Five years after the controversial release of “Ohms,” Deftones dropped their tenth LP that shattered all expectations. “private music” is a masterfully done album that includes a beautiful mix of ethereal elements and heavy lyrics.
“private music” is near-flawless, with amazing vocals from lead singer Chino Moreno, spectacular riffs from guitarist Stephen Carpenter, wonderful hits from bassist Fred Sablan, fantastic beats from drummer Ace Cunningham, and mind-melting synths from Frank Delgado. Together, their separate skills combine into an emotional journey that doesn’t fail to impress.
This album is their first since 2012 to truly catch my attention. Their seventh album, “Koi No Yokan,” is my personal favorite from them, with tracks such as “Rosemary” and “Entombed” seemingly serving as inspiration. These inspirations are prevalent in tracks from “private music,” prime examples being “i think about you all the time” and “departing the body.” They also seem to have taken aspects from their much older music, like “Around the Fur” and “White Pony,” which are their second and third albums respectively.
The album dives into exploring mental, personal, and intimate themes. Its title, “private music,” suggests that this album is exclusive to a select group of people, which gives it a deeply personal and esoteric meaning. Some religious aspects can be found in this album as well, which is a very evident point in the track “milk of the madonna.”
There are some heavier songs, such as “cXz,” “cut hands,” and the peculiar (but phenomenal) “ecdysis.” Softer, more calming songs also appear in this album, with tracks such as the heavenly “departing the body,” “~metal dream,” and the heavenly “i think about you all the time.”
The opening track “my mind is a mountain” suggests that overcoming harsh mentality is a tedious obstacle to climb over. It symbolizes the immense challenges, the highs and lows (the “peaks and “troughs”) that come with dealing with internal struggles like anxiety, depression, and self-doubt. Every track in this album contains meanings as deep as these, which turns it into a wonderful deep-dive inside the minds of the band members.
“private music” is the culmination of the best aspects from all of Deftones” previous nine albums, and they”ve successfully delivered an album that shattered all expectations. This album comfortably sits in my top three of theirs, right behind “Saturday Night Wrist” and “Koi No Yokan.” After over 35 years since their debut, they still manage to hit that mark and even if this may be their final album, it gives their audience a powerful send-off to their music.
