"Ohms" - Deftones New Album

[Speedking]

Re-reg account here from the days of waiting for SNW, the smoking avatar guy, the Lovecraft guy, and the guy who posted as Sammy Davis Jr going on about being buck naked all the time (maybe you had to be there). Tried and failed to reopen my old account but maybe a good thing not to have to re-acquaint myself with 24 year-old me.

Anyway. Great album, not blown away on the first listen but liking it more each time, and I'd place 'Genesis' and 'Spell' and 'Pompeji' in the top tier Tones material personally.  I think this has the strongest opener since Hexagram in terms of impact, although as a song Praters/Triangles is fairly impeccable to my ears. I also do dig 'Ceremony' and 'Radiant', with 'Headless' growing on me (the one place I was reminded of ATF).

'Urantia' has that major-ish melody thing they did all over Gore but with good production. 'Link' has little to do with the song it's been compared to IMO, and it's very post HC to me. Wonder it Sergio had a strong hand on it as a result.

Some of the atmospheric parts and segues throughout the album are exceptional.

I think the songs are no more complex than a lot of the last two albums tbh, just think they have had less time to sink in. If you think back to Rosemary for instance, or Riviere, it's a bit like that for the main, this isn't Justice or Opeth.

Got the (black) vinyl and CD through today and listened to the lossy rip a few times the day it came out, put it to bed for release then. The CD is a marked improvement on the rip (obviously).

I have to say the vinyl isn't brilliant to my ears. The treble is reeaaaally sibilant at times and it sounds compressed, don't think it's been hugely worked on as a specific vinyl mastering. A nice keepsake for likely the only new release I'll buy on vinyl in this strange piece of time though and good to support the band. You'd do fine just buying the CD IMO.

The packaging on both sucks a bit. Great booklet and photography and what I think will become an iconic cover placed onto crappy thin card. The CD barely fits in, and I thought the Gore digipack was bad. The lyric sheet in my LP has a big, scored dog-ear fold too. Lovely. Also a cheap paper inner sleeve for the LP, I hate these, they stick to the wax with static and I always have to clean paper debris (of the past) off them. It's been replaced.

It's not beaten Koi as record of the Sergio era for me, I'd place it alongside Diamond Eyes and above Gore however. It's been a trip for sure.

Apologies about the long post.

[beansandcornbread]

Oh and my wife's COVID test came back negative so this is a really good day. Wow, just listening to the ending of 'Error'. Wow.

Very Palms-ish.

[SMLiberator]

The Guardian gave Ohms the only review below 8/10 so far, with 6/10

How can you give this album anything less than 8/10? Like, fuck the guardian amirite?

[LG95]

The Guardian gave Ohms the only review below 8/10 so far, with 6/10

How can you give this album anything less than 8/10? Like, fuck the guardian amirite?

The rating didn't really bother me. It's the review itself that's silly. Take this for example:

Nonetheless, their experimental bent doesn't dampen their music's equally potent hit of 1990s nostalgia: their ninth album, Ohms, feels more pre-9/11 America than Fred Durst's backward caps. The guitars thrash, the drums are punishingly thwacked, and everything is presented with that slick-on-the-ear nu-metal production style once helped the genre become a pop-culture phenom.

[SMLiberator]

Well their opinion is wrong.

[Visionz]

Given it a handful of listens now. It's such a complex album to me, so it makes me feel like it's super accessible but at the same time one that will take waaaay more listens for it to sink in.

A sign of a great album.

Time will determine where it sits in their discography but it'll be up there for sure.

Yeah, I definitely feel like it's one of their more complex. I've listened to it numerous times and I enjoy it quite a bit but I feel like I still haven't fully wrapped my head around it yet.

One of the things I'm noticing is it feels like the songs take their time building, as opposed to, say, the more simple, to the point songs on Diamond Eyes. Maybe due to the longer time lengths?

Yeah for sure! The structures feel super random but I wonder if the different tracks lengths like you say and the unusual melodies mask it all.

Mixed emotions on the whole album but all in a good way. It's weird!

All this. For sure. Definitely signs of a great album. Like a fine wine for me right now already.

[LG95]

Well their opinion is wrong.

Yeah. But if a 6/10 is interesting and well written, with a level of understanding, then I don't mind as much, even if I pretty strongly disagree. This guy clearly didn't know what he was talking about.

[Visionz]

Loving all of your reviews btw..... some good writers here in the last cpl pages...

[Penicks]

genesis fine
ceremony good second half
urantia cheesy 80's chorus no likely
error kinda boring, nice ending
spell good
pompeiji good
link fine
radiant boring
headless fine
ohms fine

overall fine album

[Hesperian Death-Horse!]

Oh and my wife's COVID test came back negative so this is a really good day. Wow, just listening to the ending of 'Error'. Wow.

Very Palms-ish.

This is one of the most exciting assessments I've read so far. I absolutely LOVE the Palms LP.

[kurtone]

https://www.theprp.com/2020/09/24/reviews/deftones-ohms/

Decades into a career that has been torn apart by loss and substance abuse and mended back to health by brotherhood, enduring friendship and a genuine love of what they do; Deftones deliver an album that matches that of their most memorable ventures. Their welcome reunion with producer Terry Date, who helmed several of their earliest outings, only solidifies their reinvigorated pact.

4.5/5 from the prp

[imbrie]

The Guardian gave Ohms the only review below 8/10 so far, with 6/10

How can you give this album anything less than 8/10? Like, fuck the guardian amirite?

Having The Guardian review music is like asking a man without feet to run.

[SMLiberator]

yeah, now Ohms is out of Metacritic's top 3 albums of 2020 because of that shitty review I'm legit mad lmao

[from_musings]

Spell of mathematics would work very well as a closer i think. ohms as 2nd track.

[Hidalgo]

does the cd come with a booklet? any pics, etc? if someone wants to scan that up along with the back of the album, for us poor shmucks that have to wait longer cause amazon is dumb and slow, that would be cool. i gotta wait until the 29th

[Gaz]

The Guardian gave Ohms the only review below 8/10 so far, with 6/10

How can you give this album anything less than 8/10? Like, fuck the guardian amirite?

Having The Guardian review music is like asking a man without feet to run.

Spot on.

[funksk8er]

does the cd come with a booklet? any pics, etc? if someone wants to scan that up along with the back of the album, for us poor shmucks that have to wait longer cause amazon is dumb and slow, that would be cool. i gotta wait until the 29th

It does! I don't have pics unfortunately

[moskwality]

The visuals for TSOM from the visual tracklist are fantastic.

[Visionz]

Love how chino seems to be singing about writing the music with erased recordings and "arranging cards" etc and getting out of the crib to go around the lake and blow off steam maybe? (Urantia)Dont have official lyrics in front of me but thats what i hear. So much more to this also in the song imo

[Visionz]

Love how chino seems to be singing about writing the music with erased recordings and "arranging cards" etc and getting out of the crib to go around the lake and blow off steam maybe? (Urantia)Dont have official lyrics in front of me but thats what i hear. So much more to this also in the song imo

This is totally new to me because off the top of my head I can't think of him writing about some thing in first person personally that upfront. Sorry I'm not a scholar to use better words to describe it but you get the drift right?