The Deftones

Deftones
Deftones in 2011 at the Shepherd's Bush Empire. Shown from left to right: Carpenter, Cunningham, Moreno and Vega.
Background information
Origin	Sacramento, California, U.S.
Genres	Alternative metal experimental rock art metal nu metal (early)
Years active	1988–present
Labels	Maverick Warner Bros. Reprise
Associated acts	Phallucy Team Sleep Kush Sol Invicto Decibel Devils Crosses Palms Quicksand Far
Website	deftones.com
Members	Stephen Carpenter Abe Cunningham Chino Moreno Frank Delgado Sergio Vega
Past members	Dominic Garcia Chi Cheng John Taylor

Deftones is an American alternative metal band from Sacramento, California, U.S. Formed in 1988, the band was founded by Chino Moreno (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Stephen Carpenter (lead guitar), Abe Cunningham (drums) and Dominic Garcia (bass). During the group's first five years, the band's lineup changed several times, but stabilized in 1993 when Cunningham rejoined the group after his departure in 1990. Cunningham replaced John Taylor, who had replaced Garcia after he had switched to drums in 1990, and the bassist role had been filled by Chi Cheng. The lineup remained stable for fifteen years, with the exception of keyboardist and turntablist Frank Delgado being added in 1999. In 2008, Cheng was involved in an automobile accident that ended his stint with Deftones. He was replaced by Sergio Vega, who is also the bassist of Quicksand. The band is known as one of the most experimental groups to have come from the alternative metal music scene. They are sometimes dubbed "the Radiohead of metal" by critics.

Deftones have released eight albums since their inception. After the lineup settled in 1993, the band secured a recording contract with Maverick Records, and subsequently released their debut album, Adrenaline, in 1995. Promoting the album by touring exhaustively with other bands in the scene, Deftones managed to gain a dedicated fan base through word of mouth. Their sophomore album, Around the Fur, was released in 1997. The album and its singles reached chart positions, and the album was the band's first to receive certification from the RIAA. The band found even further success with their third album, White Pony, in 2000. It showed a transition away from the band's earlier sound into a more experimental direction. Its lead single, "Change (In the House of Flies)", is the group's most commercially successful single, and the album track "Elite" won a Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance. White Pony was the band's first of three albums to be certified platinum in the United States.