October 28, 1997 - Around The Fur

Two weeks after my last release and two years since their debut album "Adrenaline", Deftones released their second album "Around The Fur" on October 28, 1997. Deftones are still playing the same kind of alternative/nu-metal as their wicked debut, but this album is a little less heavy and a little more melodic. It's also the first appearance for Frank Delgado (turntables), who is not an official member, but does appear on half of the album's songs. Turntables definitely sounds like nu-metal, let's check out the latest from Deftones!

The album begins with it's lead single "My Own Summer (Shove It)" and Stephen Carpenter leads the way with a nice heavy guitar riff as Chino Moreno sings in his high and soft voice overtop. The bridge is really heavy with some nice screams by Chino and it leads into a nice chorus with Chino singing now. He has three different modes on this song, and he sounds good in all of them. They don't stray far from this verse/bridge/chorus formula, but it all sounds pretty solid. Up next is "Lhabia" and Carpenter once again leads the way with a pretty solid and hard-hitting guitar riff, supported nicely by Chi Cheng on bass. Moreno sings quietly in the verse and switches to singing in the chorus, both of which are decent, but when he let's loose for a few screams I think it sounds way better. His screams are so high and he holds them really nicely. A more laid-back but still pretty good song. Track 3 is "Mascara" and Cheng drives this one with a slow and interesting bass riff for everyone to build around. Moreno sings nicely to match this quieter mood and things get a little louder in the chorus but it's still pretty chill. It's not my favourite style for Deftones, but they still did a nice job with it. The next song is the title track "Around The Fur" and it's got a catchy and cool main riff as Chino sings a nice verse and screams a great chorus. I love his emotion in this wonderfully heavy chorus and after a couple goes through he screams a new verse that sounds quite heavy and quite awesome. This is a pretty sweet song and the end of it leads right into track 5, "Rickets", which opens either a fast-paced main riff with some nice contributions from everyone: nice bass and drums and some once heavy guitar. Chino sings a light verse but sounds great singing/screaming in the chorus. There's a cool false ending as well before they snap back with a final chorus to end this short but plenty heavy song. Up next is the other single off this album "Be Quiet And Drive (Far Away)". It's got a more radio-friendly sound with a simple but solid main guitar riff and Chino singing softly for most of the song, except for one part where he full-on squeals he's going so high! It sounds crazy and it's overtop some solid music as well, then they return to the chorus, only this time with Moreno screaming and singing in a nice heavy finish to this one. Track 7 is "Lotion" and Moreno starts each verse with a nice scream before spitting some pretty fast vocals overtop a nice heavy riff. He switches to singing in the chorus but the music still sounds heavy and cool. Moreno screams a whole new verse partway through and it sounds pretty great and they also end with another screaming verse. Pretty metal tune! The next track is "Dai The Flu" and it's a slower pace with Cheng playing some cool bass and Carpenter saying some lighter but still solid guitar. Chino sings lightly for most of this song and it's the first time we really notice Delgado's turntables as he adds a little extra bit to this solid but not amazing main riff. Track 9 is "Headup" and it's featuring Max Cavalera from Sepultura. Carpenter plays a pretty catchy guitar riff and then everyone else snaps in very nicely to complete another heavy and cool main riff with Chino doing some nice screaming vocals overtop. Cavalera mixes in his screams all over the place and I love this organized chaos! Everything sounds awesome for two verses and choruses, then the mood drastically shifts and slows down to a repetitive and slightly psychedelic new riff that goes on for several minutes until the song ends. The first half was great, second half was strange. The final song on the album is "MX" and it's listed at a whopping 37 minutes and 18 seconds! It starts with some epic guitar, some cool bass, a nice drumbeat and some nice singing by Moreno. Then we hear a women's voice answering each line Chino sings, and she sounds needy and annoying! Thankfully she's not in the cool chorus which has some cool distorted vocals. The heavy parts are great, but the verse was just alright. "MX" actually ends at the 4:52 mark followed by 14:40 of silence. Then we reach the 1st hidden song "Bong Hit" l, which is only 23 seconds long. It's pretty funny, it sounds like an answering machine message of someone just smoking a bong. After an additional 12:41 of more silence there is another hidden track titled "Damone" which takes us to the end of the album, just under another 5 minutes. It's got a typically heavy but also pretty catchy guitar riff and Moreno sings/screams nicely overtop. There's a pretty sweet breakdown midway through before they nicely return to the main riff and Chino is really screaming his head off by the end! A great bonus song and nice way to finish things off.

That is the end of "Around The Fur" and I thought it was a pretty sweet album!  Chino Moreno is an excellent vocalist who can sing or scream at all the right times. Stephen Carpenter is exploding with cool guitar riffs and the rhythm section ain't too shabby either. This album had a couple lighter and weirder parts, but was mostly a pretty good album. Their debut album "Adrenaline" was pretty awesome though so this newest album comes second for me. It was still great though! Keep up the good work Deftones!