Review by UnhinderedbyTalent for Deftones - Ohms (2020)

The hope that most Deftones fans have for a return to the White Pony era of the band is all but answered here, at least in a directional sense if not in a level of quality sense.  Ohms is a gazey affair with requisite breakdowns and emotive vocals to provide a near constant juxtaposition throughout.  Now, whilst this is probably their strongest release since Koi No Yokan, it is by no means a triumph given that it only has 2016's Gore to follow on from.  Overall, the feeling I get from Ohms is that it is an inoffensive and at times quite sterile sounding record.

This is were the comparisons with their crowning glory from twenty years ago start to flake away somewhat.  White Pony was a supercharged record both in terms of energy and emotion levels alike, it had enough "kaboom" in it to blow the pages of any superhero comic wide open and display textures and colours that were as vibrant as they were enticing.  It took art in a musical format and explored it, capturing a spectrum of feelings and experiences that spoke to the listener.  What happens with Ohms feels more like the listener is being spoken at and not to - like a lot of the content is just there for the hell of it.  Even on This Link Is Dead which for the most part is a raging track full of harsh vocals, it just feels like a poor man's version of a White Pony track.

There are no real textures here.  At its busiest, the guitar lacks bite and in the more ambient moments the vocals lack heart.  Yes, there's more than enough here to scratch the itch the diehard fans have had for the past two decades but the reality is that we're only getting one White Pony in our lifetime from these guys (which is something to be celebrated).