It was only a matter of time before the kings themselves would resurface. And let me tell you, Deftones haven’t just brought us some fresh meat to chew on, they’ve delivered an entire banquet for us to absolutely devour…
Words by Felix Bartlett | August 19, 2025
Whoever said nu-metal is dead needs to sit tf down because in true 2000’s fashion, I can safely say we are so back baby! If you caught the band’s recent summer shows, you already knew they had something special in the works, but this new album is where it all comes together. With Gen Z discovering the epic naughties era through TikTok and millennials drowning in nostalgia, it was only a matter of time before the kings themselves would resurface. And let me tell you, Deftones haven’t just brought us some fresh meat to chew on, they’ve delivered an entire banquet for us to absolutely devour.
Five years. Five bloody years we’ve been waiting for new Deftones material, and let me tell you, ‘private music’ was worth every agonising minute. While other bands their age are either desperately clinging to past glories or embarrassingly trying to stay relevant, Deftones have done what they’ve always done best. Evolved without losing their soul. This is their tenth studio album, marking three decades since ‘Adrenaline’ dropped, and somehow these Sacramento legends are still operating at peak performance like it’s 2001 all over again.
The reunion with producer Nick Raskulinecz (who previously worked his magic on ‘Diamond Eyes’ and ‘Koi No Yokan’) feels like coming home after a long journey. Where ‘Ohms’ saw them experimenting with Terry Date’s heavier production, ‘private music’ strips back to the core of what makes Deftones absolutely untouchable, that perfect balance between crushing heaviness and ethereal beauty that no other band has ever managed to replicate.
“my mind is a mountain” crashes through your speakers like a freight train carrying your childhood trauma, with Stephen Carpenter’s guitar work sounding like it could’ve been ripped straight from ‘Around the Fur’ if ‘Around the Fur’ had access to 2025’s production techniques. Chino Moreno’s vocals are in absolutely ridiculous form throughout, the man’s pushing 55 and still sounds like he could tear your heart out with a whisper or shred your eardrums with a scream at will.
But here’s where things get interesting, ‘private music’ isn’t just a nostalgia trip. “ecdysis” pushes Frank Delgado’s synth work and new bassist Fred Sablan’s groove-heavy foundation to the forefront, creating this menacing, pulsing foundation that feels both familiar and completely fresh.
The absolute stunner here is “souvenir” which is composed of six minutes of pure Deftones mastery that builds from haunting whispers to crushing walls of sound and back again. Carpenter’s guitar work weaves through the mix, creating these gorgeous, winding melodies that burrow into your brain and refuse to leave. The extended synth-driven outro could’ve felt indulgent in lesser hands, but these guys have earned the right to take their sweet time painting their sonic landscapes.
For those craving that classic Deftones romanticism, “i think about you all the time” delivers in spades. It’s essentially a spiritual successor to “Sextape,” with Moreno’s vocals floating over delicate instrumentation before the whole thing explodes into one of their most breathtaking melodic rushes since, well, “Sextape.” The man’s ability to make desire sound both beautiful and slightly dangerous remains unmatched.
“locked club” brings that swagger we’ve been missing, channeling the cocky energy of tracks like “Swerve City” with Moreno coolly setting the scene over Carpenter’s instantly memorable riffage. Meanwhile, “milk of the madonna” erupts with savage intensity, transforming eerie atmospheric buildup into crushing walls of distortion.
The album’s dynamic range is absolutely mental, “cut hands” delivers possessed, machine-gun vocal delivery that recalls their heaviest moments, while tracks like “infinite source” and the experimental “metal dream” showcase a band still willing to push boundaries after thirty years in the game.
“departing the body” closes things out with typical Deftones brilliance, starting at barely a whisper with Moreno’s vocals in an unexpectedly low register before exploding into classic form. It’s one of their most gorgeously haunting album closers, proving these guys still have tricks up their sleeves even a decade into what should theoretically be their twilight years.
In a world where most bands from their era are either broken up, phoning it in, or desperately chasing trends, Deftones continue to exist in their own universe, creating music that sounds like no one else while somehow getting better with each release. ‘private music’ stands as another career high from rock’s most reliable band, proving once again why they remain absolutely untouchable in 2025.
The kids on TikTok discovering them now are in for a treat, but longtime fans can rest easy knowing their heroes haven’t lost a step. If anything, they’ve gained another one. Deftones summer for 2026? Yes please.
Verdict: 💀💀💀💀💀
For fans of: Korn, System of a Down, Loathe
private music releases on August 22nd via Warner Records and can be pre-ordered here.
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