private music

Deftones

Dating back to their self-titled album, you can loosely derive a pattern with Deftones releases; alternating the emphasis on the heavy and ethereal components of their sound. Therefore, I was expecting the alt-metal pioneers to deliver dreamier, thick shoegaze vibes on private music, and that's pretty much what they do. There aren't a lot of biting riffs or sharp groove metal passages, but the atmosphere is very engaging. The combination of Stephen Carpenter's heavy guitars and Frank Delgado's (underappreciated) sonic textures are really clicking for me on this collection. Chino Moreno bounces back from a relatively lacklustre performance on Ohms, coming through with supremely catchy melodies performed in his typically alluring style. His belts are confident and soaring, resulting in the record's most powerful moments. Summing all of this together nets you some of Deftones' most compelling writing since Koi No Yokan.

Baked into private music is a hint of nostalgia. There's a handful of tracks that sound like they are directly pulling from previous eras in the band's discography. cXz has the tumultuous air of their self-titled album with relentless walls of guitar constructed with dissonant open strums hanging over the main chords. The tempo is pumped up and the drums have that dotted syncopation in the groove. milk of the madonna keeps the alarming guitars, but relaxes the groove. Moreno delivers a more dynamic performance; really showcasing his entire range as a vocalist on a single track. The combination gets you a little closer to White Pony. The band pulls from even further back on cut hands. Moreno transmits his freestyled rap verses in his signature, broken-up, radio-banded style. Put this on top of the record's nastiest groove metal riff and we're instantly transported back to the mid 90s.

My favourite song on the collection, without a doubt, is infinite source. I'd say it's the only track on the record with a bonafide guitar riff. The chugging, the use of harmonics, and the saturated modulation that make up the riff is similarly nostalgic; not necessarily pointing to a previous point in the band's career, but certainly reminiscent of the 90s nu-metal sound. The riff is contrasted with blaring anthemic guitars in verse segments as well as the chorus. It's quite uplifting. The nostalgia also manifests in the song's lyrics, recounting final moments shared on stage. It's unclear exactly what Moreno's angle is: foreshadowing Deftones' potential retirement, reminiscing the last moments playing with a fallen member, or pulling more recently, acknowledging Carpenter's decision to scale back his touring. Either way, the song reads as a bittersweet celebration of the familial and musical bond they share.

The overall complaints I have with private music are minor. For one, I would've liked to hear more standout guitar moments. There's a lot of great songs here, but it's riffs like the one on infinite source that elevate it to the upper echelon of Deftones tracks. With the addition of some more ear-grabbing guitar moments, I can see other cuts reaching the same level. There are also moments where Moreno goes for an aggressive performance, but I get the sense he is holding back. The harsh screams peak out on opener my mind is a mountain, cut hands, and on the industrially-tinged ecdysis, but I do think it is used too sparingly. On cXz, a track that feels most suited to that style of performance, Moreno's shouts could've been much more frenzied. These two things, and perhaps a less than exciting final two tracks, ultimately kept me from loving this one. However, for a band that's been making heavy music consistently for almost forty years at this point, private music is an impressively strong late career offering.