There’s not always a correlation between how cohesive an album sounds and the spirit of the band members when they recorded in. Everything else was a constant process of evolution.” The only thing that we had on White Pony and stuck with the whole way through was the actual title of the record. “We could try to plan shit out every day of our lives, but it would never matter because one minute we make a plan to do something, and the next minute those plans have changed. “Everything we do is an accident,” Carpenter insisted. Deftones, 'Change (In the House of Flies)' Music Video He agreed that the band’s performance was shaped by years of touring and recording together, but denied there was ever a moment when he or Moreno decided to make a more new wave, trip-hop or alt-rock influenced record. Whether aggressively sawing on a six string or strumming melancholy passages or plucking out eerie harmonics, the guitarist gave the music a voice far removed from that of his peers.Īs much as it seems like the band strived to redefine itself with White Pony, Carpenter insists Deftones were just working with whatever crossed their minds and there was no master plan going into the record. Throughout White Pony, vocalist Chino Moreno provided the perfect combination of strength and vulnerability, the band’s late-bassist Chi Cheng offered a solid bottom that adhered to the guitar melodies and drummer Abe Cunningham delivered an array of precision beats that range from frantic and furious to moody and ethereal.īut as much as Moreno’s vocals, it's Carpenter’s guitar playing that gave the band’s music its innovative punch.

Whenever there’s a new Meshuggah album coming out, I, like, count the days.” They inspire me to aspire for the best I can do whether it’s heavy or melodic. “But their music is really intelligent, too and it’s like the answer to everything I want to hear when I listen to music. “Through all these years, I’ve been waiting to hear someone that does something more pummeling, and it’s just not coming,” Carpenter said. In some ways, the intense angst and vocal range on the album predated emo, while the crushing guitar parts revealed guitarist Stephen Carpenter’s fascination with Meshuggah, a band he had had recently discovered and which continues to inspire his songwriting.

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