DEFTONES: ADRENALINE & AROUND THE FUR

On January 21, 2023 I listened to and reviewed Deftones' debut album Adrenaline, which was an album I had heard songs from but not given a front-to-back listen to beforehand until that date. I later updated this same review on May 14, 2024 (unsure of what I changed). I wanted to upload my Deftones reviews here since they have been the band I have been diving deeper into lately, and I have been a fan of them for years now. I have listened to a large amount of their discography in the month of January 2025, but my Adrenaline review is part of what will be a double review for this blog specifically since it is a short one. It was published before I had the writing skills I do today, but I wanted to include it here to have the complete set of album reviews when I finish their studio album collection.

DEFTONES: ADRENALINE

SCORE: 90/100


The only real issue here is the mixing, the instrumentals are so overpowering compared to the vocals. But ignoring the mixing, the vocals, lyrics, and instrumentals are all amazing. It's such a crisp and amazing style and this is one of the best nu metal albums I have heard, definitely a must listen for any metal fans, this is one of the essential nu metal albums for sure.

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I reviewed Around the Fur on the 5th of this month (January 2025), and it was an album I had been meaning to get to for years. Not only was it fulfilling to get it off of that long backlog of albums I've had for so long now - it was an incredibly rewarding listen. I had hesitance towards the album due to the nearly 40-minute closing track MX, but upon learning that skipping to the tracks hidden beneath the silence still counted as listening to the album in full, that hesitance I had was gone and I was ready to dive in.

DEFTONES: AROUND THE FUR

SCORE: 100/100

Around the Fur is an album I've honestly been needing to listen to for YEARS. It's an album that I've been a huge fan of for a very long time, and it's one that I've heard almost every song from. I was mainly avoidant due to the 37 minute track at the end of the album until I was reassured that it still "counts" as listening to the album in full without listening to the 30+ minutes of silence that are present on the last track of the album.

It goes without saying that Around the Fur is one of the most iconic and instantly recognizable metal albums of all time by cover alone. With songs like Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away) and My Own Summer (Shove It) in particular, Deftones built up on their sound from their debut album and perfected their style. The mixing of the songs on this album is better than some of the overbearing songs on their debut, and it's a more polished and accessible album overall.

The album doesn't let up for even a second - with each song making a name for itself almost immediately and showing off the stylized elements of Deftones' music. This is THE Deftones album if you're looking for a more edge-filled and sharp album that is both rough around the edges and polished at the same time. It's a work of sheer metal masterclass, and it's easily one of the most iconic and essential nu-metal/alternative metal projects of all time.

Around the Fur is an album that is like no other. You won't find the vocal or instrumental style that can be heard on this album anywhere else - this is a feat that ONLY Deftones could pull off. It's an incredibly ambitious and venom-filled project that shows what made the nu-metal boom so great before it became more of "the thing to do". The band didn't care about fitting into genres; they cared about making a fiery album and they did just that.

It's a wildly impressive and exhilarating album. It manages to be everything that a metal album should be - with both melodic moments and moments that will make your heart pump and your head spin. It's an incredibly consistent album with a deeply cohesive and polished sound, and it manages to have grit while being incredibly refined and polished. There will never be another album like this one and it is an absolutely essential metal album for anybody who hasn't heard it.

The songs come together wonderfully - and it makes for a truly mind-blowing metal album that is everything the genre should be. There isn't a dull moment on Around the Fur, and the cohesiveness of the albums' sequencing makes it one that is absolutely essential to listen to from front to back at least once.

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