Diamond Eyes - Thoughts + reviews

[Deftones To Fall]

im really just pleasantly surprised by the album, its really really good. shit actually it could be the best album of 2010, but im pretty biased.
i was a little worried after SNW, but not anymore
tell you the truth, when they tour i wouldnt mind them nixing some of the classics, and play diamond eyes start to finish
im dreaming tho, plus ive seen them like 4 times

[Deftones To Fall]

fucking right, it really is an amazing record

[Deftones To Fall]

then when it is so clear what the rules are, why do you ignore them?

where im going
i dont need rules

[defsteve]

where im going
i dont need rules

That's a rule.

[wheresmysnare]

where im going
i dont need rules

That's a rule.

he's right u know

[BamBam57]

http://moralfibre.co.za/blog/2010/03/deftones-diamond-eyes-review/

The new material is heavy as ever – guitarist Stephen Carpenter's riffs grind fast and heavy for the most part and drummer Abe Cunningham pulls no punches on his kit, but with the exception of three or four tracks on the album, the rhythm section feels a lot looser than it was with Cheng at the helm.

The opening tracks "Diamond Eyes", "Royal" and "CMND/CTRL" are pretty standard Deftones fair and didn't make much of an impression on the first listen, though the soaring chorous of "Diamond Eyes" starts to grow on you fast and the syncopated rhythm of "CMND/CTRL", coupled with frontman Chino Morino's screeching vocals (which, by the way, have never sounded better) will definitely get you sitting up and listening.

From there on in the album just gets better and better.

The softer and slower "Beauty School" is a great example of what Vega is capable of when given some space to work with and is reminiscent of the killer track, "The Passenger" which the band did with Tool singer Maynard James Keenan on arguably their best album to date, 2000's White Pony.

The lyrics "You're shooting stars / From the barrels of your eyes / It drives me crazy / Just drives me wild" are poetic in their simplicity and come across as being sincere without sounding gag-inducingly cheesy.

There are two other tracks recorded in a similar style on the album, 'Sextape' and '976-EVIL' and to be honest these are my three favourite tracks on the album.

The simple fact is that the new lineup just seems to handle the quieter tracks better. The heavier tracks like 'Rocket Skates' (the first single), 'Risk' and 'This Place Is Death' do have their strong points, but without Cheng's signature basslines, they lack the punch that made albums like Around The Fur (1997) and White Pony (2000) truly great.

The song 'Prince' is perhaps the closest the band gets to capturing that old, badass Deftones sound. It builds to a powerful chorous and makes no apologies as it tears through you like a bone saw.

In my opinion, there are three possible futures for a band like Deftones after Diamond Eyes. The first is to stay in safe territory and record a follow-up to Diamond Eyes that sounds much the same, but the formula will get old fast and chances are the band will slowly start to drop off the radar.

The second would be for the band to explore the sound they've perfected on the quieter tracks on the album and take their material in a direction that is slightly more chilled out (by Deftones' standards) and more widely accessible.

The third future, sadly, is probably the least likely because it would only happen if Cheng woke up from his coma. He would become a rock legend instantly and, if he was still able to record and tour with the band, could finish working on the album they were recording prior to his accident, Eros, which according to Morino was their most experimental, unorthodox and edgy project to date.

Sure, it's idealistic, but for the sake of his fans and family I hope he recovers. In the meantime though, hats off to the guys for sticking to their guns and recording an album which, while it might not be their best, still kicks a whole lot of ass and proves without a doubt that no matter what happens, you can't keep a good band down.

Final verdict: 7/10

[turn1ps]

way better than SNW and s/t. 

definitely

No doubt, thinking the same.

[deftones12022]

tell you the truth, when they tour i wouldnt mind them nixing some of the classics, and play diamond eyes start to finish

That would be sic.  I got to see them play around the fur start to finish in 07

[jesusinabowlofdirt]

weren't there a restraining order against shaun lopez after snw - not to come anywhere near deftones material for all eternity?

Pretty sure he produced the vocals on Diamond Eyes.

any source on this?

http://shaunlopez.com/cms/?page_id=11

but did it really take place? according to his pretty detailed "diary" of 2009/2010 - http://shaunlopez.com/cms/ it says nothing of it. the only deftones related stuff mentioned is the drive cover?

[punkflop01]

Alt Sounds Review:

http://hangout.altsounds.com/reviews/116619-deftones-diamond-eyes-album.html

[anguria]

Chino's voice is used as this instrument of pleasure.

God damn those guitar tones, its like being ripped apart by a chainsaw.

Awesome review, thank you! 

[Deftones To Fall]

tell you the truth, when they tour i wouldnt mind them nixing some of the classics, and play diamond eyes start to finish

That would be sic.  I got to see them play around the fur start to finish in 07

now that is something to be treasured, if that included damone....fucking a

[VictorPL]

just stumbled upon this. one of my favorite songs from DE by the way:

[Hidalgo]

i'm about to rent that just cause deftones. it looks like something i'd like though , cheesy 80s horror

[wax]

off the subject, but does anyone think Stef should maybe do the next album using a 6 string again? i dunno, i just kinda prefer his 6 string sound of the first 3 albums

i just prefer 6 string guitars in general i guess

10  strings? http://www.haloguitars.com/store/XSI-Guitar-Black-10-String.html

there are 13 string acoustics...
or he could play this 15 string bass~
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v118/turquoisemoleeater/guitars/15bass.jpg

[normsteez]

just listened for the first time in about a week.. This album is unreal, way exceeded my expectations. shit is rockin'.

[fetisher]

weren't there a restraining order against shaun lopez after snw - not to come anywhere near deftones material for all eternity?

Pretty sure he produced the vocals on Diamond Eyes.

any source on this?

http://shaunlopez.com/cms/?page_id=11

I'd be very surprised if this were true.

[nicklav]

weren't there a restraining order against shaun lopez after snw - not to come anywhere near deftones material for all eternity?

Pretty sure he produced the vocals on Diamond Eyes.

any source on this?

http://shaunlopez.com/cms/?page_id=11

I'd be very surprised if this were true.

I'm kind of hoping it's not.

[nineteenpeoplesnames]

It doesn't really matter to me as the vocals on this new record are the best I've heard for a while. The style is very  Sade.

[downtownpony]

same thing i thought. or maybe his style is just more influenced by her this time around.