Deftones: Ohms REVIEW by Ivaylo S.

 


Their safest album. For Deftones standards however, that is an unpleasant direction. Gone are the beautiful, yet violent flamingos from the cover of 2016’s Gore, being instead replaced by a pair of eyes emulating those presiding over the Valley of Ashes in The Great Gatsby. 

Despite this, the green light is far away from the grasp of the alternative rock giants. Sections that should be louder and choruses that should be breathtaking instead fall flat, all the while drowning in a sea of synth. Chino Moreno dreamily coos how he has achieved balance on the opening track Genesis and perhaps this is the problem. Conflict and contrast between the band members have been at the core of the majority of ‘Tones albums, ranging from magnum opus White Pony to Gore. 

Loud, abrasive, heavy instrumentation clashing with soothing and melodic poetry is the Deftones formula so when the band is suddenly on the same page and in tune, the magic paradoxically evaporates. Glimpses of it are available on songs like Headless and The Spell of Mathematics but they too are undermined by a peculiar quietness lacking any particular power. Still, it’s good to know that Chino and Stephen Carpenter are friends once again. Until that relationship sours however, Ohms is just ‘Oh’ for me.


Deftones: Ohms, 3/5



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