Title: Koi No Yokan
Artist: Deftones
Year of Release: 2012
Deftones have been a band I’ve always admired ever since Diamond Eyes unleashed its power to my ears back in 2010. They’ve persevered on throughout the years in their career; be it the years where they struggled to stand out in a myriad of alt-metal bands in the late-90s, when they risked losing fans by experimenting heavily on their signature sound, internal conflict and of course, when bassist Chi Cheng met with an unfortunate accident in 2008 that has since left him bedridden and semi-conscious. Deftones are a resilient bunch and have been churning out solid material for the past few years. After Chi’s accident, the band as a whole was put into question; what happens next?
Diamond Eyes happened, that’s what. The band roped in the services of Quicksand bassist Sergio Vega to stand in for Chi. For an album borne out of tragedy, Deftones never sounded so alive and raw. Setting the bar so high for themselves, fans would question where the band would go. The answer is Koi No Yokan. Meaning ‘Premonition of Love’ in Japanese, Koi No Yokan is arguably Deftones’ most consistent and dynamic album since White Pony.
Their signature sound, a crushing brew of shoegaze, post-hardcore, heavy metal and trip-hop is retained here, but it never sounds forced or overused. The band employs more synths in this album, conjuring an even deeper ambient atmosphere than any of their albums. Chino’s love for Brian Eno has never been so noticeable than in Koi No Yokan. The band has obviously put in a lot of work in the tracklisting and making the album as a whole; the tracks flow together very well. In an age where the art of the album is dying and people are consuming singles, this is absolutely remarkable.
There will be fans who will argue that they’ll never make an album as good as White Pony. Frankly, comparisons like that are tired and meaningless. Deftones don’t need to make the same album. They just need to continue kicking ass.
Standout tracks: ‘Rosemary’, ‘Tempest’, ‘Gauze’, ‘Romantic Dreams’