Philm is what a Salvador Dali painting would sound like if you played it through a stack of Marshalls. Slayer’s Dave Lombardo and his new bandmates let it all hang out in this abstract/heavy power trio. Currently on the road with Halford. Don’t miss ‘em!
They are one of my fave bands ever; I have a tattoo of lyrics from their last album, Water & Solutions, which came out in 1998. I cashed in 50,000 frequent flyer miles on a whim to fly out for their first reunion show in California in October 2008. Obviously, I had HUGE expectations for this album. And it did not disappoint me. The tension between Jonah Matranga and Shaun Lopez is still there.
From the first time I heard the song "Diamond Eyes" I was floored. Deftones managed to do what is the most exhilarating, and yet most difficult thing to do for any band, to keep the foundation of your sound, but infuse it with something modern or fresh. In their case, this was accomplished with guitarist Stephan Carpenter's introduction of an 8-string guitar, and some serious Meshuggah-worshipping riffs. Chino fully exploring his range and harmonizing skills, Frank Delgado's keyboards / DJ-ing adding some incredible mind-bending depth and ambiance, while drummer Abe Cunningham and new bassist Sergio Vega's poly-rhythmic foundation somehow glued it all together. That the band was able to pull it from the depths of such a horrible situation, is even more of a testament to how good this band truly is. Crushingly heavy, beautiful, passionate, real, Diamond Eyes is my album of the year.
From start to finish this album is amazing. It takes you on a journey where each time you listen to it you find something new and exciting, and each time you listen to it you swear a different song is your new favorite song.
This album really is one of the greatest albums ever to blast out of a stereo, Bat Out Of Hell got me arrested for speeding so there's no telling what laws I'll break with this one.
A 14-minute LP that combines the Entombed guitar tone with blast beats -- it's almost a perfect record.
