Koi No Yokan

With bass player Chi Cheng still in a coma from a 2008 car accident, Deftones enlisted help from Sergio Vega (formerly of post-hardcore band Quicksand) for their sixth album Diamond Eyes. And now with 2012’s Koi No Yokan their seventh studio LP, Vega has contributed more to the band’s sound. This results in an album that’s noticeably more dynamic than preceding recordings. The Japanese titled Koi No Yokan (which translates to "Anticipation of Love") opens with “Swerve City,” a barrage of pummeling sludge-metal that’s instantly disarmed by Chino Moreno’s breathy, melodic singing. “Romantic Dreams” follows with cascading walls of guitar distortion that briefly recall Siamese Dreams era Smashing Pumpkins, save for Moreno’s vocals howling elongated vowels here to sound more like Ozzy than Billy Corgan. Standout single “Leathers” delves deeper into the band’s penchant for contrasting gossamer soundscapes with sonic temper-tantrums. After some ambient panorama the band explode like a volcanic avalanche. “Tempest” makes good on its title with a six-minute plus song that gradually builds on ascending layers of guitar distortion and harmonious melodies like a gradually violent windstorm.