Photo illustration courtesy of senior Linnaea Marks.

  If you’re a San Luis Obispo High School student who is a fan of the metal genre, there’s no doubt that the name Deftones will ring a bell in your mind. 

  Deftones is a Sacramento-based alternative metal band formed in 1988. Led by frontman singer Chino Moreno, Deftones has experimented with their sound extensively with great success in the past few decades. While mainly described as alternative metal, their music has experimented with many extremes, ranging from post-hardcore to dream pop. 

  “I love how you can just scream cry to so many of their songs. I feel like their music, for me at least, creates such a good vent outlet to just embrace what may be considered uglier emotions,” said senior Sabrina Slusser.

  But what sets Deftones apart from other metal bands? 

  I remember my first time listening to Deftones in the beginning of quarantine. The song “My Own Summer” from the “Around the Fur” album was playing. I was immediately hit with the sharp opening guitar riff that seemed to reach out and scream in my face. 

  Moreno’s vocals begin as anxious whispers during the first verse, but quickly escalate into full-blown, agonizing screams. The rest of the song follows the trend of quiet-loud-quiet-loud, which is reminiscent of the sound patterns of bands like Nirvana and Pixies, but with an added heavy metal twist.

  “Their sound truly envelopes so much raw sentiment and that brings me a lot of sense of security,” said Slusser.

  And while many of their early albums tend to emulate a more aggressive side of Deftones, they have been highly successful in experimenting with more pop-inspired accents. Blended with the heavy guitar tones of guitarist Stephen Carpenter, as well as Moreno’s variety of vocal styles, the results are absolutely brilliant. 

  Songs like “Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away)”, “Change (In the House of Flies)”, and “Sextape” are the most recognized songs of this mixture of style. In my opinion, they are some of the most beautiful songs by Deftones, and maybe some of the best songs I’ve heard in my life.

  Deftones is definitely worth giving a listen to at least once. Or twice. Or even more.