Issue 16 of Stencil Mag

Deftones - Koi No Yokan This is the seventh album from the champions of alternative metal. The album title is Japanese for the sense upon first meeting a person that the two of you are going to fall into love. Which is quite fitting. All the Deftones fans out there that have been following them from the start will know they will most likely love this new release (well hopefully!), but some bands that have a lot of years behind them sometimes over time sway from their core sound, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, so you begin to wonder, what next?! Can the band keep pulling out albums to appease old fans and new?!..

Opening song, "Swerve City" starts with nice dark groovy riff, with no shortage of massive powerful vocals and superb melodies that will grab you from the off! "Romantic Dreams" has a great intro, with fantastic rhythms throughout and dynamic vocals from Chino. It is unconventionally soothing and almost 'hypnotizing', with well constructed atmospheric sounds and great instrumental parts. Single, "Leathers" has a haunting intro that will give you the chills, and then it suddenly explodes to life with epic vocals! The big chorus and kick ass breakdown, is a great combo..it will loom with its almost eerie presence!.."Poltergeist" has a interesting opening of clapping followed by dirty dark guitar riffs, this will easily be a fan favourite that all can join in on!

"Entombed" opens with a beautiful guitar riff, with a atmospheric feel throughout which is very serene and ethereal, making it quite relaxing, leaving Chino to really show of his stuff. This is such a soothing song, it feels like its reaching deep into your soul and will become 'trapped' there long after hearing it! "Graphic Nature" displays fantastic stand out drumming throughout, topped with an awesome dark riff and flawless vocals; again as seen previously, this is executed with intellect and precision! First official single, "Tempest" opens with stripped back effective soft vocals from Chino, making a great build up of atmosphere. I instantly fell in 'love' with this, due to the stand out distinctive chorus, striking and very dramatic vocals and sounds. "Gauze" offers a heavy opening, brilliant high notes from Chino, sick guitar tones and catchy brutal riffs, making for some great head-banging moments and goes out on a brilliant instrumental outro. "Rosemary" the longest song, is quite masterful! With soaring vocals and relentless instruments, especially towards the end; the song shows a great mix up of diversity, something seen in all songs throughout the album. The greatly titled "Goon Squad" has another very cool intro which makes way for the awesome downbeat riff and Chino's more aggressive vocals. This is one of the heaviest songs, which could be compared to the likes of, "Back To School". Closing track, "What Happened To You" shows great dynamism, especially through the different drum beat - this is a simply stunning and beautiful way to end this momentous release!

With some albums you fear the start is so good that it might begin to deteriorate as it goes on...this is most certainly not the case with this album! Every song is fluid, dynamic and stunning in its own right, this is definitely their most dynamic and intelligible offering to date, with Chino Moreno on top form with his vocal capabilities! There is a big focus on the craft and construction of the songs, it is clear a lot of effort has gone into the distinct intricate intros and heavy outros. The title of the album seems very fitting as this is the case with the album - before you hear it you suspect you will love it, and then upon hearing it you know you love it!..in the majority of cases, instantly, however some may take longer to uncover its charm! CL