Deftones are an American alternative metal band formed in Sacramento, California, in 1988. Built around vocalist Chino Moreno, guitarist Stephen Carpenter, and drummer Abe Cunningham, the group developed from a local heavy music act into one of the most distinctive and influential bands to emerge from the 1990s alternative metal scene. Their music combines crushing guitar riffs, forceful drumming, electronic textures, atmospheric production, and Moreno's contrast between intimate singing and harsh screams.
The band began when high school friends Carpenter, Cunningham, and Moreno started playing together. After working through several bass players, they established a more stable lineup with bassist Chi Cheng. Their early recordings attracted the attention of Maverick Records, where Deftones made their full-length debut with Adrenaline in 1995. Produced by Terry Date, the album presented a direct and aggressive sound shaped by hardcore punk, metal, and the rhythmic intensity associated with the emerging nu-metal movement. Songs such as "7 Words" and "Bored" helped establish the group's reputation, although extensive touring was central to building their audience.
Deftones gained a much larger following with Around the Fur in 1997. The album sharpened their heavy attack while introducing more dynamic arrangements and spacious passages. "My Own Summer (Shove It)" and "Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away)" became signature tracks, bringing the band wider radio and MTV exposure. Turntablist and keyboard player Frank Delgado, who had contributed to the band's early recordings, subsequently became a permanent member, adding another dimension to their sound.
White Pony, released in 2000, marked a decisive artistic advance. Rather than simply refining their earlier formula, Deftones expanded it through dreamlike textures, layered production, unusual song structures, and influences drawn from alternative rock, post-punk, and electronic music. Tracks including "Change (In the House of Flies)," "Digital Bath," and "Passenger" demonstrated the band's ability to place vulnerability and atmosphere alongside overwhelming heaviness. The album became a critical and commercial landmark and won the Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance for "Elite."
The self-titled Deftones followed in 2003, reaching number two on the Billboard 200 and producing the single "Minerva." Saturday Night Wrist arrived in 2006 after a difficult recording period, but the band continued to explore contrasts between melodic space and dense guitar work. Work on the album Eros was later suspended after Chi Cheng suffered severe injuries in a 2008 automobile accident. The group instead recorded Diamond Eyes, released in 2010, with Sergio Vega on bass. Its polished but powerful songs, including "Rocket Skates" and "Diamond Eyes," began another highly regarded phase for the band.
Deftones maintained that momentum with Koi No Yokan in 2012 and Gore in 2016. Both albums emphasized the band's continuing interest in texture and mood, while retaining the physical impact of Carpenter's guitar playing and Cunningham's drumming. In 2020, Ohms reunited the group with producer Terry Date and was widely regarded as a strong return to their classic balance of aggression and atmosphere. The album also earned a Grammy nomination.
After another extended gap between studio albums, Deftones released Private Music in 2025, their tenth full-length record. Featuring Fred Sablan on bass, it continued the band's long-running process of combining metallic force with spacious, emotionally charged songwriting. Across more than three decades, Deftones have outlasted the trends of the nu-metal era by treating heaviness as one element in a broader musical language. Their lasting identity rests on that tension: brutality and beauty, intimacy and scale, and songs that feel both immediate and dreamlike.