Deftones albums ranked
All of this is in my personal opinion
9. Gоre
This album just didn't resonate with me that much. It's not bad, but I just couldn't get into it. Can't quite place my finger on it... There are a few songs from Gоre I enjoy, but even those aren't songs I ever find myself coming back to listen to. Not a bad album by any means, but of all the Deftones album, this is the one I enjoy the least.
Highlights: "Prayers/Triangles", "Phantom Bride"
8. Adrenaline
A lot of fans consider Deftones' debut one of their best. But for me personally, the title of the opening track "Bored" kinda sums up how I feel about most of it. Adrenaline gets better toward the later half, but most of the album is just boring to me. What tracks I do enjoy stand out as solid tracks I can come back to listen to, which is the only reason I put this above Gоre. But I personally can't consider Adrenaline one of Deftones' better records.
Highlights: "7 Words", "Engine No. 9", "Fireal"
7. Deftones
The band's self-titled record that saw them stray even further from conventional mainstream music standards by adopting an even wider variety of music styles. This album features some of the band's heaviest songs, but also some of their dreamiest as they flirt with shoegaze, trip-hop and even piano ballad. They had a made a statement with this album's predecessor White Pony that they were going take whatever direction they wanted and not be party to any trends and with Deftones, they make it clear that they have no intention of straying from that direction. Not among their best efforts, but still an all-around decent one.
Highlights: "Hexagram", "Minerva", "Lucky You", "Battle-Axe"
6. Saturday Night Wrist
This was the last album to feature bassist Chi Cheng before his car wreck that lead to his coma and eventual passing. Fans are hard on Saturday Night Wrist and consider it one of their weaker albums. Chino himself has expressed his dissatisfaction with it. Sure its production was marred by turmoil and personal struggles within the group, but the end product was a good album that lived up to Deftones standards. I really like it! It has a couple of my favorite songs by the band and I feel it's rather mistreated. It may not be their most memorable album, but it's most certainly not one of their worst!
Highlights: "Mein", "Cherry Waves", "Kimdracula", "Hole in the Earth"
5. Ohms
Fans who favored Deftones' earlier heavier music lament most of their recent albums for them having become less heavy and straying from their roots. For such fans, Ohms ought to be seen as the return to form they've always wanted, as its the heaviest album they've done in years and its quality is nearly on par with their older material. Some remnants of the lighter, dreamier sound from the few records preceding it remain, which makes this one sound a lot like meeting in the middle between their older and newer music. Whatever the case, it works for me because Deftones have managed to make Ohms one of their top five albums for me. All by rediscovering their heavier roots while still finding a way to keep their style fresh.
Highlights: "Radiant City", "Genesis", "Ceremony", "Ohms" "Error"
4. Diamond Eyes
The first album without Chi Cheng, the first with Sergio Vega serving as his replacement and the start of a stylistic shift in tone in the band's music. Diamond Eyes saw Deftones take on a whole different vibe, largely influenced by Cheng entering a coma. In contrast to the dark and angsty nature of previous albums, Diamond Eyes is far more optimistic and uplifting, both musically and lyrically. It focuses more on the atmospheric, emotional side of their music. This irked fans partial to their earlier heavier work, but the end result was something of a renaissance for Deftones. It was the finest record we had seen from them since White Pony and offers even more of the group's signature hits.
Highlights: "Sextape", "Diamond Eyes", "Royal", "Beauty School", "Rocket Skates"
3. Koi No Yokan
This is another one fans are particularly harsh with and consider it one of the band's lesser records. This breaks my heart because I really love it! Koi No Yokan, as the title would suggest (translation: "premonition of love") is Deftones at their most heartfelt. They take the optimistic themes from Diamond Eyes and make it the centerpiece of this record. It has some of their most romantic and atmospheric songs and is probably the most mature record they've ever done. There is little of their classic heaviness to be heard, which isn't going to sit well with all fans, but if one is able to appreciate the more mature and emotive aspects of Deftones, they'll be right at home with this one.
Highlights: "Entombed", "Leathers", "Tempest", "Swerve City", "Poltergeist"
2. Around the Fur
Deftones' sophomore album and undoubtedly their heaviest. This album should've been titled Adrenaline, as it would have lived up to the name far more than their debut! Around the Fur sees Deftones at their most intense, cranking up the raw nu metal sound from their first while also displaying the earliest examples of their experimental undertones by incorporating influences from new wave, post-punk and shoegaze, which would be instrumental in forming the band's signature sound. It may predominantly be a nu metal album and established the band as one of the leading acts of the nu metal movement alongside Korn, but even at that point, Deftones were setting themselves apart from the rest as a nu metal group that had style, by being creative with their music so that it stands the test of time.
Highlights: "My Own Summer (Shove It)", "Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away)", "Lhabia", "Rickets", "Around the Fur"
1. White Pony
Deftones' undisputed masterpiece. Released at the height of nu metal's popularity, White Pony was made when the band were under pressure from their label to become "the next Limp Bizkit" by incorporating more hip-hop elements in their music. Deftones, however, had other plans in mind. They recognized that the very music scene they helped start wasn't going to remain popular for much longer. Rather than focusing on the now, they looked toward future and opted to make White Pony a landmark that would develop their sound by incorporating a wide variety of musical influences, further setting themselves apart from their contemporaries. In the long run, they succeeded! Whereas most other nu-metal "classics" from that era are largely forgotten about, White Pony remains one of the very few worth remembering. Not just as Deftones' best, but a turning point for heavy experimental music entering the new millennium. It was the last straightforward nu metal album the band ever did before treading into their own direction. But this was the album that where they amply declared that they're no run-of-the-mill group.
Highlights: "Digital Bath", "Change (In The House of Flies)", "Rx Queen", "Passenger", "Pink Maggit"
Feel free to share your opinions on my album ranking and thanks for reading!
This album just didn't resonate with me that much. It's not bad, but I just couldn't get into it. Can't quite place my finger on it... There are a few songs from Gоre I enjoy, but even those aren't songs I ever find myself coming back to listen to. Not a bad album by any means, but of all the Deftones album, this is the one I enjoy the least.
Highlights: "Prayers/Triangles", "Phantom Bride"
A lot of fans consider Deftones' debut one of their best. But for me personally, the title of the opening track "Bored" kinda sums up how I feel about most of it. Adrenaline gets better toward the later half, but most of the album is just boring to me. What tracks I do enjoy stand out as solid tracks I can come back to listen to, which is the only reason I put this above Gоre. But I personally can't consider Adrenaline one of Deftones' better records.
Highlights: "7 Words", "Engine No. 9", "Fireal"
The band's self-titled record that saw them stray even further from conventional mainstream music standards by adopting an even wider variety of music styles. This album features some of the band's heaviest songs, but also some of their dreamiest as they flirt with shoegaze, trip-hop and even piano ballad. They had a made a statement with this album's predecessor White Pony that they were going take whatever direction they wanted and not be party to any trends and with Deftones, they make it clear that they have no intention of straying from that direction. Not among their best efforts, but still an all-around decent one.
Highlights: "Hexagram", "Minerva", "Lucky You", "Battle-Axe"
This was the last album to feature bassist Chi Cheng before his car wreck that lead to his coma and eventual passing. Fans are hard on Saturday Night Wrist and consider it one of their weaker albums. Chino himself has expressed his dissatisfaction with it. Sure its production was marred by turmoil and personal struggles within the group, but the end product was a good album that lived up to Deftones standards. I really like it! It has a couple of my favorite songs by the band and I feel it's rather mistreated. It may not be their most memorable album, but it's most certainly not one of their worst!
Highlights: "Mein", "Cherry Waves", "Kimdracula", "Hole in the Earth"
Fans who favored Deftones' earlier heavier music lament most of their recent albums for them having become less heavy and straying from their roots. For such fans, Ohms ought to be seen as the return to form they've always wanted, as its the heaviest album they've done in years and its quality is nearly on par with their older material. Some remnants of the lighter, dreamier sound from the few records preceding it remain, which makes this one sound a lot like meeting in the middle between their older and newer music. Whatever the case, it works for me because Deftones have managed to make Ohms one of their top five albums for me. All by rediscovering their heavier roots while still finding a way to keep their style fresh.
Highlights: "Radiant City", "Genesis", "Ceremony", "Ohms" "Error"
The first album without Chi Cheng, the first with Sergio Vega serving as his replacement and the start of a stylistic shift in tone in the band's music. Diamond Eyes saw Deftones take on a whole different vibe, largely influenced by Cheng entering a coma. In contrast to the dark and angsty nature of previous albums, Diamond Eyes is far more optimistic and uplifting, both musically and lyrically. It focuses more on the atmospheric, emotional side of their music. This irked fans partial to their earlier heavier work, but the end result was something of a renaissance for Deftones. It was the finest record we had seen from them since White Pony and offers even more of the group's signature hits.
Highlights: "Sextape", "Diamond Eyes", "Royal", "Beauty School", "Rocket Skates"
This is another one fans are particularly harsh with and consider it one of the band's lesser records. This breaks my heart because I really love it! Koi No Yokan, as the title would suggest (translation: "premonition of love") is Deftones at their most heartfelt. They take the optimistic themes from Diamond Eyes and make it the centerpiece of this record. It has some of their most romantic and atmospheric songs and is probably the most mature record they've ever done. There is little of their classic heaviness to be heard, which isn't going to sit well with all fans, but if one is able to appreciate the more mature and emotive aspects of Deftones, they'll be right at home with this one.
Highlights: "Entombed", "Leathers", "Tempest", "Swerve City", "Poltergeist"
Deftones' sophomore album and undoubtedly their heaviest. This album should've been titled Adrenaline, as it would have lived up to the name far more than their debut! Around the Fur sees Deftones at their most intense, cranking up the raw nu metal sound from their first while also displaying the earliest examples of their experimental undertones by incorporating influences from new wave, post-punk and shoegaze, which would be instrumental in forming the band's signature sound. It may predominantly be a nu metal album and established the band as one of the leading acts of the nu metal movement alongside Korn, but even at that point, Deftones were setting themselves apart from the rest as a nu metal group that had style, by being creative with their music so that it stands the test of time.
Highlights: "My Own Summer (Shove It)", "Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away)", "Lhabia", "Rickets", "Around the Fur"
Deftones' undisputed masterpiece. Released at the height of nu metal's popularity, White Pony was made when the band were under pressure from their label to become "the next Limp Bizkit" by incorporating more hip-hop elements in their music. Deftones, however, had other plans in mind. They recognized that the very music scene they helped start wasn't going to remain popular for much longer. Rather than focusing on the now, they looked toward future and opted to make White Pony a landmark that would develop their sound by incorporating a wide variety of musical influences, further setting themselves apart from their contemporaries. In the long run, they succeeded! Whereas most other nu-metal "classics" from that era are largely forgotten about, White Pony remains one of the very few worth remembering. Not just as Deftones' best, but a turning point for heavy experimental music entering the new millennium. It was the last straightforward nu metal album the band ever did before treading into their own direction. But this was the album that where they amply declared that they're no run-of-the-mill group.
Highlights: "Digital Bath", "Change (In The House of Flies)", "Rx Queen", "Passenger", "Pink Maggit"
Feel free to share your opinions on my album ranking and thanks for reading!
