Deftones Album: “Saturday Night Wrist [PA]”

Intro: The Deftones, like Tool, Dredg, and Incubus, have long been known as one of the more innovative and respected bands in the current music scene with there unique style of alternative metal and art rock. Currently, they have had four albums to show for (not including their b-sides album), all of which seem to proceed each other in growth and maturity. So obviously, there is much to be expected of them to live up too, not to mention it has also been three years since the Deftone's released their self titled album. Saturday Night Wrist is the Deftone's fulfillment to the high standards set by there previous albums, a masterpiece record that will stay with you forever.

Album Review: The first track and album single "Hole In The Earth" fires it up with Chino shouting WOO!, (which is awesome) and is one of the more upbeat unfamiliar deftones like songs on the disc (which is a good thing). Did I mention the guitar solo at the end of the song is amazing? Next is "Rapture", reminding you were the Deftones come from with its incredibly brutal sound and Abe's insane drum work, this song is heavy heavy heavy! After Rapture is "Beware", my second fav. song on the album. Incredibly dark and lovely, it is totally reminecent of the White Pony album. The next song "Cherry Waves" is my favorite song on S.N.W. and is worth the price of the album itself. The six minute song is almost centered around Chino's incredible atmospheric vocals and has a warm feeling of bliss to it. One would say it is what the song Minerva was to the S/T album except totally different sound wise. "Mien" is a rocker, featuring guest vocalist Serj Tank from System of a Down who does some nice clean singing with Chino. A very solid song. I guess I am kinda glad that Serj didn't sing with his wakky shouting voice... haha kinda. The next song "U,U,D,D,L,R.../Interlude" is a pleasant post rock instrumental. I think this could have been more experimental, but still it is really good for what it is. "Xerces", is my third favorite song on the album mainly because of it's beautiful soft sung chorus and touching lyrics with a moving lush atmoshere of sound. After Xerces, we have the awesome "Rats!Rats!Rats", a raging explosion of a song much like Bloody Cape from S/T, except this time with Chino Ranting DECIDE! DECIDE!.. and Steph and Chi come in with there chugging guitar riffs and Abe's grooving drum roll and it sounds way awesome and crazy!! Now comes the most controversial songs on the album "Pink Cell Phone" with guest vocalist Annie Hardy. I personally loved the track even though it is electronica and not even rock at all. I think Frank really does an excelent job here djing. The song is about religious hipocracy and at the end minute of the song, has Annie Hardy talking dirty laughing at the same time trying to be funny, but it really just sounds stupid and rehearsed. The song in my opinion would have been allright if not for that minute. Finnally, we have "Combat"!!! The song begins with a minute long intro with inadible static voices speaking in the background, but ends swiftly with Steph's guitar and Abe hammering away on their instruments. This song is full of rage while at the same time brooding with Chino screaming who's side are you on! over and over again breaking into the heavy. I believe the lyrics on this song have to do with turmoil between the band and Chino during the recording process. The next song, Kimdracula/Earth" is one of the shorter songs on the album, but great none the less. Another solid rocker song. After that is "Riviere", the last song on the album about a sad woman, which begin with Chino speaking softly until it gets close to the end and the music is kicked up a notch. The song is like a shorter version of "Pink Maggit" I suppose.

Summary: BUY THE CLEAN VERSION. I usually never recommend this, but when you buy the clean version you don't get the parental advisory stamped on the front cover art, and even better, you don't have to listen to Annie Hardy's perverted commentary every freakin time you listen to the c.d... but for the most part I am very pleased with Saturday Night Wrist. Saturday Night Wrist can be described as an array of satisfying flavors from familiar and beyond to blend both new and old together as creative works of art crafted from one of the most original bands in all of rock, the Deftones. Thank you for reading :)!

I consider myself a fairly well-rounded musician: I'm equally happy studying an Antonio Carlos Jobim chart as a Stravinsky ballet or a Dillinger Escape Plan song. And over the last 10 years, Deftones have somehow kept me hooked. I was drawn in by the raw emotion of "Adrenaline," then the too-slick-for-its-own-good sound of "Around the Fur." Then "White Pony" caught me blindsided with an album filled to the brim with mysterious, beautiful and catchy songs. But then there was the self-titled album, which just felt sort of aimless, and never really gripped me. To be honest, I thought I was too old to rock, and didn't even know if I would purchase "Saturday Night Wrist."

But what a great purchase it was! This album shows a Deftones that has matured both as people and as musicians. The thing that made them so unique--dark, heavy riffs and intricate, stylish drumming underneath hauntingly beautiful melodies--is really brought to light on the album. Clear examples of this unique style are: "Hole in the Earth," "Beware," "Cherry Waves," "Xerces," and "Riviere."

But even the heavy songs like "Combat" and "Kimdracula" hit their marks well, not to mention the brilliant "Rats, Rats, Rats." The surprise of the album is definitely "Pink Cellphone," which, at certain points, sounds like it fell off a Peter Gabriel album. (And the ending IS funny, but like all jokes, the humor wears off after you hear it a few times. Eventually, you skip that part of the tune, and wish they'd just cut it out to begin with). In my opinion, the only real uninspired track is "Mein," which--to me--just sounds like one of those songs that 'isn't quite there' so you throw as many tricks at it as you can, and in the end, still just isn't all that good of a song.

Every Deftones album takes a few listens all the way through to really be appreciated. This one is no exception. After a while, you start noticing Abe Cunningham's flashy ghost notes tossed in all over the place, where before all you heard was heavy banging. You start noticing that Stephen Carpenter is playing far less power chords, and more counter-melody. You start noticing that Frank Delgado is a great addition, and some of those keyboard and ambient parts really bring the songs together. And finally, you notice that you're singing along with Chino, and you think, "Man, these are some strange melodies." I don't know if he knows he's doing it, but Chino has a real gift for coming up with melodies with all sorts of awkward intervals, and unpredictable chord tones (major 7ths and 9ths abound, among others).

My only complaint about the album is the same complaint I have for all new rock albums: it's mixed too loud, and some parts distort (that aren't intended to). It's a shame they dropped Terry Date for this album, but if it got them out of the slump of the self-titled album, it was completely worth it! Bless those Deftones. There really is nothing else like them!

There's a point at which you'll need to realize something - the Deftones don't make music that the mainstream finds accessible. This is a good thing though, because they never fall into the trappings that bands achieving double-digit millions of sales do. Simply put, if you listen to FM radio all day, you're likely to think this album is boring, because your palate has become bland from the steady diet of saltines on the radio.

The Deftones are ahead of the curve - they always have been. They are a barometer for where music isn't at any given time. We're stuck in some emo and indie fad where the bands put their feelings, fake or not, right out for you to see right away. Chino will never directly tell you what he or the rest of the band is feeling or thinking. They allude, and let you decide the rest.

Thus, we have Saturday Night Wrist. The song titles will never tell you what it contains, and even then, the lyrics paint almost abstractly across the atmosphere of the songs. "Pink Cellphone" is going to take a fair amount of flack, and rightfully so, but that's exactly what the Deftones wanted when they made this song and put it on the disc. If you don't think they knew that, you're fooling yourself - it's a smirking middle finger to the mindless sheep that make up the bulk of the mainstream music market. Listen to the monotone, the lyrics, and read between the lines for the statement of the song, and then the title makes sense.

"Cherry Waves" and "Xerces" are the genesis of this band, a statement on where this band currently is, and unmistakably Deftones. They're simply beautiful. They're heavy, and not in the 'metal' sense of the word - they're thick and rich. "Beware" revs and revs until it snarls, and "Kimdracula" kicks it into passing gear, just before the melodic cruise control of "Riviere" floats you down the road.

The Deftones construct music that is sometimes hard to swallow. But the reward for giving it a chance is far greater than any other band on the planet. It takes work to appreciate a fine painting, haunting photograph, or a novel, and Saturday Night Wrist is fine music - get the album and draw your own conclusions. It will never be something that makes the Deftones media darlings and sell 15 million copies, and that's just fine with me and all the other diehard fans.

The Deftones have come a long way to create this sleak, hard, mind blowing sound! It took me a couple listens by the time I had listened to the album the second time I was hooked! From bone crushing sounds from RATS!RATS!RATS! to the epic sounding CHERRY WAVES, just beautiful! This album easily hits a high mark on my top ten albums of the year!

The only downfall for me was PINK CELLPHONE. To me it did not fiT with the feel of the other tracks and I did not really care for it. While listening, that is the only track I skip over!

The deftones continue to grow with a new surreal sound that blends all of their amazing albums into one!!!

GREAT WORK! Very memorable music!

I can't describe my affection's for the Deftones in one little review. Let's just say that they make up a big part of my life.

When they released their Self Titled album in 2003, fans found it a step back in regards to the sonic master piece of White Pony.

I remember jamming that cd everyday for a month during my senior year of high school. It was dark, bleak, and very moody which is exactly how I felt during that time.

Skip forward four years and we thankfully have Saturday Night Wrist.

For those who became fans during White Pony, they will once again find connection to this album. The band took their ideas and embraced them further, offering more food on our plates and leaving us very satisfied. The music as a whole, flourishes in many genre's such as: shoegaze, post-rock, math rock, metal, and techno/electric/trance forms.

Chino, Abe, Stef, Frank, and Chi have stepped up in their craft and really show the progression from their Adrenaline days of scruffy playing, to musical protagonists of future sounds not really heard of before.

I have noticed many bands delving into the atmospheric landscapes of sound. Bands like Keane, Silversun Pickups, Autolux, and the new Thursday, AFI, and even Underoath.

It's all a tribute to the noise bands of the early 90's like Sonic Youth, My Bloody Valentine, and Slowdive. And in regards to that, the Deftones have been doing it since their debut.

What can i say? Deftones are too complex for many, and yet the only thing for some. It's hard being a fan, but the pay off is grand.

Here is a song-by-song review:

Hole In The Earth 10/10 - The opening track and a good one at that. This isn't a throwaway like Back To School, but instead a complex verse in commentary on the band itself. Chino's lyrics have gotten better, and the nakedness comes out in this track that details the almost breakup of the band.

Rapture 10/10 - Crunchy and hard is the best description. Those worried about softness look elseware. First we get a distant drum beat then immediately hear the screech of Chino's voice that jumps all over the place. A huge mess that's fun to get involved with.

Beware 10/10 - This was the first song I heard from this album. It was a live bootleg from the 2006 Tase Of Chaos Tour. It made me melt into my computer chair. The song itself plays gigantically. The voice overdubs are timed in good places, and the last riffs remind me of Meshugga to a point. Good work Stef!

Cherry Waves 10/10 - I love the title, and the song is amazing. Probably my favorite overall! We first get this droning keyboard sound that engulphs Chino's voice to where they almost become one entity. The Morrisey influence is present in some words that get repeated one-by-one, and to great effect. This is the Digital Bath of SNW.

Mein 9/10 - Fast paced and catchy. Good chorus from guest star Serg Tanakian of SOAD fame. He actually adds to the song greatly and is a welcome addition. No, he doesn't sing crazy in scat vocals like his bands albums. His voice instead adds a low tone that is much needed. Good stuff.

U,U,D,D,L,R,L,R,A,B,Select, Start 8/10 - The title of this song is no joke. It's the classic Konami code that everybody who plays videogames knows. Now, some other reviews out there suggest that this instrumental track is filler. They are quite wrong. This post-rock interlude is a showcase of the Deftones progression in terms of their musical identity. In the veins of such bands as Pelican, Isis, Absu, Neurosis, Cult Of Luna, Explosions In The Sky, and Godspeed! You Black Emporer, the Deftones wrap their flavors in this wall of sound that's great to chill out to. You are welcome Stoners!

Xerces 8/10 - Drive alone on a saturday night and jam this song. Watch the lights blur past and keep the cold air on low. Feel the flow and get the vibes. Awesome...

Rats!Rats!Rats! 9/10 - The hardest and heaviest song on the album. Chino screams the lyrics with a ferocious pace, and then slows down to swoon the chorus. This song reminded me of Lhabia off the 2nd LP Around The Fur. It's still amazing how the Deftones go from heavy to soft in one song and get away with it. The final screams are some of Chino's hardest to date. Think Hexagram off Self Titled, but 10x more.

Pink Cellphone 4/10 - This is the least favorite track. Very different, and yet interesting. The rambling's lead into some confusing and vulgar stuff towards the end that make you scratch your head. Still though, check it out anyway. Think of Fiter Happier off of Ok Computer and you get the point.

Combat 8/10 - Slow intro then great flow throughout. The vocals are the main force behind the song, which is great for this particular piece.

Kimdracula 9/10 - Vocal distortions aplenty for this one. We have distant then close up stylings from Chino that show much dynamic to the production of this album.

Riviere 10/10 - Excellent, haunting, and best closing song by the band EVER. Almost like Fist from the Adrenaline album, Chino gives us a sneekup in terms of sleeper hit. I claim this the second best and one that will be pleasing on the ears of those who are coming down from the trip.

Overall: A-

***(note: this is the clean version. buy the original version.)***