The Diary of a Hobbyist

This review is a bundle of all of the main studio albums currently released by Deftones. This includes all of their albums (excluding reissues, live albums, and compilations) in one post to make my dive into their discography have a more cohesive read for those who want to see it all in one package. DEFTONES ALBUM RANKING: -Saturday Night Wrist (100) -White Pony  (100) -Around the Fur  (100) -Koi No Yokan  (100) -Diamond Eyes (98) -Deftones (96) -Ohms (96) -Adrenaline (90) -Gore (89) ADRENALINE:  SCORE: 90/100 (January 21, 2023 *updated May 14, 2024) 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. AROUND THE FUR: SCORE: 100/100 (January 5, 2025)...

SCORE: 96/100 The final project in my Deftones studio album dive (until they release another project). This was one I meant to get to a little bit sooner but I put it off in favor of other projects - I think I had reviewed too much Deftones in too short of a time; but this album is a harsh reminder of what makes them such an incredible band with the instantaneously electrifying introduction of 'Genesis'. This album is a massive return to form when compared to their previous album 'Gore' - with a heavier sound and a sound similar to that of 'Around the Fur', 'Ohms' is an absolute triumph for a band that can prove time and time again that they've still got what it takes to be great all these years later.  It's a return to heavier form for the band - showcasing the heavier side of their music while still keeping the more cinematic elements to their songs in tact; it isn't as atmosphere-based as some of their other projects, but it makes for a ve...

DEFTONES: GORE SCORE: 89/100 A shorter and less favored album for many, Deftones' 2016 albums hits the right spots and returns to the form found throughout their 2006 opus 'Saturday Night Wrist'.  For many, 'Gore' manages to be the weakest effort in the deeply complex and delightful discography of the band. It is a less praised album overall - which I was immediately confused by upon playing the first track. The album has the same complexity as their other projects - having a more modern sound and using different soundscapes to make the album unique from their other projects while still keeping the cohesion of their albums up to par.  It's a striking comeback that engulfs their discography with more heavy & scenic tracks, with each song having a different sound than the last and the album coming together quite well. There are some weaker moments on this album and it feels less polished than their previous works, but it is an incredibly solid and great projec...

DEFTONES: KOI NO YOKAN SCORE: 100/100 (January 8, 2025) 'Koi No Yokan' is yet another triumphant return to form for Deftones - leaning more into the shoegaze sounds of 'Saturday Night Wrist' to make another immediately captivating and mesmerizing project. It's another deeply melodic and textural record - with deep soundscapes and instrumental depth being present throughout the hard & soft tracks. It's a strong metal album with heavy elements being brought alongside gorgeous melodies and layered instruments, and it's a mix of the experimentation present on both 'White Pony' and 'Saturday Night Wrist' while changing their sound and diving deeper into the blissful metal soundscapes explored on their previous projects. The heavier songs of this album are done in a way that has never been done before, and this is an incredibly impressive step up in a direction that didn't seem possible. The heaviest of songs blend deeply rooted guitars wit...

This is an older review of mine that isn't very well formatted - and it was my second Deftones album that I had listened to. My first was their debut project Adrenaline .  DEFTONES: DIAMOND EYES SCORE: 98/100 (July 4, 2023) Deftones went for a more positive album with less complaining about life and more loving it. They used a sound that almost sounds like a fantasy, like a trip straight through a fantasy movie. Chino sung less about himself and problems and took the approach of detaching himself from the lyrics. This album is one of those albums that just makes me feel like I'm in the album, it makes me think, it makes me feel the music effortlessly. It has such a strong atmosphere to it. It's such an interesting style and is considerably a lot different than their earliest work. This has a less heavy style, focusing less on screams and more on softer vocals a lot of the time. An album born from a tragedy, art made from grief. Something that makes the album even more touch...

DEFTONES: SATURDAY NIGHT WRIST SCORE: 100/100 (January 7, 2025) A thematically dark and instrumentally blissful record, 'Saturday Night Wrist' is an even more triumphant return to consistency than their previous, self-titled effort. The album is instantly captivating - hooking a listener in and shaking them before letting loose into blissful and lush melodies, the album is everything that makes all of the the soft, light, dark, and heavy stylistic elements of the bands' albums come together as one gorgeous record. Soft & serene one moment and dark and anguishing the next, 'Saturday Night Wrist' is a stunning portrait of the band as a whole while being deeply rooted into Chino's ongoing struggles with drugs & marriage. His personality and feelings spill out into every song, with the album feeling like a dark and gloomy glimpse into the mind and the darkest corners of the soul, the album manages to be sultry & sexy while being dark and sorrowful at the...

  DEFTONES: DEFTONES SCORE: 96/100 (January 6, 2025) One of their heaviest and most experimental albums, Deftones' self-titled album stays true to its title. It feels like a combination of every aspect and style present within their previous three projects while still experimenting and going in new directions, and it's a much heavier and intense project when compared to the soft edginess of 'White Pony'. It has the vocal prowess of 'White Pony', with more melodic vocals mixed in with the raspy, heavy screams, while the album has the instrumental edge of 'Around the Fur' and a more polished 'Adrenaline'. It's a deeply layered album full of texture and various elements stacked together - and it doesn't let up. It's incredibly impressive that 'White Pony' was followed up with an album as good as this one, and it seems like the band was on a never-ending streak starting with the iconic 'Around the Fur'. 'Deftones' ...

SCORE: 100/100 There's both songs that will make you want to cry and songs that will make you want to mosh - and it's more than just an album. White Pony  isn't just another rock album; it's an experience. It's a project that somehow glistens even brighter than Around the Fur , and it uses more of the melodic sounds found on Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away)  found on their previous album. This helps to reinvent the sound & style of the band while keeping the structural integrity of their sound very much alive - and it feels like an even more matured and refined project. White Pony is a deeply serene and atmospheric album with so many feelings within it at once - it's smooth, sexy, dark, and gloomy all at once. It's a heavily moody album; but not in the teenage angst way of many rock albums of the 2000s. It's a smoothly refined and impressively polished album that shines with each note, and every song tells you something different from the last. Soft on...

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 in...