Review by Saxy S for Deftones - White Pony (2000)

I do not know if this opening statement is meant to invoke a positive reaction, but I'm going to say it anyway: the Deftones know how to create music that sounds like the inside of a hotboxed room. Coming into this album, Deftones have established themselves in the ever growing nu metal scene of the late 1990s and easily one of the styles most mature acts at that. So imagine the shock of so many Deftones fans during 2000 when tracks like "Digital Bath", "Change (In the House of Flies)" and "Rx Queen" take center stage instead of "Back to School (Mini Maggit)" or "Elite". 

But I still cannot help but be completely infatuated by it! For an album that is so hazy, there is a certain cleanliness to it that I cannot comprehend how it got to this position. Yeah, some guitars on "Street Carp" and "Passenger" sound like they were twisted too much by an EQ filter, but there is some fascinating a poignant bass lines that compliment both the guitar as well as the slow but precise percussion. Chino's breathy vocal stylings are back and with a vengeance. Vocals tend to slur into one another during the records lighter moments, such as the acoustic "Teenager" and other soft verses. But the words are not emboldened with more reverb; they actually sound quite...acoustic. And that also helps the louder passages where Chino can accentuate and shout more, which are cleaner and gives the listener something to focus on.

Unlike many bands trying to evoke the drug-induced coma through their music, Deftones pull it off by actually including tunes in the songs. Repetition has always been the name of the game, but not one track on this album outstays its welcome. Each melody is unique, even as some of the albums timbre stagnates through tracks. It becomes comfortable, almost as if it could be played under any situation. It's good for working out, dinner music, relaxing and sleeping. In this regard, White Pony can be viewed as the "tune up" or as a more accessible version of Tool's Lateralus. Only fitting since Maynard appears for uncredited guest vocals on "Passenger". It might take a few tracks to really lock into a groove, but once it gets there, in the words of Chino on "Knife Prty" "I could float here forever".

Best Songs: Digital Bath, Rx Queen, Street Carp, Teenager, Knife Prty, Passenger, Change (In the House of Flies), Pink Maggit