On Christmas Day, Deftones singer Chino Moreno’s electrorock side project ††† (Crosses), which also features guitarist Shaun Lopez, released their first new song in six years. It wasn’t an original, but rather a cover of “The Beginning of the End” by the ’90s electropop band Cause & Effect. Listen to the song below. [embedded content] The cover caps a mixed bag of a year for Moreno. Deftones were slated to go on a lengthy tour this year, but that was pushed due to the pandemic. However, the band’s seminal White Pony turned 20 this year, and we spoke with a bunch of the band’s friends and admirers about the importance of the record. The group also released a remix album of White Pony titled Black Stallion where their pals remixed the songs from th...
“It’s dark,” says Chino Moreno. “It’s a trip.” Not a bad off-the-cuff summary of Deftones’ ninth LP, Ohms, which amplifies the art-metal band’s signature dynamic extremes: Frank Delgado’s shadowy synth atmospherics are more prominent in the mix, and Stephen Carpenter’s detuned riffs scorch the terrain beneath them. But Moreno isn’t describing the album — instead, he’s marveling at the post-apocalyptic orange skies that blanket his current home of Bend, Oregon. Weeks before Ohms enters the world, the West Coast is ravaged by wildfires that have polluted the air to dangerous levels. “I’m actually out walking right now,” the frontman says, noting one of his regular pandemic-era activities. “But I shouldn’t be because the quality is too bad. It’s 11 a.m., and it’s really dark right now.” ...