Deftones: White Pony
Distance made the heart grow fonder.
“No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it's not the same river and he's not the same man.” -Heraclitus
The time has come for me to give you a peek under the hood.
The albums I’ve chosen to cover thus far are not selected because they’re critically acclaimed, a fan favorite, or both. Instead, I choose albums that, to me, have an interesting quality about them: Oasis’s underrated faceplant, The Mars Volta’s “acoustic” pivot, System of a Down’s accidental album, you get the gist. I’m not saying some of the albums I’ve covered aren’t beloved by critics and/or fans, but what can I say about Master of Puppets that hasn’t already been said a million times over?
However, White Pony, the third full-length album from Deftones, is a rare exception. Commercially successful, a critical darling, and regarded by fans as their best album, the verdict is and has been quite clear for some time. So why did I choose to cover it?
Because the first time I listened to it, I hated it and wrote it off for nearly two decades.
Released in 2000 at the peak of nu-metal’s dominance in mainstream music (a genre that, despite their resistance, included Deftones), White Pony should’ve been right up my alley as I was neck-deep in that scene, obsessed with Limp Bizkit, Korn, Linkin Park, Staind, and Slipknot, bands that certainly sound different from one another but shared similar qualities that got them all slapped with the nu-metal label: heavy but catchy songs, angsty lyrics, and, of course, the occasional bout of rapping.
But there were two important characteristics that made Deftones stand out from those bands: the lack of immediacy and the incorporation of other genres such as shoegaze and post-metal. Instead of hitting you over the head with easily-digestible hooks and ample aggression, Deftones slowly reel you in, enticing you more and more with every listen.
These weren’t necessarily new characteristics at the time of White Pony’s release which made the album less of a hard left turn and more of an improved continuation of what they’d been doing. But due to my lack of familiarity with older albums like Adrenaline and Around the Fur and only knowing the singles like “My Own Summer (Shove It)” and “Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away),” I went into White Pony with the wrong expectations. Deftones weren’t to blame for my initial disdain; it was my immature ears and ignorance to their music.
Fast forward to 2019 when I decided to step in the White Pony river for the second time. My taste in music had evolved, so there was a chance that it would resonate differently with me this time around. And boy, did it ever.
White Pony has its heavy moments, of course. Singles “Change (In the House of Flies)” and “Back to School (Mini Maggit)” as well as deep cuts like “Elite” and “Korea” were the saving graces upon first hearing the album. But with a fresh perspective, I no longer see these songs as saving graces, but pieces to the White Pony puzzle.
In 180-degree fashion, it’s the elements that initially made me loathe White Pony that were and are now selling points. “Digital Bath” has a spacy undertone that feels like you’re on a deep sea mission while the drums on “Rx Queen” are packed with reverb that make the song sound colossal without simply having to go for maximum volume. Then there’s “Teenager,” a pure trip-hop cut and by far the album’s most tender moment — Portishead would be proud.
While the experimentation itself is admirable (and what makes White Pony stand out from the rest of their catalog), my favorite moments are when Deftones take you on a sonic journey. “Knife Prty” begins with beautiful reverb-soaked guitar chords leading to an explosive chorus while the second half of the song is dominated by Rodleen Getsic who gives an unsettling yet terrific vocal performance. And on “Passenger,” the most progressive rock-sounding song Deftones had written, we get a fantastic guest appearance from none other than Tool’s Maynard James Keenan. The band does a great job at building and releasing tension throughout, culminating in a breakdown two-thirds of the way into the song. It’s moments like these that proved Deftones should never be written off as some cookie cutter nu-metal band. There’s more to their music than meets the eye, and there’s no clearer example of that than White Pony.
Revisiting White Pony was indeed like stepping into a river. While the album itself is static, I, of course, am not. I wish I could’ve enjoyed the album much sooner, but my evolution as a music listener was needed for me to fully appreciate it. It may have been the same river, but I was not the same man.
If you’re interested in listening to some of my favorite Deftones songs (as well as songs by other artists I’ve covered), check out my Spotify playlist below!
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