Album Review: Crosses (†††) - 'EP †'

Those who know the musical preferences of Deftones front man Chino Moreno know that he opts to listen to atmospheric electronica in his spare time as opposed to music that sounds anything like that of his band. It is for this reason that Moreno’s side project Team Sleep, did not come as a surprise as it helped the vocalist explore a musical style which he clearly loved and was well suited to.

Crosses (or †††) is another small passion project for Moreno with his long time friend Shaun Lopez from Far, which falls somewhere in between Chino’s other musical projects. Whilst heavily electronic, there are moments where the guitars take over in sections which seem to be more influenced by Lopez and his ‘Far’ sound.

Simply put, this EP is brilliant as it combines a mixture of influences from hip-hop to metal to electronica with Moreno’s excellent vocal style and some extremely catchy melodies. From a production side the attention to detail is the strongest point of every song, opening track †his Is A †rick, combines a hip-hop flavored beat with intricate synthesizers and the most aggressive/memorable chorus on the EP.

This is followed by Option, which has a dark, well programmed verse that opens up into a soaring, bright chorus line. The dynamics in this track are set underneath Moreno’s vocal line that never falters, moving with the music in a perfect partnership.

Bermuda Locke† is much softer with a groove heavy beat that is in a way the band’s dark pop number. The heavier “Far” moments mentioned earlier are most obvious in the huge sounding chorus of †hholyghs†, the song that Deftones fans will love if they aren’t quite feeling everything else on the EP.

The final track, simply titled † (the band really like crosses apparently) is an atmospheric instrumental that draw heavy influence from Nine Inch Nails and rounds of the EP perfectly.

Crosses combines virtually every musical element that Chino Moreno is interested in to create a unique listening experience. Appearing virtually out of nowhere it is clear that a lot of time and thought has been put into the songs themselves, both in the structures and tones, and as a result there is never a dull moment. Five songs just isn’t enough so hopefully Crosses has more longevity than Moreno’s other projects and we see a full length soon.

1. †his is a †rick

2. Option

3. Bermuda Locke†

4. †hholyghos†

5. †