New England's Metal Shows

This has been one of 2016's most anticipated releases. Deftones tend to be one of those bands that could be hit or miss. Yet, on the first play-through of GORE, deftones demonstrate that they have definitely scored a HIT.

GORE is a follow-up to  2012's Koi No Yokan and features eleven face-melting tracks! As soon as you hear the opening of the first song "Prayers / Triangles" you should strap on your seat belt because you are going for a ride... a ride through the legacy of the Deftones. GORE contains every element we have seen presented through the past albums. Clean vocals, dirty gritty screams, driving down-tuned guitar riffs and even some of the retro-spacy filler circa Saturday Night Wrist.

Tracks on the album such as "Hearts/ Wires" and "Xenon" might  sound less significant compared to other tracks at first listen. If you let both songs play until the chorus, you might actually be impressed by the melodies going through your ears.  As mentioned earlier, it has that "SPACEY" feel. These tracks sound like the band was  producing them on the moon. The music correlates with the album art. Flight maybe? To go where no human has gone before on a quest for the heavens? I'm sure that there are many different interpretations from deftones fans around the world.

This is the third major release since the departure of late bassist Chi Cheng. It sounds just as good as White Pony or Deftones ever did. It's amazing to see Sergio Vega stepping up once more to execute perfection on the bass. Vega carries each note flawlessly. Matching or highlighting vocals range which is not something that's easy to do.

Vocals on this album are mind-blowing! Chino Moreno gives it his all. Listen to "GORE" the title track! Recognize how quickly the dynamics change, it is astounding! To go from crooning to screaming your lungs out is a fear that only Moreno could achieve. He might be getting older but he can still hit the screeches. Hell, he even brings back the "WOO" that we heard back in the Diamond Eyes days.

From one Deftones fan to another... I loved every minute of this album. Way better than Koi No Yokan. Thank you Deftones for yet another masterpiece.

GORE is out now and available through iTunes, Google Play, and Amazon.