Since the '90s, the Deftones have clawed out their own specialized niche in music. Many have imitated them, but few have reached their heights. They were innovators of so-called nu metal and could easily have settled into complacency riding the wave they helped create. Instead they continue to make waves with their self-titled fourth album.
Deftones frontman Chino Moreno wastes no time in expressing his despair mere seconds into "Hexagram" with a blood-curdling scream that will make your skin crawl. The dense, down-tuned guitars of Stephen Carpenter form a solid backdrop for the vocals that's more about creating a mood than a melody ("When Girls Telephone Boys"). Ironically one of the album's most intense moments ("Lucky You") doesn't even involve guitar, it relies on Nine Inch Nails-type rhythm and keyboards to create an uncomfortable tension. DEFTONES winds down with the loud-soft-loud pattern they're famous for on "Moana."

Deftones: Chino Moreno (vocals, guitar); Stephen Carpenter (strings); Chi Cheng (bass); Abe Cunningham (drums); Frank Delgado (scratches).
Additional personnel: Rey Osburn (vocals).
Recorded at The Spot, Sacramento, California; Larrabee Studios, West Hollywood, California; Studio X, Seattle, Washington.

• Format: Vinyl
• Genre: Rock
  
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Track Listing:

A1 Hexagram
A2 Needles And Pins
A3 Minerva
A4 Good Morning Beautiful
A5 Deathblow
A6 When Girls Telephone Boys
B1 Battle-axe
B2 Lucky You
B3 Bloody Cape
B4 Anniversary Of An Uninteresting Event
B5 Moana