REVIEW: Deftones - Koi No Yokan

Deftones

Koi No Yokan

(Reprise)

 4 out of 5

One of the biggest triumphs of 2010's Diamond Eyes was that the Deftones finally travelled the divide in a more cohesive manner than ever before, uniformly placed between rockist and quixotic. There is a more of a Machiavellian element to their assault on Koi No Yokan, which makes this set a lot more edgy and unpredictable as a result.

There are breakneck shifts on 'Romantic Dreams' that carries itself like a spacey post-hardcore cut and while 'Poltergeist' does stir up a White Pony-like semblance, it is a thrilling jaunt switching up between a fearless bounce and shrieking Moreno vocal combo, to a euphoric span of melodic highs. It is buoying to see the band transcend their regular trait of intensive sonic detail – yeah, there are still dizzying spots with the ghostly vocal reverbs pre-chorus on 'Tempest' or the piercing guitar chord hanging on ‘Goon Squad’ – instead their complexities are exercised elsewhere, as the band throws together some of their most inventive sequences and exchanges.

It’s a shame Moreno doesn’t spread his vocal science out more, occasionally resorting to old charms. ‘Entombed’ as gorgeous as it is, treads close to Diamond Eyes’ single ‘Sextape’ or Team Sleep’s ‘Ever (Foreign Flag)’ – routine terrain that slightly hampers their most enthralling outing since White Pony.

By Adam Burns

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