Diamond Eyes

''Diamond Eyes'' is the sixth studio album by American alternative metal band Deftones, released on May 4, 2010, by Reprise Records. It was the first album to feature bassist Sergio Vega, who replaced original bassist Chi Cheng. An album tentatively titled ''Eros'' was originally intended to be the band's sixth full-length release following ''Saturday Night Wrist'' (2006), but was not finished due to Cheng entering a coma after a serious car accident that occurred in November 2008, eventually resulting in his death in 2013. The band continued on with Vega as his replacement, and the release of ''Eros'' was put on hold in favor of ''Diamond Eyes'' in June 2009.

''Diamond Eyes'' was a critical and commercial success, peaking within the top ten of the US ''Billboard'' 200 and several other international charts; it was the band's highest charting album on the ''Billboard'' 200 since their 2003 eponymous fourth album. Four singles were released from ''Diamond Eyes'': the title track, " Rocket Skates", "Sextape", and "You've Seen the Butcher".

Background

Deftones started writing material for the successor to 2006's ''Saturday Night Wrist'' in early 2007. The band was dissatisfied with the lengthy writing and recording process of ''Saturday Night Wrist'', and wanted to release a quick follow-up record in the same manner as earlier albums such as 1995's ''Adrenaline'' and 1997's ''Around the Fur'', which were recorded without the digital audio program Pro Tools. Instead, those albums were recorded as just a band "in the room with just our instruments, no other distractions", according to frontman Chino Moreno.

The band recorded and completed their Terry Date-produced album, tentatively titled ''Eros'', in 2008, and it was expected to be released in early 2009. However, bassist Chi Cheng was seriously injured in an automobile accident in November 2008, leaving him in a coma and putting the release of ''Eros'' on hold. Unsure if or when Cheng would recover and be able to perform with the band again, Deftones started playing various shows and festivals with Sergio Vega on bass, starting in early 2009. Vega, a close friend of the band, had previously filled in for Cheng during tours in 1999. At this point, Deftones were not sure if they wanted to break up or continue writing and performing music.

In June 2009, Deftones decided to indefinitely put the release of ''Eros'' on hold and start writing a brand new album with Vega. The band still hopes to release ''Eros'' at some point, but wanted to wait until Cheng was no longer in a semi-conscious state, and they did not feel that it represented who they were as artists or as people at the time. Deftones wanted to make an optimistic record, as opposed to the dark and angry album they had just finished.

''Diamond Eyes'' was recorded in two months with producer Nick Raskulinecz, who had previously worked with Foo Fighters, Velvet Revolver, Stone Sour and Alice in Chains. Deftones avoided using Pro Tools on the album. Instead, they favored writing songs together as a band and practicing them "a million times 'til they were perfect" in order to achieve a more raw and "personable" sound.

Release

''Diamond Eyes'' was originally scheduled to be released on April 27 by Reprise, but was pushed back three weeks to May 18, and later pushed forward to May 4, 2010. The latter release date change was possibly due to the album leaking onto the Internet in March 2010, two months before the original scheduled release date.

The first song from the album, " Rocket Skates", was available for free download through the band's official website on February 23, 2010. The song had been included in Deftones live performances starting in October 2009, and was later released as a limited edition 7" vinyl single for international Record Store Day on April 17, 2010, serving as the second overall single. A music video directed by 13th Witness (Tim McGurr) was released on March 9.

The first single, however, was the title track, " Diamond Eyes". It was released as a single to digital retailers on March 23, 2010. The music video for the song, directed by Roboshobo (Robert Schober), was released on April 13. Deftones performed a live webcast of songs from ''Diamond Eyes'' and answered fan questions on May 4 in Dallas, Texas. A music video for the track "Sextape" was released on September 3, 2010. The video was directed by ZFCL (Zak Forrest and Chad Liebenguth, known for their work with Foxy Shazam and Fang Island). On October 28, 2010, Deftones released the official video for "You've Seen the Butcher", directed by Jodeb Films. In August 2011, Deftones released the official music video for "Beauty School", directed by 13th Witness.

At just over 41 minutes, not including the pre-order and deluxe edition bonus tracks, ''Diamond Eyes'' is Deftones' shortest album.

Lyrics and themes

After dealing with the tragedy surrounding Cheng's accident, Deftones wanted to create an album with an overall positive and optimistic vibe. Describing the band's state while writing for the album, Moreno stated, "Our inspiration and unity as a band is stronger than it has ever been before and we needed to channel that energy into our music". Noticeably lacking on the album were songs about complaining, hurting or how "life sucks" – common lyrical themes for Moreno since the early '90s. Moreno described the overall theme of the album as a "positive zest for life", and also said it had "a fantasy vibe" similar to ''White Pony''. The lyrics for "Rocket Skates" contained "beautiful yet violent imagery" and were compared to the song "Knife Prty" from ''White Pony''. Deftones also thought it would be difficult to tour in support of a new album with memories of Cheng attached to it. Commenting on songwriting, Moreno stated:

Reception

Critical reception

Initial reaction to the album from music critics was highly favorable. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic wrote, "Naturally, there is quite a bit of roiling darkness here -- they're Cure-loving metalheads, it's in their blood -- but there's shade and light, control of texture, with the band deepening rather than expanding." Jason Pettigrew of ''Alternative Press'' stated, "Unlike their alleged 'peers' (do they really ''have'' any?), Deftones learned years ago that a whisper can be more terrifying than a scream and power isn't always about BPMs and downstrokes per minute." He also added that ''Diamond Eyes'' "belongs in a pantheon of amazing albums born from tragedy". BBC
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