Album feels like a love letter to the band’s sound
Upon the release of the Deftones’ ninth studio album “Ohms,” I couldn’t help but feel a slight tinge of disappointment during my first listen. Sure, I had enjoyed the first and self-titled single “Ohms” as the track fits perfectly within the boundaries of Deftones’ core sound with its overdriven guitar tone, blistering drums, and groovy bass rhythms topped by singer Chino Moreno’s signature vocal tone. The rest of the album, however, struck me as a jumbled mess of sound and recycled ideas from the iconic group. It has been almost three years since the release of Ohms, and I have found myself pleasantly surprised with realizing what I was missing out on in that span of time.
“Ohms” is an album that gathers some of the best qualities of Deftones and brings them together into a wonderful package. The album is sequenced perfectly, with the 10 tracks complementing each other as it continues. It dawned on me that the “jumbled mess” I had described earlier was most likely a product of my own reservations and opinion of what Deftones should be, rather than what they actually are as shown through the content they provide for us.
Some highlights of the album include the tracks “Error,” “The Spell of Mathematics” and “Radiant City.” “Error” begins with a clashing guitar chord and a drum groove from co-founder and drummer Abe Cunningham, which is then followed by the satisfying crunch of Stephen Carpenter’s guitar tone thanks to his use of extended range instruments such as the eight- and nine-string guitar that allows for further sonic exploration, which has been a recurring theme with Carpenter throughout their 34-year career.
“The Spell of Mathematics” follows “Error” perfectly, with two simple stick clicks from Cunningham bridging the two tracks with each other. The track is filled with the usual Deftones trappings one might expect, which is always a plus. The last two minutes of this track is where it shines thanks to some cleverly placed snaps courtesy of Death Grips drummer, Zach Hill.
“Radiant City” kicks off with a bouncy, overdriven bass tone that is filled in when the rest of the band kicks in after the intro of the song. With a catchy, triumphant chorus, this song is sure to catch the ear of Deftones’ dedicated fanbase.
Overall, I was very impressed with “Ohms.” As I said earlier, the album is sequenced perfectly and the tracks flow and complement each other very well but are also able to stand on their own at any given time. Deftones have done it yet again with this piece of work, and I find it very regrettable that I did not see it this way three years ago.