Deftones - private music (Album Thread)

[sharinglungs]

https://youtu.be/8moGRxEvy6A

Infinite Source seemingly confirmed to be 3rd single.

[Jamessunderland]

Another single? This close to endgame? Jeez

[StarSlinger]

Another single? This close to endgame? Jeez

Probably not dropping this week. I think she just meant "in general" the next single is Infinite Source. Maybe next week or next month.

[LG95]

Another German review. Sparse on specifics. 9/10.

https://frontstage-magazine.de/2025/08/18/review-deftones-private-music/

[StarSlinger]

I don't want to get my hopes up too high but sounds like we're getting peak Deftones.

[GR1X7S]

Another German review. Sparse on specifics. 9/10.

https://frontstage-magazine.de/2025/08/18/review-deftones-private-music/

That was very well written, wish people would stop trying to compare everything they do to White Pony though. Yes it's a masterpiece but every body of work speaks for itself and should be judged solely on its own because they've really never stalled or stopped evolving.

[Moz La Punk]

Another German review. Sparse on specifics. 9/10.

https://frontstage-magazine.de/2025/08/18/review-deftones-private-music/

Rough translation through google:

With "Private Music," Deftones present their tenth studio album – and once again, the Sacramento band demonstrates why they have been one of the most influential forces in alternative metal for decades. Five years after "Ohms," they manage to release a work that fits seamlessly into their discography, yet still reveals new facets.

The production by Nick Raskulinecz, with whom the band previously worked on "Diamond Eyes" and "Koi No Yokan," lends "Private Music" immense clarity. The album feels both raw and detailed, full of the contrasts so typical of Deftones: fragile moments alternate with massive walls of sound, spherical surfaces collide with metallic heaviness. It is precisely these contrasts that make the album an intense experience that resonates with both long-time fans and new listeners.

The comparison to "White Pony" inevitably comes to mind, perhaps the greatest milestone in the band's history. While "White Pony" shaped an entire generation back then and is still considered a masterpiece, "private music" showcases a more mature version of that vision: less youthful exuberance, but more awareness of dynamics, atmosphere, and timing. It's not the revolutionary statement that "White Pony" was in 2000 – but it carries its spirit within it and carries it into the present.

Compared to "Gore" (2016), which didn't win over all fans, or to "Ohms," which at times seemed very focused but also predictable, "private music" sounds freer and bolder. You can sense that the band isn't afraid to explore new spaces, be it through experimental structures or unconventional timbres. At the same time, the typical Deftones sound remains unmistakable, carried by Chino Moreno's distinctive voice and Stephen Carpenter's low-pitched guitar riffs.

The album's great strength lies in its cohesion. It's less a collection of individual hits than a work that begs to be experienced as a whole—almost like a soundtrack to an inner journey. Deftones succeed in capturing both the gravity and fragility of existence and translating them into sound.

The bottom line is that "private music" isn't another "White Pony"—but it doesn't have to be. Instead, it presents a band that, more than 30 years later, is still capable of surprising and moving its listeners. It's an album that honors the past without becoming bogged down in nostalgia—and thus a powerful statement for Deftones' present and future.

9 outta 10

[StarSlinger]

Another German review. Sparse on specifics. 9/10.

https://frontstage-magazine.de/2025/08/18/review-deftones-private-music/

That was very well written, wish people would stop trying to compare everything they do to White Pony though. Yes it's a masterpiece but every body of work speaks for itself and should be judged solely on its own because they've really never stalled or stopped evolving.

I agree. I think they do that to try and speak to the more general audience. People hear "it's like White Pony?!" and that immediately perks up a lot of ears.

[Moz La Punk]

What I've read in the 3 reviews is this continues the sound we know and love, but adds new elements.

I expect that we won't have huge surprises, but that it will feel 'fresher' than Ohms, which at times felt like the band going through the motions.

Which is pretty much all I could ask for from a band that has been doing this for so long. I mean that in the best way. They have perfected their craft, and always stayed true to themselves. That in itself is no mean feat.

Exciting!

[BallZDeeP]

All you Europeans stocking your store shelves today should be ashamed of yourselves

[ghostofemilydickinson]

Maybe it's my age (I'm likely the oldest fart on here) but I think I'm looking the most forward to "I Think About You All the Time." It's long been a dream of mine that Chino would release a really stripped down Nick-Cave-later-in-his-career sort of album with tracks like "Death by Plane" "Teenager" "Anniversary of.." etc. Sounds like this would be right up there.

[sharinglungs]

All you Europeans stocking your store shelves today should be ashamed of yourselves

Yeah, damn you.. you should show yourselves so we know which ones to look out for and to stay away from...

[BallZDeeP]

Haha

On a side note, I got invited to the listening party but it says entry is not guaranteed. First come, first serve.

I am not driving 2 hours for a maybe.

[StarSlinger]

Haha

On a side note, I got invited to the listening party but it says entry is not guaranteed. First come, first serve.

I am not driving 2 hours for a maybe.

I don't blame you. At this point, unless the listening party was happening in my home town; I'd just wait for the official release.

[BallZDeeP]

Haha

On a side note, I got invited to the listening party but it says entry is not guaranteed. First come, first serve.

I am not driving 2 hours for a maybe.

I don't blame you. At this point, unless the listening party was happening in my home town; I'd just wait for the official release.

Yeaaaaa two more hours

[Jamessunderland]

If we dont get any leaks today, surely by tommorow with the listening parties right?

[Moz La Punk]

Yea also invited to the listening party but I don't have time to go to Amsterdam. I'm good waiting till friday.

[StarSlinger]

Another review guys for anyone that cares. Major outlet.

https://www.stereogum.com/2319349/premature-evaluation-deftones-private-music/reviews/premature-evaluation/

[imbrie]

Stereogum Review: https://www.stereogum.com/2319349/premature-evaluation-deftones-private-music/reviews/premature-evaluation/

Edit: StarSlinger beat me to it!

[Jamessunderland]

Another review guys for anyone that cares. Major outlet.

https://www.stereogum.com/2319349/premature-evaluation-deftones-private-music/reviews/premature-evaluation/

Adrenaline era deftones?
In this economy?

That burneraccount guy talking about cut hands might have been right after all