He'd even pull me aside and hum Quicksand riffs, so that made me feel very comfortable with him right away."Ĭarpenter: "Yeah, that's a key thing right there. Sergio Vega: "He knew what the band was about and he didn't want to change us. He's a big fan of ours and he really made the experience a very enjoyable, productive one." When Chino brought Nick in to meet us, we thought he was great. He ended up meeting Nick, who turned out to be an awesome dude. For our last couple of records, the people that surround us had no confidence in his hit songwriting abilities, so they were always trying to hook him up with hit songwriters and producers. What made you decide to go with Nick Raskulincz on Diamond Eyes?Ĭarpenter: "From my perspective, it really came about when Chino was writing his vocals. Terry Date, your longtime producer, was working with you guys on Eros. He's a big fan of ours and he really made the experience a very enjoyable, productive one" Stephen Carpenter on producer Nick Raskulincz "When Chino brought Nick in to meet us, we thought he was great. His accident was in November of 2008 and we didn't really start back up again till February or March of the following year." We were just focused on Chi and waiting to see what was going to happen. How long was the period between putting the Eros record to bed and deciding to start a brand-new album?Ĭarpenter: "I'd say it was a four-month window where we were just sitting around. You know, I always tell people that I'm waiting to get the phone call from him and hear him talk some shit, and I'll be like, 'Hey motherfucker, it's about time you came back!'" Obviously you were hoping that Chi would recover quickly and be able to play in the band again -Ĭarpenter: "And we're still hopeful. We're going to be a band until we're old and we'll stop when we're dead. Was there any discussion, on any level, as to whether you were going to continue to be a band?Ĭarpenter: "At the time it all went down, all I ever thought about was what was best for Chi, you know? As to us being a band or not, there was never any question that we would continue. I can imagine how difficult it must have been. That was… I don't like to see my friend like that, so I'm… I'm kind of detached from it." Last time I saw him, he was just out of his accident. Fans can always get information on the website. How is Chi? What's the status of his condition?Ĭarpenter: "At this very moment, I can't really say. Musically, we were completely finished with that one - we were just waiting for Chino to finish the vocals, and I'd say he was more than half done." How close were you to finishing Eros, the album you were recording at the time of Chi's accident?Ĭarpenter: "We were about 70-75 percent finished with Eros. MusicRadar recently sat down with Carpenter and Vega to find out the status of Chi Cheng, and also how the band triumphed over what many saw as insurmountable odds.ĭiamond Eyes is such an impressive record. On songs such as Rocket Skates and the title cut, the group, true to their signature sound, shift deftly from a whisper to a scream, with Carpenter creating intoxicating blankets of guitar textures and new man Vega contributing nimble, rolling basslines that fit seamlessly in the Deftones' pockets of shadows and light. "We didn't want to make a downer album," says Carpenter.
#DEFTONES ALBUMS IN D CRACK#
Always one step ahead, that bit smarter, sharper, more daring than even their closest peers, they rapidly outgrew the nu-metal boom from which they emerged, changed the game with third album White Pony and have proceeded to drive towards the horizon ever since.Īlthough the core dynamic between vocalist Chino Moreno’s art-rock fixation and guitarist Stephen Carpenter’s far heavier metal influence remains key, the collective has always been crucial, with Abe Cunningham’s pounding drums propelling the vision, electronic-specialist Frank Delgado layering it up since his arrival in 1998, while tragically-departed bassist Chi Cheng and his successor Sergio Vega add a warmth and fullness of body.Ĭhoosing just 20 songs to represent a catalogue this complex and universally rewarding feels almost reductive, but we’ve had a crack at distilling down what has made Deftones’ journey so fascinating nonetheless.Diamond Eyes, produced by Nick Raskulincz (Rush, Foo Fighters) is a sonic joyride, and a surprisingly upbeat affair. Forming in Sacramento, California all the way back in 1988, and releasing eight outstanding LPs over the last 25 years ( with number nine on its way), Deftones have indelibly shaped the alternative metal genre while remaining a band apart.