"Ohms" - Deftones New Album

[LG95]

Penicks isn't really a fan of the post SNW records, same with Ves. I kind of like that there are people on this forum that go against the grain like that, even though most fans - including me - would disagree (I think DE and KNY are brilliant records). And of course there's a special love for the self-titled which I think is a top three Deftones album.

[Inkblades]

SNW vs. DE is a hard one to compare and I always bounce back and forth between which one is better. SNW has more experimental, stand-out songs, but DE is more cohesive, has more consistent production and Chino sounds like Chino instead of Cartman when he screams.

[Draken]

It's really interesting how divided Deftones fans are on their favorite albums, I'm not sure many other bands have that effect. Their fanbase is so diverse with many different type of people from different age ranges/musical tastes/backgrounds. You got hip hop heads, metal heads, indie hipsters, etc. etc. etc.

I could never fathom how anyone can feel that SNW or Gore was Deftones "best", but hey, to each their own. It's very subjective. Some folks are going to inevitably hate this new record while other will worship it. I've said it before but my favorite album is S/T but i think they did their technically best work on WP. Couldn't agree more about the above statement ^ on how their evolution is evident in their first four records. After that, idk what happened but maybe they got burned out. I mean, it's amazing they went as long as they have and still stayed fairly consistent. How many 90s bands can say they only had one or two stinkers in their whole discography and still have fans anxiously anticipating their ninth record?

I was just talking about this the other day with someone, how the psychology of Deftones fans (and music in general) would be an interesting topic to dive into if you're studying psychology. I think musical taste has a lot to do with several factors, the most important ones being: 1) personal preference 2) when/how you experienced it and 3) personal life experiences tied to the music. Those 3 things have great impact on how you love the music. For me, my personal preference usually tends to lean towards sounds from their earlier records but also my life experiences are tied to these as well and the timing of when/how I heard them are also affected. Some of my earliest (both best and worst relationships) were made during their earlier work, virginity was lost, and several new experiences  accompanied by a Deftones soundscape. I'll always regard the first 4 as the absolute best but it doesn't mean I'm shut off from accepting the new sounds Deftones has to offer.

Also, Gore and SNW are just not their best lol. Fight me

[Inkblades]

It's really interesting how divided Deftones fans are on their favorite albums, I'm not sure many other bands have that effect. Their fanbase is so diverse with many different type of people from different age ranges/musical tastes/backgrounds. You got hip hop heads, metal heads, indie hipsters, etc. etc. etc.

I think it's because they picked up a lot of new, younger fans with DE and KNY, so it makes sense that those fans would have those as their favorites while the older fans would be attached to the older stuff.

[Iwazaru]

My main issue with the 2010's albums is the production. DE and Koi are produced by Nick Raskulinecz who is the Napoleon of saturation and Gore, was such a fuck up sound quality-wise it's almost sabotage. At the very least I can rest easy with Ohms knowing Terry Date is back.

Music wise, I pretty much love every album for what each has to offer and bring something new. Does Gore compete with an album like WP? Never by any shot, but they'll never ever do an album as brilliant and mezmerizing as WP. For a band, an album like this is a once-in-a-lifetime success. And I still love Gore except for a few songs that just don't ring any bells with me.
The band is way past its prime, but they still have some inspiration to put into new releases so I think it's good enough.

[buflen]

they made 4 consecutive perfect records in atf, wp, st and snw, especially because you can follow the (d)evolution of the band so well. diamond eyes should've been their Glorious Resurgence, the band rising from the ashes, but i've been waiting 3 albums now for that feeling to take effect in the songs. really hoping this one does it

Maybe they are just not interested in making the music you expect them to make. I wouldn't put that on the bands fault. you're just one fan, same for anyone else here. Gotta take what they give you and accept it or just move on, because that's who they are now and what they want to release. Doesn't make them bad albums, though Gore has arguably bad production.

[Inkblades]

The mix on Gore is bad, but it's still easily a more cohesive album than SNW. SNW from song to song sounds borderline schizophrenic to me. Also Beware has worse production than any song on Gore - fight me.

[Draken]

Absolutely, again this goes back to the diversity of fans (amazing a 90s band not only stayed relevant but became more so over time by their evolution) and personal preference/life experiences. Some folks found their first serious relationship listening to SNW (or pick any album) they learned to drive, etc. I remember driving until I literally got lost and just found my way back to a major highway to get home, back before GPS, Google Maps. I was listening to Deftones while I learned to drive.

It's really interesting how divided Deftones fans are on their favorite albums, I'm not sure many other bands have that effect. Their fanbase is so diverse with many different type of people from different age ranges/musical tastes/backgrounds. You got hip hop heads, metal heads, indie hipsters, etc. etc. etc.

I think it's because they picked up a lot of new, younger fans with DE and KNY, so it makes sense that those fans would have those as their favorites while the older fans would be attached to the older stuff.

[sharinglungs]

The mix on Gore is bad, but it's still easily a more cohesive album than SNW. SNW from song to song sounds borderline schizophrenic to me. Also Beware has worse production than any song on Gore - fight me.

You're not wrong. Beware is like the black sheep production wise... It's way lower in volume, and pretty much everything else...

Let's not forget that most of the band didn't get much of a say in what happened to that album as it was mostly Shaun Lopez and Chino working on it

[Draken]

I enjoyed DE, although not at first. It's Deftones more glossy, 'pretty' records but overall it's a good record. They wrote it in like 4 months, same as ATF. My favorite Sergio record.

I think Deftones can still produce that one AMAZING record. It might not be popular opinion but one of my favorite Cure records is Self Titled... their twelfth record.

[Inkblades]

I'm probably biased about Beware because I heard the song live first and it blew me the fuck away. I thought it was one of the best songs they had ever written and it probably is. But then I heard the album version and Chino's voice just sounded so compressed and Frank's synths were gone. My expectations were too high for that one, maybe.

[buflen]

The mix on Gore is bad, but it's still easily a more cohesive album than SNW. SNW from song to song sounds borderline schizophrenic to me. Also Beware has worse production than any song on Gore - fight me.

You're not wrong. Beware is like the black sheep production wise... It's way lower in volume, and pretty much everything else...

Let's not forget that most of the band didn't get much of a say in what happened to that album as it was mostly Shaun Lopez and Chino working on it

I was gonna mention that. Even Stephen was complaining about Chino ruining the riff of Mein in "post-production". 

[Inkblades]

The problems they were going through during SNW really reflects on the album...but still, the flashes of brilliance are some of their most brilliant.

[Gaz]

SNW, DE and KNY, I enjoy all of those albums for different reasons, 3 different kinds of era's for the band. That said, I haven't played SNW in full for a while, so thats getting spun tonight!

[nineteen]

I try and let go of album mixes these days as I have a tendency to focus on it too much and it ruins the enjoyment for me. Even with Ohms I started off by thinking the snare could be louder for my tastes but then had to stop myself, as I'll always have a love for 90s style mega loud snares which was 20+ years ago.

I suppose that I'll never be able to listen to an album without a preference here & there but it was getting ridiculous. I'll now just tinker with an EQ a bit and I'm happy.

[Gaz]

I try and let go of album mixes these days as I have a tendency to focus on it too much and it ruins the enjoyment for me. Even with Ohms I started off by thinking the snare could be louder for my tastes but then had to stop myself as I'll always have a love for 90s style mega loud snares.

I suppose that I'll never be able to listen to an album without a preference here & there but it was getting ridiculous. I'll now just tinker with an EQ a bit and I'm happy.

I'm a sucker for loud snares also

It would be good in the future if Gore got a re-master & new mix, ideally by Terry Date

[buflen]

I try and let go of album mixes these days as I have a tendency to focus on it too much and it ruins the enjoyment for me. Even with Ohms I started off by thinking the snare could be louder for my tastes but then had to stop myself as I'll always have a love for 90s style mega loud snares.

I suppose that I'll never be able to listen to an album without a preference here & there but it was getting ridiculous. I'll now just tinker with an EQ a bit and I'm happy.

I'm a sucker for loud snares also

It would be good in the future if Gore got a re-master & new mix, ideally by Terry Date

I'm still very confused about the mix on Gore. I can't believe the band listened to it and were like: Yes, thats the sound we want to go with this time.

[Draken]

The mix on Gore is horrendous, maybe that style of production works for other bands but not Deftones. When Chino stated he was ripping off Morrissey's "Elvis-y delay" on his vocals I thought it sounded like it might be cool, but then when i heard the record it most definitely did not serve it well. Made his vocals sound tinny and unbearable imo.

[Inkblades]

I try and let go of album mixes these days as I have a tendency to focus on it too much and it ruins the enjoyment for me. Even with Ohms I started off by thinking the snare could be louder for my tastes but then had to stop myself as I'll always have a love for 90s style mega loud snares.

I suppose that I'll never be able to listen to an album without a preference here & there but it was getting ridiculous. I'll now just tinker with an EQ a bit and I'm happy.

I'm a sucker for loud snares also

It would be good in the future if Gore got a re-master & new mix, ideally by Terry Date

I'm still very confused about the mix on Gore. I can't believe the band listened to it and were like: Yes, thats the sound we want to go with this time.

Gore was pushed back because they were unhappy with the mix and they tried different versions, I think. At a certain point it probably became "well, we have to put the album out soon" so they just went with it.

[E-Money]

About 2003, I had the chance to discuss that recently on the Musically Meditated podcast. I hated the Wembley 2003 performance when I first watched it. It threw me off, I didn't like how Chino replaced the high notes on Digital Bath with those inhales, lots of things felt odd. I just didn't know any better at the time, I was a noob when it came to this band.

Today Wembley is my favorite Deftones recording. This whole era, specifically the second half of the year, has their most crafted performances (lightnings, transitions, etc.), and the performances were so very intense. There's this one particular performance of Digital Bath, in Montreal, where Chino pulls off the notes in a very different manner, I don't think he even did it out of this show. Very raw and powerful stuff.

And it's special because you know these raw performances happened because of the inner turmoil. I wouldn't want them to go through that again. But did it pay off musically!

That Montreal DB is my favorite of all Time V!!! It's slower paced and absolutely brutal.