Deftones Deep Dive

By: Lincoln Owsley

In 1988, the alternative metal band Deftones was formed in Sacramento, California. They were formed by front-man Chino Moreno, drummer Abe Cunningham, and lead guitarist Stephan Carpenter. Bassist Chi Cheng joined later in 1990 with keyboardist Frank Delgado joining even later in 1999.

In 1988, Carpenter began playing guitar while recovering from being hit by a drunk driver while skateboarding. He received money from a legal settlement and used it to purchase band equipment. Carpenter found Cunningham and Moreno. Moreno claimed he didn’t know how to sing but reportedly said “Ok. I’ll do it. It sounds like fun.”

They began practicing in Carpenter’s garage without the vision of becoming a big band but that it was just for fun. They needed someone to play bass and so they found Cheng, who couldn’t play bass but Carpenter said he reminded him of a member from the band Death Angel, so he let him be the bassist.

They began playing at parties in 1990 and eventually got a gig at a Sacramento club in 1992. A local promoter by the name of Jerry Perry helped them play several more gigs in the bay area. They developed a following in Northern California and closed for many bigger bands. They caught the attention of an associate of a Maverick Record executive who later got ahold of one of their demos.

The Deftones played three songs for the executives at Maverick and it was clear, Maverick had a label and they wanted the Deftones on it. In 1994 the group signed with Maverick Records because they thought that they were a  company that cared about the bands on their label. In 1995 they recorded their debut album, Adrenaline, which sold very well. In 1997, they released their sophomore album, Around the Fur, debuting at number 29 on the music billboards.

As of 1998, the Deftones were getting limited media exposure, most of which came from a concert in Tempe, Arizona where a riot broke out after power was cut during one of their concerts. In 2000, they caught a drift of popularity however after releasing their third album, White Pony. In 2003, 2010, and 2016 they released three albums titled Deftones, Diamond Eyes, and Gore, respectively. During the production of Diamond Eyes, Cheng was involved in a car accident and had to be replaced by Sergio Vega, the bassist for another band, Quicksand.

In 2012, the band released their seventh album, Koi No Yokan, to overall good reviews. Cheng sadly passed away in 2013 at the age of 42. A couple years later in 2016 they returned to release Gore and later in 2020 they released Ohms which was nominated for three, winning one, Grammys that year.

The Deftones as a group have a very impressive discography and are very worth checking out for anyone that enjoys bands like Linkin Park, System of a Down, Korn, or Tool.

This album is one of the bands best!

Photo from: pitchfork.com