The Spell of Mathematics takes us on a downwards spiral acid trip and back to much darker territories brimming with tension, the song is laden with effects, huge sci-fi pads and plucky strings. With its earworm chorus, and channelling Nine Inch Nails vibes, Error is probably the most commercial/poppy track on the album. Following a biting guitar intro, the song builds in near lullaby-structure but we’re never too far from another crushing dark blast, while a middle eight of hip-hop breakbeats adds extra dimension. Urantia shows a more playful side to Deftones. In Ceremony, woven between saturated riffs and banging dub-inspired drums, Moreno cryptically shares with us that “It’s all an illusion”, and with its beautiful chord change, the vocal is particularly dreamy. We’re only 5 minutes in and we already feel immersed, exhausted…elated. Twisting like a snake, Genesis reaches its giddy peak as Moreno offers, “We’re everywhere, No need to return, I’ll show the way…”. And in a curious parallel with the current global landscape, the heavier sections paint a picture of impending doom while the softer elements offer a glimmer of hope. Each track is a journey to the polar extremes of our very existence we’re catapulted from heaven to hell, as the songs sweep majestically between armageddon heavy to achingly sweet. Frontman Moreno’s vocals shift from frenzied-banshee to smooth-crooner in a breath, and it’s that trademark bitter/sweet juxtapose, which Deftones are masters of, that is ever-present on Ohms. Like the apocalypse, Stephen Carpenter’s razor riffs explode across Frank Delgado’s fizzling pads, while Abe Cunningham and Sergio Vega’s driving bass/percussion combo underpins the colossal soundscape. The record that vocalist Chino Moreno says had the band ‘firing on all cylinders’, is their ninth studio album spanning their 32-year career.Ī moody Pink Floyd-esque intro teases as opening track, Genesis, unfolds. OK, it’s still a shit year but, you know, a bit better now… Rising from the pandemic like a phoenix from the smouldering ashes, Deftones drop their first album in four years and all of a sudden 2020 isn’t such a bad year. Deftones release their first album since 2016’s Gore, but has the wait been worth it? Paul Grace finds out.

Deftones albums in order