Review Summary: Gore is not perfect, however it is still a great album that offers more power and awe with multiple listens.
Out of the nu-metal uprising in the mid 90s-early 2000's, there have been some unique and not unique acts. One of the more unique acts were Deftones. The band, hailing from Sacramento, have been together for 20+ years. The band had released five albums and were gearing up for their sixth when bassist Chi Cheng was involved in an accident. Sergio Vega was his replacement, and Chi ultimately died in a coma in 2013. Deftones had released Diamond Eyes and Koi No Yokan with new bassist, and now we have Gore. The band was having a rough time making the album, but it has finally come. The band's eighth studio effort is a rewarding listen, but there is still some things injuring this album.
For most Deftones albums, many will agree the key is to listen to their records from start to finish over and over again. This is no different with Gore. "Prayers/Triangles" and "Doomed User" are great, however they don't exactly sound complete without the rest of the album. Upon hearing Gore, everything seems to fit in the perfect puzzle. "Prayers/Triangles" is a strong opener, and "Acid Hologram" is a wonderfully dark song, which offers diversity to the album. However, when listening, Gore seems like one complete composition, in the sense that everything seems to fit where it should. Each track is placed so they unusually, but nicely, lead into each other. When a song may somewhat fail on its own, it still contributes to one spread out composition, and will keep the listener interested, and it works. This, in turn, will make it hard to point out the higher points to the album, but upon another listen, the high points come clear.
For starters, "Hearts/Wires" is an extremely strong song, and is nicely paced and very atmospheric. The shoegaz-ey guitar intro serves as the songs high point, as does the electric chorus that showcases some of Chino's greatest vocal work. Songs like "Geometric Headdress" and "Pittura Infamante" may take a few listens, however the electric riffs, diverse vocal styles, sophisticated drumming and underlying bass help the tracks immensely. The album does have it's turn of dirtier pieces, such as the driving "Xenon", and the hard-hitting title track, serving as my favorite off the album. There are also shares of more calming, beautiful songs such as the relaxing "(L)MIRL" and the powerful "Phantom Bride", featuring an epic guitar solo by Alice In Chains' Jerry Cantrell. Then, the album closes strongly with "Rubicon", showcasing the band's talent together.
Speaking of talent, there are some strong performances going on. For one, Abe Cunningham still proves himself as a nicely, sophisticated drummer. Cunningham is talented at keeping steady beats, and acting as the overall drive of some of the songs. Vega shows himself as a talented bassist, and his steady bass lines give foundation to the record. Delgado, while under-utilized, provides nice sampling and keyboards to the music, however on this album he doesn't offer as much as he did on albums like Diamond Eyes, Koi No Yokan, or Saturday Night Wrist. Stephen Carpenter, even though he was a bit against Gore in the beginning, is the power of the album. His riffs are extremely diverse, as they can show his signature heavy down tuned riffs, and plunge into his calming and beautiful shoegaze-type licks. Then there is the frontman, Chino Moreno, himself. He still proves to be a very strong vocalist, as both his screams and calming, melodic vocals are present. All in all, the performances are strong, however it seems the band has found common ground. They have solidified their own style, and are no strangers to experimentation, but they have a hard time going anywhere from there own experimental style. That is not a bad thing, as it still proves to be a very interesting sound, but this keeps Gore on common ground, with not much development from there. Still, the performances bring a lot to the table, and mix metal with shoegaze in a very quality way.
If there is a major flaw to be found on the album, it is the incredibly wonky production. At fault, would be Matt Hyde. Mr. Hyde seems to have trouble capturing some of the magic sounds Deftones have showcased with previous records. The music remains strong, but the production immensely ruins some of it. The guitars drown out other instruments on some songs, and the drums overpower the mix at time also. The guitar, while strong, sounds somewhat thin. The drums will overpower the mix at times, with the cymbals being way too loud, and the drum heads sounding very dull. The bass also seems to be having trouble fitting in, with it sometimes being very loud, or very quiet. Chino's vocals, like most records, still echo all over the place, however the strength on his voice is underwhelmed. Gore is a good representation of how production can hurt an otherwise excellent album, and Matt Hyde seems to have burned away the magical sound previously shown.
Gore definitely is a bit dense, and it is pretty difficult to review this album. It definitely takes multiple listens to appreciate, as the first listens will make Gore seem very underwhelming. It should be noted that giving Gore time to grow on you, and really effect you, will be for the best, as the final product of Gore is excellent. Deftones seemed to have found some common ground, however they continue to move forward, and experiment with their sound. This isn't Around The Fur 2.0, and that is a good thing. Some bands continue to make the same albums over and over, with the same inconsistencies. It's good that Deftones are still alive and kicking, and can craft beautiful pieces and experiment on them. Deftones continue to take their music into different, strong and new sounds, and this is proved on Gore. Gore has some flaws, and is a bit more of an underwhelming release compared to Diamond Eyes. Gore stands on it's own as an excellent record, and will become a lot more powerful upon more and more listens.
Favorite Track: Gore
Least Favorite Track: Pittura Infamante
