Artist Spotlight: Deftones’ Top 10 Essential Tracks 🐴
Deftones' evolution in 10 tracks - from "7 Words" raw aggression to "Digital Bath" atmospheric perfection. How Sacramento's pioneers proved heavy music could be breathtakingly beautiful.
The Sacramento band that proved heavy music could be both crushingly brutal and breathtakingly beautiful.
Most metal bands choose a lane. Deftones built a highway between worlds. For over three decades, Chino Moreno, Stephen Carpenter, Abe Cunningham, and their collaborators have created music that defies every attempt at classification—too atmospheric for nu-metal, too heavy for shoegaze, too progressive for mainstream rock. From the raw aggression of their debut to the dreamlike expansiveness of their recent work, they’ve influenced everyone from modern metal acts to the new wave of shoegaze bands. Here are the 10 tracks that capture their evolution from Sacramento upstarts to alternative metal pioneers.
10. “7 Words” (1995)
Album: Adrenaline
The rage of youth captured in its rawest form. This Adrenaline standout addresses police brutality and systemic racism with unfiltered intensity—the title references “you have the right to remain silent,” turning the Miranda warning into defiance. It’s choppy, chunky, repetitive, and absolutely vital. Fans report that this is the song where brawls break out at shows, the track that triggers something primal. You can feel the anger of high school friends discovering their power, creating mosh pit fuel that still makes people jump three decades later.
9. “Sextape” (2010)
Album: Diamond Eyes
Perhaps their most romantic and pop-leaning track, yet it works perfectly. Those echoing opening strings immediately create an intimate, ethereal atmosphere that’s both sultry and vulnerable. Moreno’s vocals soar above shimmering instrumentation with a croon that borders on moaning—it’s seductive without being aggressive. As Moreno noted, the song sounds massive precisely because it lacks crushing guitars or screaming. Born during the Diamond Eyes sessions after Chi Cheng’s accident, it proved Deftones could create profound beauty even in their darkest period.
