it has a quiet intro that slowly builds until it reaches a nice heavy part with some coop drums from Cunningham. Most of the song is led by Carpenter's quiet guitar though and Chino can be heard lightly singing in the background. It's a bit of a weird way to end the album, but it was still a decent little song.

That is the end of "Adrenaline" and I thought it was a fantastic album, especially considering it was their debut! Aside from the final song, every track has some pretty heavy parts to it and it's filled with lots of cool guitar by Stephen Carpenter, some groovy bass by Chi Cheng and some pretty awesome vocals from Chino Moreno. He's so good at singing quietly and then hitting you in the face with some great screams and he's just such a dynamic vocalist. This is gonna be pretty hard to top I would think, but I look forward to seeing what Deftones will serve up next!