I just picked up the cd today. First off there's 11 songs on it, Minerva and Bloody Cape seemed to have been left off the list on Amazon. I had only heard Lucky You from the Matrix Reloaded soundtrack and was quite suprised by the rest of the album. Unlike the ethereal White Pony, Deftones is much darker. Chino gives a very emotional and brooding preformance, personal favourite are "Needles and Pins", "Deathblow" and "Minerva". "When Girls Telephone Boys" is alot like old Deftones, but the rest of the cd is a progression from White Pony. The guitar is very catchy and Carpenter has come up with some of his best work yet; Delgados is incredible especially on "Lucky You"; Cheng provides a great atmosphere; and Cunningham creates great beats and drumming very enjoyable to pick apart. The track that really suprised me was "Anniversary of an Uninteresting Event" though, I'm not sure what to say about it. It's different from other Deftones songs and sounds very New Age, yet distinctly Deftones. This cd is better than White Pony and like all their albums is a progression from the last one.

It's been said many times here, but I'll say it again...this album is not "White Pony 2" or "Son of White Pony". With that being said, can we please stop pouting and move on?

This album is, arguably, the Deftones best album. No band on the planet marries such ambient and lush textures with such brutal power like these guys do, and that would make this their Sistine Chapel. Songs like "Hexagram" and "When Girls Telephone Boys" bludgeon you over the head to get your attention as opposed to tapping you on the shoulder, and "Good Morning Beautiful" and "Bloody Cape" have hooks that are so sugary-sweet your teeth will hurt listening to them. The crowning achievement here though, in my humble opinion, is the blistering "Needles and Pins", whose siren-like guitar work creates a sense of urgency and anxiety. I'm on the edge of my seat every time I hear it.

I think if "Around The Fur" and "White Pony" had a child, this album would be it. And I would spoil the hell out of it.

The album was everything that I would come to expect and then some from the deftones. Each song was unique in its own way and the agressive vibe from earlier albums(Around the fur, Adrenaline) is much more present on this album than on their previous record(White pony). Here is how the album plays out..

1.Hexagram:9/10-Great start for the album, starts out white-ponyish then busts into pure aggression. Great Start
2.Needles and Pins:10/10-Very hooky opening riff, theres nothing bad I can say about this song. It has that very soothingly brutal vibe to it.
3.Minerva:8/10-The single that is a single for obvious reasons, the song has a very "Change in the house of flies" feel to it. Great none the less.
4.Good morning beautiful:8/10-Another great aggressive song, not my favorite on the album. But still a good tune.
5.Deathblow:9/10-One of the more laid back songs on the album. It sounds like something completly different from what the deftones have done before. In a good way. Could easily be another single.
6.When girls telephone boys:10/10-This song is very intense. One of the best on the album. Very heavy and goes back to the basics with Chino's signature distorted screaming. The riff is pummeling. Great song.
7.Battle-Axe:9/10-Another great brutally beautiful song. Chino's singing is perfect for the song.
8.Lucky You:7/10-This song reminds me of Teenager too much. It is also on the Matrix Reloaded soundtrack. It's not a bad song, but it has that "Team Sleep" thing going on.
9.Bloody Cape:10/10-Best song on the album! Very heavy, catchy, and the ending is just insane with chino screaming like a madman over a crushing riff. Classic Deftones.
10.Anniversary of an uninteresting event:8/10-A very smooth laid back song for the deftones. Very good music to lay back and relax to. Something to don't get to do that much when it comes to the deftones.
11.Moana:9/10-A damn good song to close the album with. It has a slow buildup, but it turns out surprisingly well.

So all in all, Deftones have concocted another kick-a** album that will no doubt please their fanbase. New school and old alike.

This is my favorite Deftones album, even including their latest release Saturday Night Wrist. With white pony, it was clear that Chino took the reins & steered the band in a new direction with great results. What we have here is Stephen taking the reins back & putting his stamp on the new direction, adding more blistering guitars & earth shattering riffs to the layered sounds of the rest of the band. This is the heaviest Deftones album (Around the Fur is a close 2nd) & I think it turned off some fans. There is not one bad song on this & there is a very eclectic mix of songs here, more so than White Pony. If you are a Deftones fan, this album is essential.

One of my favorite bands for the main reason that they are unique in themselves and will not conform, The Deftones have once again pushed the boundaries of modern rock/metal and delivered another brilliant escape from the norm. On their fourth (self titled) disc Chino and the boys dig deep and hand us 11 tracks all different, all spectacular. I will admit that when I first heard the single 'Minerva' I was less than impressed, but even that track has grown on me since purchasing the album.

'Hexagram' opens the album with ferocity and brutality that lets you know to expect a true to form Deftones album. 'Needles and Pins' though is what really kicks this album off. Mix Chino's haunting vocals and brilliant lyrics with Carpenter's crushing guitars and Delgado's soundscapes and added textures and you have a perfect song. The follow this brilliant direction in 'Bloody Cape' as well, delivering brutal force and seductive elegance all at the same time. And I want to make mention that 'When Girls Telephone Boys' is one of the most brutal tracks Deftones have ever put out...Chino is god, I swear.

They turn a softer leaf with tracks like 'Good Morning Beautiful' and the closer 'Moana', songs that have more of a 'White Pony' feel to them. 'Deathblow' and even 'Battle Ax' carry this same feel, not much screaming, more like yelling over some heavy yet not brutal riffs. The later two though hold my attention better than the former.

It's the haunting beauty of 'Lucky You' though that stands out as the most inspired track here. It appeared on the Matrix Reloaded soundtrack, and it fit...but here, in the element that is Deftones it holds much more presence beings the only of it's kind. The chorus is just so calming and soothing...it's one of my favorite songs ever penned. This beauty is also worked into 'Anniversary of an Uninteresting Event', which if it had been up to me would have been swapped with 'Moana' for it serves as the better closing track, winding things down and leaving you serene.

Chino's vocals are top notch here, and the musicianship is top of the game as well, the whole package being one of the best albums to be released in a long time. Deftones will always be one of the most inspired and original acts in rock/metal music and I'm sure with each release they will hone and perfect their craft.