10 Greatest Hard Rock Songs Of The 2000s

10. Deftones - "Change (In The House Of Flies)"

While they were tarred with the nu metal brush, Deftones’ musical ambitions went far beyond many of their genre contemporaries. Their 2000 album White Pony was muscular and aggressive, but with stellar musicianship and influenced by trip hop, shoegaze and beyond.

The album peaks with the sinister and distinct “Change (In The House Of Flies)”. While tucked away towards the back end of the record, it was actually its first single, perhaps an attempt by the band to separate itself from the glut of unimaginative bands with which they had been lumped in.

It’s a masterclass of tension and relief from vocalist Chino Moreno, who stretches his voice desperately across the track. The guitars are thick and heavy but played with patience. It’s an exercise in angst rather than straightforward anger, slow but never sludgy, with shimmering production by genre specialist Terry Date.

It’s a song that sets a singular mood and then dwells within it for its full runtime, capping off an album that’s often heavy and abrasive with something crawling, insidious, and all the heavier for it.