Album Review: Deftones - 'Koi No Yokan'

A Deftones album is a journey if nothing else. The sound is textured, layered and crafted in a way that allows it to peak and sustain then taper off and extend with moments of sheer melody. What it is in a neat nutshell is contrastive and the listener often gets an armchair ride to experience the full sonic range firsthand.

‘Koi No Yokan’ is a Deftones record. It is a Deftones sound. No need to dress it up with fancy, over-analytical descriptions. There’s no excessive bells and whistles, just an album that revels in presenting music in a forthright and precise manner. Thank fucking God! The production is clean and defined and the album traces through a range of moods and tempos.

First impressions are often profound and instant, seventh studio album ‘Koi No Yokan’ is immediately embraceable. ‘Swerve City’ hits it out of the park to begin with – Determined. Driving. Deliberate. The lead off just works. 

Things shift to the melodic side quickly with ‘Romantic Dreams’. ‘Leathers’ is the quintessential Deftones moment. The dispersed softer moments are broken up by assertive delivery, with ‘Poltergeist’ again on the harsher side of things.

Upon a more considered listen ‘Koi No Yokan’ does lose some its gloss. It’s a solid album, but not one that differentiates too much. The full-length is sharp but perhaps not as bold as it could be. It feels right to the ears, but does stick to structures very similar to its predecessors. A very, very small gripe though.

‘Tempest’ conveniently aligns everything in the middle, with the track one of, if not, the picks of the bunch. The flowing and crisp 16th note hi-hat pace of Abe Cunningham moves this track to a point that allows the album to breathe, with the chorus engaging.

The rest of the album is structured in suitable fashion. It’s a little bit of everything. Some tracks rise to profound levels, while others back off and create atmosphere. If these NorCal rockers already have a place in the collection then ‘Koi No Yokan’ will give no reason to suggest a change of listening preference.

‘Koi No Yokan’ is the result of a band playing music in an energised way. The sound is similar to past feats but feels equally fresh. What the album represents is another fitting chapter in Deftones’ catalogue.

1. Swerve City

2. Romantic Dreams

3. Leathers

4. Poltergeist

5. Entombed

6. Graphic Nature

7. Tempest

8. Gauze

9. Rosemary

10. Goon Squad

11. What Happened to You?