Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	74/100
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic
Dot Music	(8/10)
E! Online
Entertainment Weekly	B
Playlouder
Q
Rolling Stone
Pitchfork	(4.7/10)
Spin

Deftones is the fourth studio album by American alternative metal band Deftones. It was released on May 20, 2003 by Maverick Records. The album featured a broader spectrum of musical styles than previous Deftones records, ranging from some of their heaviest compositions (such as "Bloody Cape" and "When Girls Telephone Boys") to moody trip hop influences (such as "Lucky You"), and recorded mostly with seven-string guitars. It was the band's final album produced by Terry Date, whose collaboration with Deftones dated back to their 1995 debut, Adrenaline.

Originally titled Lovers, the album was instead given an eponymous title because singer Chino Moreno considered Lovers too obvious in relation to the context of its material (the former title song "Lovers" did appear as a A-side and B-side on the UK "Hexagram" single). Deftones was the last album produced by Date, who had collaborated with the band since Adrenaline, due to the vast amount of time spent in the studio. The band's slow writing and recording pace frustrated Date, as well as their lack of previously composed material when they entered the studio. A leaked track list from a month prior to the album's release featured "Needles & Pins" as the opener, under the title "Aria"; The song title and the album's track list were changed at the last minute.

Deftones is an eclectic album, with songs spanning many different ideas in diverse genres. It has a much different feel than prior efforts, due in part to Frank Delgado leaving his turntables behind and instead focusing on playing keyboards and synthesizers. Most of the album's songs make extensive use of the band's low G# tuning and Moreno's high screams, resulting in some of the heaviest songs in the band's catalog. On the other hand, the track "Lucky You" is a dark, soft, trip hop-influenced piece featuring DJ Crook from Moreno's side project Team Sleep and vocalist Rey Osburn of Tinfed. A grand piano and toy piano were featured in the mournful "Anniversary of an Uninteresting Event."

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Wikipedia