PW's Song Of The Week: SONG OF THE WEEK: 8/29/21

SONG: "Tempest"

ARTIST: Deftones

ALBUM: "Koi No Yokan"

YEAR: 2012

PLACE OF ORIGIN: Sacramento, California

YEARS ACTIVE: 1988 - present

WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:

"Tempest" appears to have a doomsday vibe to it. The song's lyrical content is representative of the supposed end of the world that would have occurred on December 21, 2012, according to various myths related to the Mayan calendar.

DEFTONES DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):

1995 - Adrenaline (Maverick/Warner Bros. Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

* certified platinum

1997 - Around The Fur (Maverick/Warner Bros. Records)

* peaked at #29 on the Billboard 200 on 11-15-97

* certified platinum

2000 - White Pony (Maverick Records)

* peaked at #3 on the Billboard 200 on 7-8-00

* certified platinum

2003 - Deftones (Maverick Records)

* peaked at #2 on the Billboard 200 on 6-7-03

* certified gold

2005 - B-Sides & Rarities (Maverick Records)

* peaked at #43 on the Billboard 200 on 10-22-05

2006 - Saturday Night Wrist (Maverick Records)

* peaked at #10 on the Billboard 200 on 11-18-06

2010 - Diamond Eyes (Reprise/Warner Bros. Records)

* peaked at #6 on the Billboard 200 on 5-22-10

2011 - Covers (Reprise/Warner Bros. Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2012 - Koi No Yokan (Reprise/Warner Bros. Records)

* peaked at #11 on the Billboard 200 on 12-1-12

2016 - Gore (Reprise/Warner Bros. Records)

* peaked at #2 on the Billboard 200 on 4-30-16

2019 - Live At Dynamo Open Air 1998 (F.R.E.T. Music)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2020 - Ohms (Reprise/Warner Bros. Records)

* peaked at #5 on the Billboard 200 on 10-10-20

MY THOUGHTS ON DEFTONES:

Deftones formed as a band back when the members were still in high school in Sacramento, California back in 1988. They spent 7 years honing their craft and playing live anywhere they could. Eventually, they were signed by Maverick Records, which was an off-shoot of the Warner Bros. label. In 1995, Deftones dropped their official debut album, "Adrenaline". While the band saw this album as a hurried recording, it definitely generated some buzz for them. Their next album, 1997's "Around The Fur", put the Deftones on the map, thanks to the singles "My Own Summer (Shove It)" and "Be Quiet And Drive (Far Away). Their third album, 2000's "White Pony", established the band as headliner material and a force to be reckoned with! The single "Change (In The House Of Flies)" is the band's most successful single. The 2003 album "Deftones" saw the band focusing on a heavier sound. This, and their later album "Gore", would turn out to be their highest charting albums, both reaching #2 on the Billboard 200. The Deftones completed their contract with Maverick Records with the release of their 2006 album, "Saturday Night Wrist". The band stayed with Warner Bros., just on another branch of that label, Reprise. They are still with Reprise/Warner Bros. to the present day. In 2008, the band was working on an album titled "Eros" when their bassist Chi Cheng got into a serious car accident which left him in a minimally conscious state. The band decided to shelf this album for the time being and worked on new material which would turn out to be 2010's "Diamond Eyes". 2012 saw the band drop "Koi No Yokan". On April, 13, 2013, Cheng died after falling into cardiac arrest after his long battle back from his horrific injuries sustained in that 2008 car accident. One year after his death, the band released the song "Smile" which to date is the only song released from the "Eros" sessions. To this day, the band is not enthusiastic about releasing "Eros" any time soon. In 2016, the band released "Gore", as I said earlier, this and "Deftones" both reached #2, making them their highest charting albums. The Deftones most recent release was 2020's "Ohms". While the Deftones get lumped into the "nu-metal" genre, it's a label the band doesn't agree with and I don't really agree with it either. I see them as a band that meshes some metal elements with some post-grunge elements but they have this atmospheric presence in their music. They can be heavy as hell at some points but other times they can almost have this trippy, airy vibe to their sound. If you listen to what is probably my favorite song by the band, "Digital Bath", you can kinda get what I'm talking about with that atmospheric vibe. I'm pretty sure I heard "My Own Summer" and "Be Quiet And Drive" but I would say I really got into the Deftones when "White Pony" came out, then I worked my way back to their earlier albums. They have elements of other bands but their style is very unique to me. Vocalist Chino Moreno sings almost off beat a little bit which makes it very distinct. They get compared to Korn a lot which I think is garbage. I mean, the only similar thing I see between the two bands is they kinda came on the scene together but I think the Deftones have more in common with an Alice In Chains than they do Korn. Deftones are the real deal!

SIMILAR ARTISTS:

Team Sleep

A Perfect Circle

Chevelle

Alice In Chains

Failure

TEN DEFTONES SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

1. Digital Bath

2. Minerva

3. 7 Words

4. Hole In The Earth

5. Tempest