Chapter VII: No Limits
It's truly amazing how simple changes could make things turn out the way that they do and in retrospective, this band is a firm example of this concept. Deftones’ discography has certainly been one hell of a dynamic thrill ride with them starting out as a standard nu metal band, but soon evolving into something staggeringly more meaningful and influential overtime. They had the guts to never stay in the shade, reach for the sky and use a wide variety of styles to develop into the Deftones that everyone knows and loves nowadays. The band as a whole also exhibits how there truly are no limits. Easily showcasing their never ending musicianship and talent, the band developed what the listener heard on
Diamond Eyes even more and utilized a full-fledged post metal style of music with their usual little touches of shoegaze thrown into the mix. Granted,
Diamond Eyes was a bit more consistent and there exists a few stumbles on
Koi No Yokan, their seventh studio album further exhibits the band’s talent and it once again provides reasons why many bands establish Deftones as an influence to their music. Rest assured,
Koi No Yokan proves to be Deftones’ most epic release to date.
Over the course of the album, the band expands upon the style heard on
Diamond Eyes even more while at the same time adding a more layered touch to it that proves to be nothing short of heavy and epic. Take “Leathers” for example with it starting out ever so quietly, but then explodes into a fiery sea of hard hitting guitar riffs with Chino giving one of his best performances to date. These type of buildups happen to be seen quite frequently throughout the listen with “Tempest” and “Rosemary” providing more of the same exceptional qualities heard in “Leathers.” The buildup in “Rosemary” proves to be beautiful with Chino quietly singing about the effects of crossing into new dimensions. This buildup then gives way to a simple yet undeniably effect guitar riff that all leads up to an intense wall of sound with Chino passionately singing “Stay with me as we cross the empty skies.” The whole track happens to be exhilarating and the breakdown near the end is head banging fun. Meanwhile, “Tempest” utilizes these qualities in a bit of a heavier fashion which involves bringing Abe and Sergio into the mix. While Chino and Stephen are nonetheless at their best, Abe and Sergio deliver exemplary performances with Sergio providing awesome bass work and Abe playing an engaging rhythm. As showcased here,
Koi No Yokan proves to be at its undeniable best with its heavier tracks.
However, make no mistake that the band certainly excels at slowing things down a bit to take it all in. “What Happened to You” centers completely around Chino here with tear jerking lyrics about him coming to terms with Chi’s state. As his passionate performance exclaims, he knows that there exists turning back from what happened and how his imminent passing will surely come. Even knowing this will inevitably happen, Chino knows that Chi will be looking down at the band from the sky. “Entombed” features similar qualities, but this track centers itself more on Stephen’s exceptional guitar work and atmosphere. In addition to Chino’s emotional lyrics, the song gives Stephen a chance to shine here and it all builds to a soothing conclusion completely free of Chino.
Despite all of the positive remarks mentioned above,
Koi No Yokan certainly has a number of pitfalls. With the exception to Sergio’s incredible bass work in “Gauze,” the whole track seemingly lacks the sort of passion that Deftones are known for and “Graphic Nature” proves to be no exception. Abe’s drumming here is more or less the same exact rhythm heard in the far superior “Digital Bath” and possesses a chorus that is more annoying than memorable. In addition to these lackluster tracks, Chino’s lyrical work happens to be in a bit of a low point on this album. Though he’s not terrible by any means here, songs like “Romantic Dreams” simply make the listener crave more from him despite fantastic vocals, engaging guitar work, and Abe delivering some of his best work in that track.
All gripes aside,
Koi No Yokan exists as a testament to how Deftones’ musicianship has improved to the fullest over the years and shows how the idea of bands using them as influences proves to be completely warranted. Though the record is certainly not perfect by any means, it nonetheless soars. Deftones are currently in the process of recording another album and judging by how well they used their wide range of styles, the door is left wide open for them to impress the listeners with anything they do. Their next record will be highly anticipated and until that day comes, their devoted fans will still have the pleasure of delving into their exceptional discography once again. However, in the extremely unfortunate event of the band breaking up in the process of this recording, their incredible legacy will without a doubt live on for generations.
