Deftones - Gore: unless you’re a hardcore fan, it’s uninspiring stuff

Gore
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Artist: Deftones
Genre: Rock
Label: Warner

Chino Moreno described his band’s latest album as “not a happy record”, but what the Deftones’ frontman failed to mention was that it’s not a particularly cohesive one, either.

Gore’s patchy nature doesn’t automatically translate to a bad album, but it does make listening to it an infinitely less pleasurable experience.

At times, the Californian metallers veer dangerously close to their dated nu-metal past, as heard on Hearts/Wires and Rubicon.

The best tracks are where the band put a twist on their default heavy-handed format, whether it's via Moreno's voice floating atop the riffs of Acid Hologram and the mystical (L)MIRL, or the rhythm-oriented title track.

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Lauren Murphy

Lauren Murphy

Lauren Murphy is a freelance journalist and broadcaster. She writes about music and the arts for The Irish Times