DEFTONES DROPS ONE OF THEIR BEST ALBUMS YET WITH "OHMS"

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Unleashing their signature heavy drums and funk-like bass, Deftones have reignited an energy of rage and inspiration in fans for their ninth full-length album Ohms.

Revolutionizing their sound over 20 years, the new album follows their 2016 album Gore and gives a nod to their White Pony and Diamond Eyes albums for their older fans to enjoy. It was produced by Terry Date who has produced their first few LPs such as Eros and Deftones albums.

Deftones continuously reinvent themselves, unafraid by the changes in the music industry that are popular and sell. They can easily stick to the genres they had a hand in revolutionizing, but they push themselves to experiment with new sounds. It’s an admirable step in their careers that fans can’t seem to get enough of.

In the songs “Urantia” and “Ceremony,” Chino Moreno's vocals can be heard in harmony, something that he has been working on over the years. His vocals are straightforward, but they can be a little lost when the lyrics are lacking sub-text. Some of the lyrics, like “Radiant City” and “Ohms,” are too obvious and superfluous. The lyrics in “Radiant City” are similar to their past albums with the conversation that the speaker has with themselves of “hey I am sexually and romantically frustrated, but I’m gonna reassure myself and you of this relationship we have.” The song “Ohms” concludes the album and its lyrics are easily understood as a question and answer about time and decisions people make in their life. A common theme in most artists’ songs.

The thick guitar tone by Stephen Carpenter and the effortless beats of Abe Cunningham’s drums illuminates the raw harmonic key aspects of previous efforts made in their past albums. “Ohms” starts off with a rhythm similar to “Hole in the Earth” off of their Saturday Night Wrist album, perhaps it is a technique that they used on this album to hook listeners.

This album could arguably top one of their most popular albums White Pony with their forceful guitar riffs and heavy vocals. Sound wise: Deftones outdid themselves once again. Yet, it can also be argued that lyric wise, it is their least interesting album. The more you repeat and listen to songs, like “Pompeji,” they grow on you and you’re able to notice small details that you wouldn't hear at first. With the complexities and layers, it helps add depth to their lyrics and the overall concept of the album: Changes are inevitable.

They teased their album, on their official website and social media, by blacking out their profile photos. Their website showed a static-like image and their URL defaulted to “deftones.com/0925,” a clue to fans that pointed to the release date. Deftones continued to tease fans by sharing posts on their social media that nodded to their old material such as “One Weak,” a song from their Adrenaline album, sending their fans on a “one week” countdown.

Because of COVID-19, Deftones postponed their North American Summer tour until 2021 to insure their safety and their fans' safety. It would’ve been their first tour since their break in 2017.

With the climate surrounding Coronavirus, it is uncertain if their 2021 tour will happen, but at least the new album gives fans a chance to escape the craziness of what 2020 consists of.