Deftones (COMPLETE — 2025)

Chino is one of rock's most distinctive vocalists. He can shift from a whisper to a desperate, melodic croon to a blood-curdling scream—often within the same line. Lyrically, he's abstract, sensual, and violent, often blending eroticism with destruction. You rarely know exactly what he's singing about, but you feel it.

They emerged from the 90s Sacramento nu-metal scene with Adrenaline (1995) and Around the Fur (1997), alongside Korn and Limp Bizkit. But they quickly abandoned the genre's rap-rock and agro-posturing. Instead, they leaned into dreamlike atmospherics, whispered vocals, and crushing, shoegaze-inspired guitar walls. They're heavy, but the heaviness serves mood, not mosh pits. Deftones

This is their masterpiece. It ditched nu-metal entirely for space-rock, trip-hop, and post-rock. Tracks like "Digital Bath," "Knife Prty," and "Change (In the House of Flies)" showed a band creating a nocturnal, cinematic, and deeply weird sound. It’s the album that made critics realize Deftones were something special. Chino is one of rock's most distinctive vocalists

The 2008 car accident that left bassist Chi Cheng brain-damaged (he died in 2013) nearly broke them. They channeled that grief into Diamond Eyes (2010)—a surprisingly life-affirming, heavy album that reinvented them again. Since then, with Sergio Vega (and now Fred Sablan on bass), they've only deepened their sound, with 2020's Ohms being a late-career high point. You rarely know exactly what he's singing about,

What specifically drew you to them? A particular song or album?

Deftones are a band of contradictions—aggressive but sensual, heavy but ethereal, ugly but beautiful. They created a sound that no one has successfully copied, and they've become the favorite band of people who usually hate metal. That's the "interesting piece."