Deftones - Diamond Eyes (2010)

Reprise Records, May 4, 2010

Tracklist

1. Diamond Eyes
2. Royal
3.CMND/CTRL
4. You've Seen the Butcher
5.Beauty School
6. Prince
7.Rocket Skates
8. Sextape
9. Risk
10. 976-EVIL
11.This Place is Death
12. Do You Believe (bonus track)
13. Ghosts (bonus track)

A favorite of critics and musicians alike, Deftones’ style of alternative metal takes the term influential to the next level. Like the album before it, Diamond Eyes is a study in the beauty of contrasts. Guitarist Stephen Carpenter's affinity for the Swedish technical metal titans Meshuggah has been well documented, as is vocalist Chino Moreno's appreciation of decidedly softer acts like Interpol and Depeche Mode. Deftones' guitar sound has also evolved over the years - initially they used six-string guitars on their first few albums, before incorporating seven strings and finally eight, as is heard on Diamond Eyes. The presence of Carpenter's pummeling 8-string riffs and Chino's dynamic vocal performance ensure that both influences are well represented here. The keyboard and DJ sounds from Frank Delgado along with the technical rhythm section of bassist Sergio Vega and drummer Abe Cunningham add further nuance to the band's sound.

The circumstances behind this album were very difficult ones, as Diamond Eyes was written while the band members were in the midst of a tragic situation with the loss of their founding bassist Chi in an auto accident. Part of the therapeutic process in the midst of these terrible circumstances was the direction Deftones took toward the tone of the album. Chino has stated that the band made a concerted effort to pour their energy and emotion into a new album that was more optimistic. The members of Deftones kept writing together and reworking the songs until they sounded perfect, and it shows. Also worth noting is that Chino's vocal performance on this album is far superior to their previous effort Saturday Night Wrist, an album he admits he dislikes because he sounded unconfident. Here he sounds much more in control, and fully centered on these songs. “Royal” is a nice showcase of his vocal strength as he switches effortlessly from soothing tenor vocals to screams that convey the ferocity of a cougar. In addition to the wide range of vocal styles, the structure of the album is also varied and set up very well. Two of the album's heaviest, most riff-centric cuts, "You've Seen the Butcher" and "Rocket Skates", are immediately followed up with the two softest, most serene tracks. "Beauty School" in particular is a song that really excels in the laid-back, ballad style. 

Diamond Eyes is a project I see as being the most essential record of the year. The dichotomy on this album had a major impact and influence, especially to the progressive metal and djent movement of the decade. While maybe not as influential as their 2000 landmark White Pony album, it at least comes close. Meshuggah is the group that is often viewed as starting that subgenre, but Deftones were the band that combined that riff style with a dynamic vocal style that made melody just as important to the songs. For these reasons, Diamond Eyes makes a strong case as the best album of 2010 and earns a score of 10/10.