††† (Crosses): †††

††† (Crosses)
†††
Rating: Meh

Deftones have never been truly a metal band. Of course, the majority of their material is full of heavy, dark guitar riffs and some truly ear-shattering vocals, however, on most of their albums the band allows room for other influences to sneak in. Elements of shoegaze, goth, electro, new-wave, and post-punk lurk in the shadows, adding needed variety and texture which has always set them apart from their nu-metal counterparts. Singer Chino Moreno now releases a side project under the name †††, and early reports linked their sound to the nascent "witch house" genre, which is normally associated with goth/shoegazey guitars and tinny, hip-hop beats. It intrigued me that this was the direction he was taking, however, on initial listens I was a bit confused as to why witch house was mentioned. This EP, while containing some individual elements of that genre overall the album is mostly atmospheric goth rock, much more in keeping with the quieter moments on Deftones records. ††† is not a wicked left turn; if you are Deftones fan and enjoy their more textured songs, this will not disappoint, however, for me, I was wanting something a little more from this project. Not that this album is bad per se, it is frequently beautiful, it just seems safe.

"Bermuda Locket" is my favorite track, a gorgeous, slow-burn of a song, featuring a restrained vocal from Moreno that is all pent up emotion.



"This Is A Trick" could easily fit on a Deftones album, tightly wound guitars snake around dense keyboards and drum programming, grinding into a haunting chorus.



"Option" is another mid-tempo ballad that slowly builds on Moreno's gorgeous falsetto.



These first three songs set a nice pace and, while not decidedly thrilling, were at least solid songs. The last two songs sort of fell off the rails a bit. "Thholyghst" is all texture and no melody.



And "†" is a droning, motionless experiment that ends the EP on a rather ambiguous note.



EPs are tricky propositions. Usually they are released either as a stopgap between albums, tests of new material, or initial offerings to whet appetites for a full release. As such, they can really build a lot of excitement for the band, or alternately can be completely frustrating. Based on the 5 songs on this EP, I think it is squarely in the middle here. 3 of the songs are solid tracks that make me want to hear more, while the last 2 just don't particularly go anywhere. There is no indication from Moreno whether this will be a full-blown project with an album on the way, or just a one-off release. Guess we will just have to wait and see. The EP can be downloaded for free here at the band's website.

Rating Guide

Chilfos: masterpiece; coolest thing I've heard in ages.

Woof Daddy: excellent; just a hair away from being a masterpiece.

Grrrr: very good; will definitely be considered for my top releases of the year.

Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It: good; definitely invites further listens and peaks one's interest for more material.

Meh: not horrible, but certainly not great; could have either been polished, trimmed, or re-thought.

Jeez Lady: what the hell happened? Just plain bad. They should hang their heads in shame and be forced to listen to Lady Gaga ad nauseam as penance.

Tragicistani: so bad, armed villagers with pitchforks and torches should run the artist out of the country for inflicting this abomination on the human race.