Ladies and gentlemen, today we’ve got a big one. Ohms, the ninth studio album from Deftones, is here. Since the mid 90s, these alt metal pioneers have been making some of the most experimental, unconventional, and dynamically intriguing music that the genre has to offer. They cemented their standing in the world of heavy music with classic albums such as Around the Fur and White Pony, and have consistently pleased their fans with music in this vein for a quarter century. Keeping all this in mind, listeners tend to have some pretty specific preconceived expectations when giving a new Deftones project a spin for the first time. So does Ohms deliver what we’ve come to expect?
Overall, yes. I think it’s safe to say Deftones check all the boxes with this one. Slow, yet punishingly heavy grooves, a mix of melodic vocals and screams from Chino Moreno, moody atmospheres, and exceptionally solid instrumental performances from all members. That being said, this is anything but a rehashing of the band’s classic works. As many heavy bands will do, Deftones have gradually embraced melody more and more over the course of their discography, and naturally, that trend is continued with Ohms. If you are a fan who craves the sound of Moreno screaming his lungs out into oblivion, don’t worry, that is still very present here, but not nearly to the degree that it once was. Moreno’s more guttural vocals appear largely in short bursts, peppering songs that feature predominately clean, melodic vocals, with few exceptions.
The songs on Ohms are largely slow to mid-tempo, which can make the flow of the album feel a little sludgy in places. I know slow, pounding songs are a big part of this band’s DNA, but the more conservative use of heavy moments only amplifies how slow some of these songs really are. The song “Urantia” fakes listeners out with an almost thrash-like opening instrumental, before falling right back into the mid-tempo flow of the album in a whiplash-inducing way. Many of these songs utilize the slow tempo effectively with lush guitar and synth work, with tracks such as “The Spell of Mathematics” and “Pompeji” ending in soft, yet haunting instrumental passages that actually serve as very strong highlights on the album. “The Spell of Mathematics” is one of the album’s highlights all around. It’s heavy, it’s up-tempo (for this album, anyway), and it juxtaposes clean vocals against screaming, as well as soft musical passages against heavy, in a way that is classic Deftones through and through. This is one of the few songs on this album that could believably have been on White Pony. “The Link is Dead” is perhaps the heaviest song on the album overall, providing some excellent riffage, but also providing one of my least favorite vocal performances on the album. The screams enter corny territory and remind of some of the more regrettable corners of 90s and 00s alt metal. Songs such as “Pompeji,” “Headless,” and “Ohms,” are intriguing standouts on the album, featuring instrumental moments that dabble in major keys and happy-sounding melodies, only to fake the listener out once again, and dive into the band’s signature dark and heavy melodic sense. And while “Pompeji” and “Headless” actually pull it off, “Ohms” comes off as extremely awkward. The major-key guitar riff is almost pop punk sounding, and the tonal shift kills any momentum that this track might otherwise have.
As hard a time as I had settling into the tone of this album, I must say that I have no complaints when it comes to the musical performances here. The band members are firing on all cylinders from top to bottom (but come on, this is Deftones. That’s pretty much a given). Moreno and Stephen Carpenter provide absolutely crushing guitar work that backs off and lays on the gas at all the right times. Sergio Vega’s bass work is a consistent highlight, providing groovy countermelodies that add textured layers to the mix, and a thick, pounding tone that your ears won’t be able to get enough of. Abe Cunningham’s drums play a key role in setting the slow, brooding tone, juxtaposing slow, straightforward rock drumming against the decidedly metal guitar work (though he’s no stranger to a tasteful fill every now and again). The drums work in lockstep with the guitars to control the dynamics of the songs and keep the transitions air-tight. Frank Delgado’s keyboard work shines in the softer, more restrained passages adding a lush, shimmering melodic layer.
Lyrically, this album gives a dark, apocalyptic outlook on the times we find ourselves in. Tracks such as “Ceremony” and “Pompeji” warn that the end times are coming. “Genesis” expresses sociopolitical unrest and distrust for media. “This Link is Dead” is once again a negative stand out, as the self-loathing emo lyrics are every bit as cheesy as the screams. The entire back half of the album seems to revel in hopelessness, as hope finally runs out in the final track, “Ohms.” No doubt this is a particularly poignant album at the present time, but it sure doesn’t seem to offer much hope. But perhaps a dose of reality is exactly what Moreno and company thought we needed.
At the end of the day, this is a solidly written and performed album that is sure to please Deftones fans far and wide. Even if I have personal taste issues with certain musical choices that were made, I can at least commend Deftones for making an album that has its own personality, while staying true to the band’s sound. I can’t say I see this ever becoming a favorite Deftones album for me, but I’d much rather them continue in this direction than spend a career trying to recreate their golden days, as many bands will do. Chances are, if you’re a Deftones diehard, you’ll enjoy this album more than I did, but that’s not to say I didn’t enjoy most of it. Ohms will probably rank on the lower end of the band’s discography for me, but at this point in their career, I certainly wouldn’t call it a disappointment.
Score: 7/10
Favorite Song(s): The Spell of Mathematics, Genesis, Error, Ceremony
Least Favorite Song(s): The Link is Dead, Ohms
Phil Klinker Music Reviews 