Long since distanced from their early nu-metal roots, Deftones are these days a far more intriguing proposition: a metal band more than happy to dip their toes into the ambient and experimental genres.
Gore is the group’s first album since the death of bassist Chi Cheng in 2013, though those looking for some sort of direct reckoning with his passing will likely come away unfulfilled. Instead the preoccupation here is with tone and atmosphere, with the band continuing to explore the tension between Chino Moreno’s soulful croon and opaque, koan-like lyrics, and Steven Carpenter’s pile-driving guitar work.
They’re a rare metal band who understand that heavy needn’t necessarily mean oppressive: the smothering walls of noise on the likes of brooding opener Prayers/Triangles are intended to seduce rather than assail. Which makes the moments of naked aggression – for example, the pummelling Doomed User or the sludgy title track – all the more bracing. A complex and ultimately rewarding listen.
