Friday the 29th: Deftones - Prayers/Triangles

     For this Deftones fan, there's some good news and some bad news accompanying the release of the bands latest single this past week. Or, I should say, some really great news and some pretty minor bad news. (Spoiler: it's mostly a win.)

     The good/really great news is simple: new Deftones that, based on the single (hang on just one second for that), sounds like it'll be another solid Deftones outing. The minor bad news is that forthcoming new album Gore still isn't the fabled lost record Eros, the band's last with late bassist Chi Cheng. We may yet get a chance to hear that album, but I figure that each other album released in the meantime lowers that chance a little bit more.

     Lucky for me then that, like I said, Gore is sounding like it'll be pretty good, if lead single "Prayers/Triangles" is anything to judge the rest of the record by. It's nothing especially mind-blowing -- Deftones haven't written a jazz fusion concept album or anything -- but it's solid-sounding Deftones. Synthy-ambienty guitars in the verses, big crunchy choruses, Chino throughout... yeah, it's definitely Deftones. Check it out, and get stoked for Gore's April release.

Deftones - Elite

     You know me, all warm and fuzzy for the past, so let's keep yesterday's nostalgic train going with a Flashback Friday post from an album of roughly similar vintage (give or take) to Killswitch's Alive or Just Breathing.

     I say "give or take" because of the two-year gap between KSE's 2002 record Alive and Deftones' seminal classic 2000 album White Pony. But White Pony might as well have come out yesterday, so awesome do I continue to find it. Deftones have put out a lot of great material over the years, and even a lot of great stuff since 2000, but White Pony remains pretty unmatched in terms of its wall-to-wall goodness.

     If you want an example of said wall-to-wall goodness, look no further than "Elite", four minutes of intensity that to this day remains one of my favourite Deftones cuts period. Between Chino's vocal delivery and Abe's always-muscular drumming, there aren't a ton of Deftones tracks that'll get me going like this one. How about you?

Friday: Crosses - This is a Trick

     Today I'm once again trying to (admittedly belatedly) set the mood for your Friday evening, this time with a somewhat laid back track that still carries its own heavy flavour.

     For a Friday evening of maxing and relaxing with friends who are perhaps a little metallically inclined, Chino Moreno's latest non-Deftones project Crosses should be a pretty safe bet. It's a very electronic-influenced, darkly poppy project that's a pretty far cry from Deftones stuff. But it's also catchy as hell and replete with cool beats and melodies.

     Even if this kind of music isn't usually your bag, Crosses should hold your attention and garner your approval. Have a listen to "This is a Trick", the opening track from Crosses self-titled 2014 debut LP, and see if these guys will make it into your regular Friday evening rotation.

Sunday: Crosses - Bitches Brew

     By now you may all know that Chino Moreno's latest band Crosses (usually stylized with three little crosses that I can't replicate here) has a couple of EPs and now an LP under its musical belt. But have you listened to any of it?

     Well now you can! Your song for this evening is the first video from the self-titled debut LP, a grungy, groovey, laid-back number called "Bitches Brew" that I could definitely see being a summer soundtrack tune. If it weren't the middle of February. Sigh.

Song of the Day: Palms - Future Warrior

     If you're a fan of either Deftones or Isis, I'm sure you've no doubt heard about Palms by now. It's a little project featuring Chino from Deftones and three of the dudes from Isis (Jeff, Aaron and Bryant) and it's also conveniently enough the title of their forthcoming debut LP.

Song of the Day, Part 2: Revenge of the Sixth

     Now do you see why I had to fudge the Star Wars theme a little for the first part of today's double header? The second part is a story that simply demands to be told. Eat your heart out, Lucas.

Song of the Day: Deftones - Passenger

     Spring is actually starting to really get springing here, which means it's finally getting warm enough to drive around town cranking metal with the windows down. In fact, the window next to me as I type this (not in a car, smartass) is open and where even a few days ago it would have registered at "chilly" it's now only "brisk". Summer is just around the corner, so it's driving tune time!

Song of the Day: Dissipate - Mech Fail

     Relatively recent Basick signees Dissipate put out an EP last November called Tectonics that was among my Boxing Week Fire Sale purchases this year, and I've been pleasantly surprised by it. I heard about it back when it was released, listened to a couple of the tracks, and came to the conclusion that it was OK, but nothing spectacular. Interesting enough to buy on sale, but maybe not enough to pay full price.