Deftones Eros

Coming together in 1988 as mere high school students, Deftones (Chino Moreno/Vocals; Stephen Carpenter/Strings;ChiCheng/Bass; Abe Cunningham/Drums; Frank Delgado/Turntables,Keys) have been a thunderous reminder for over adecadethat popular music has not been dried out completely. Masterfully intertwining heavy guitar riffs, whisper-to-scream vocals, and a pounding rhythm section with textural soundeffects andkeyboards, Deftones' sound is unique and fresh, constantly expanding amongst the stagnant world of their peers.

At the recent Golden God Awards, Deftones vocalist Chino Moreno has stated that in light of the tragic death of bassist Chi Cheng, the shelved album Eros will finally "see the light of day". The album was originally shelved in 2009 following Cheng's 2008 car accident and has been described as a much darker, complex, and intense album than 2010's Diamond Eyes.

Deftones frontman Chino Moreno appeared on BBC Radio 1′s Rock Show this weekend and announced that the group’s as-of-yet unnamed album, the follow-up to 2012′s Koi No Yokan, is tentatively set to hit shelves on Sept. 25.

“The record, as far as music, has been all recorded, and I am currently working on the vocals,” Moreno said. “So I’ve been recording from my home studio here in Oregon. Slowly but surely, [we're] getting it done, man. It’s coming out really good. It’s just another Deftones record. And I feel like it’s us reaching a little bit, getting more into the song structures and trying to challenge ourselves a little bit, you know what I mean? It’s sounding good. I think it’s gonna be a great record.”

Comparing Deftones’ new material to their previous album, he called it “more of a heady record,” saying: “I feel like we’ve gone into the songs and really dissected them. If something sounded a little straight, we took a left turn and made things a little screwy. We just tried something completely opposite, not to sabotage it, but to challenge ourselves and try new things that we haven’t done in the past.”

Moreno also said that 16 songs have been written for the upcoming release, which will be produced by Matt Hyde, who has worked with metal-leaning bands like Slayer, Children of Bodom and others.

Moreno’s latest statements are consistent with what he told Rolling Stone last month, when he expressed confidence that the new album showcases the band on an upward trajectory: “It definitely feels like we’ve taken a step from our last record. But it’s definitely a Deftones record, and it has all the elements that make us who we are. We’re not going out there to change anything, other than just thinking outside the box.”