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origin: Sacramento, California, U.S. genres: alternative metalart, rockexperimental rocknu metal years active: 1988–present members:Stephen Carpenter Abe Cunningham Chino Moreno Frank Delgado
Deftones is an American alternative metal band formed in Sacramento, California in 1988. They were formed by Chino Moreno (vocals, guitar), Stephen Carpenter (guitar), Abe Cunningham (drums), and Dominic Garcia (bass). During their first five years, the band's lineup changed several times, but stabilized in 1993 when Cunningham rejoined after his departure in 1990; by this time, Chi Cheng was bassist. The lineup remained stable for fifteen years, with the exception of keyboardist and turntablist Frank Delgado being added in 1999. The band's experimental nature has led some critics to describe them as "the Radiohead of metal".
Deftones have released nine albums since their inception. After the lineup settled in 1993, the band secured a recording contract with Maverick Records, and subsequently released their debut album Adrenaline in 1995. Promoting the album by touring exhaustively with other bands in the scene, Deftones managed to gain a dedicated fan base through word of mouth. Their second album Around the Fur was released in 1997, reached chart positions along with its singles, and became the band's first to receive certification from the RIAA.
The band found even further success with their third album White Pony (2000), which saw a transition away from their earlier, more aggressive sound into a more experimental direction. Its lead single "Change (In the House of Flies)" is the band's most commercially successful single, and the track "Elite" won a Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance; it was also the band's first of three albums to be certified platinum in the United States. Their self-titled fourth album was released in 2003. While the group's critical success continued, sales proved to be lackluster compared to White Pony.
Deftones' fifth studio effort, Saturday Night Wrist, was released in 2006. While critically acclaimed, the album's production was marred by creative tensions and personal issues within the band, some of which influenced its material. In 2008, while Deftones were working on an album tentatively titled Eros, Cheng was involved in a traffic collision. As a result, he was left in a minimally conscious state until his death in 2013 of cardiac arrest. After Cheng's accident, Deftones halted production on Eros. Quicksand bassist Sergio Vega, who had filled in as a touring member to replace Cheng, later became his permanent replacement, though Vega alleges he was never an official member
White Pony
The album marked a significant growth in the band's sound, incorporating influences from post-hardcore, trip hop, shoegaze, progressive rock, and post-rock into the alternative metal sound which they had become known for. White Pony was also the first recording to feature Frank Delgado as a full-time member of the band on turntables and synthesizer; Delgado had previously worked with the band as a featured guest on their first two albums, producing sound effects on some songs. It was also the first Deftones album which Chino Moreno began to contribute rhythm guitar parts..
Around the Fur
Around the Fur is the second studio album by American alternative metal band Deftones, released on October 28, 1997, by Maverick Records.
The songs "My Own Summer (Shove It)" and "Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away)" were released as singles with accompanying music videos.
The album was certified Gold by the RIAA in June 1999, and was eventually certified Platinum in 2011
Around the Fur has been described as alternative metal,nu metal, post-hardcore, and alternative rock. Guitarist Stephen Carpenter has since reflected, "We didn't really pay much attention to that. I remember when these subgenre names didn't exist. It was just metal. So I don't think we made a decision to step away [from nu metal] – we've never paid attention to what anyone else was doing. We just did what we thought was right, and tried to make a killer album." Producer Terry Date stated that the band wanted to become "more sophisticated" with Around the Fur. Lyrically, much of the album addresses topics such as juvenile perception, existential angst, sex, romance, violence, the death of loved ones, and break ups.