10 Best Hard Rock Albums Of The 2000s
4. White Pony - Deftones
Nu metal was definitely a genre that had certain parameters by the end of the 90's. It seemed like the ideal nu metal band had to have a DJ, a rap-rock hybrid style, and a lyric sheet that was filled with the singer's problems with their youthful angst. On the other side of things, Deftones was never really a band to stay in one lane.
By the time the group got down to the writing sessions for White Pony, the sonic landscapes the band constructed were unlike anything the genre had ever seen (or heard.) The sense of dynamics present on every track led to each song feeling both serene and disturbing at the same time. Along with the eerie soundscapes, the lyrics are borderline horrific as Chino Moreno constructs mini character pieces with a pitch black tone like on the murder fantasy of "Digital Bath." When you reach the collaborative track "Passenger" with Tool's Maynard James Keenan, the results are menacingly euphoric.
Deftones were always known as a band that did their own thing, but the ethereal dread on display on White Pony shows the band growing as musicians and pushing themselves forward along with the entire nu metal genre.