Keeping It Simple

So-Cal aggro-rockers have reannounced their presence with their second record Around The Fur(Maverick/Warner), arguably one of the best releases of last year. Unlike the band's debut, Adrenaline, this one breaks away from its all-out agressive nature (which lumped the band in with Korn). Instead, The Deftones put out strident grooves with hard-hitting, chaotic riffs and strong melodies to match. Like a panther ready to pounce on ya, Around The Fur delivers hummable and frim yet crunchy material throughout.

"When we went in to make this record, we really didn't have a set idea of what we wanted to come out with," explains lead singer Chino Moreno. "People are saying that this record has a lot more melody. I can see that, and that probably has something to do with me listening to more melodic music. It was weird and trippy at first to work the music like this, but once we were settled into the studio and had been working for a bit, it all fell into place."

On whether fans will be into the new Deftones sound, Chino says, "The first record was recorded really fast and a lot of the material had been around for a while. We were worried about making a good record and I was a little bugged out. I think I might have held back a little bit. After it had been out for a couple of months, I never really listened to it again. But with this one, I feel comfortable with it and am glad to see what we have done. I can put it on and hear it over and over again and I think if I like it that much then our fans will be into it for sure."

The band --- rounded out by guitarist Stephan Carpenter, drummer Abe Cunningham and bassist Chi Cheng --- really locks to some killer grooves. From the opener "My Own Summer(Shove It)" through "Rickets" and "Dai The Flu," there is no denying the hard work, intense emotion and love of music put forth by the band.

"I think there is a lot of heart in this record," begins Chino. "A lot of anger as well. Anger can be one of the strongest emotions to utilize in a song, and it hits you hard, but anger can be soft, too. You'll hear that on this record as well. I think this record, with all its emotions, has the ability to touch people. I know it hits me everytime I listen to it. I hope our fans get that vibe too. I think it's because we let loose in the songwriting than just thinking about what we were doing or how we needed to do it. We recorded it as it came out. This is us and hopefully you'll dig it."

The album is but the latest step for the Deftones, who have been enjoying their share of success.

"It has been a good ride for us," explains Chino. "It has been cool because we have done it all the right way. We've built a steady foundation for ourselves and our music and are now trying to build our fan base and reach for more success. We're doing this at a slow but good pace and keeping it simple. It's not like we came out with our debut album and had all this success and are now trying to hang in there. We are still just trying to keep everything going and keep our music interesting. We have a goal and that goal is longevity. I want to keep doing this as long as I can and that is all we can aim for with the Deftones."