Koi No Yokan
With bass player Chi Cheng still in a coma from a 2008 car accident, Deftones enlisted help from Sergio Vega (formerly of post-hardcore band Quicksand) for their sixth album *Diamond Eyes*. And now with 2012’s *Koi No Yokan* their seventh studio LP, Vega has contributed more to the band’s sound. This results in an album that’s noticeably more dynamic than preceding recordings. The Japanese titled *Koi No Yokan* (which translates to \"Anticipation of Love\") opens with “Swerve City,” a barrage of pummeling sludge-metal that’s instantly disarmed by Chino Moreno’s breathy, melodic singing. “Romantic Dreams” follows with cascading walls of guitar distortion that briefly recall *Siamese Dreams* era Smashing Pumpkins, save for Moreno’s vocals howling elongated vowels here to sound more like Ozzy than Billy Corgan. Standout single “Leathers” delves deeper into the band’s penchant for contrasting gossamer soundscapes with sonic temper-tantrums. After some ambient panorama the band explode like a volcanic avalanche. “Tempest” makes good on its title with a six-minute plus song that gradually builds on ascending layers of guitar distortion and harmonious melodies like a gradually violent windstorm.
The most remarkable quality of the band’s seventh effort though, seems to lie in the fact that they are so willing to push their own boundaries.
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Storming out of the gate with Swerve City – a brutally sexy sledgehammer of a song, and hands-down their best opener since White Pony's Feiticeira – Deftones sound like a band brimming over with piss and vinegar on album number seven. Koi No Yokan may be a defiantly unprogressive collection, but that doesn't render its emotional effect any less explosive.
On their previous album, "Diamond Eyes", the DEFTONES turned more than a few heads for reinventing a few of their crunky wheels. Dynamics were a large part of that album's success, making it one of the DEFTONES' most crucial releases along with "White Pony" and "Around the Fur". This year, they come...
Koi No Yokan further solidifies Deftones’ status as far and away the most long-lasting and consistent act of the maligned sub-genre from which they came.
Deftones - Koi No Yokan review: A remarkably consistent effort from the band that triumphs without altering its style.