A well-rounded classic!

Until the release of this album, the Deftones have been one of hard rock's best kept secrets, due to their limited mainstream exposure. Nevertheless, they continue to amaze. Subjectively hailed as their best album, White Pony contains some of their best material as expressed by various timbres. Heavy and aggressive moods are offered in "Elite" and "Korea", while melancholy, yet triumphant tones are conveyed in "Digital Bath", "Knife Prty", "Change (in the House of Flies)", and "Pink Maggit". This (as well as the Black cover) version is the second variation of White Pony and is differentiated by the additional 12th track, "Boys of the Republic", which is perhaps one of their best tracks, with simple verses, dominated by a beautifully harsh melody comparable to Around the Fur's "Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away)". After all is said and done, the Deftones deliver a variation of their third album which would comfortably be in heavy rotation in anyone's collection.

Add it to your collection

This CD is pretty good, though not as good as Deftones' second album, "Around the Fur," which is heavy all around in every track. This album has some softer tunes in it than in previous albums. Change can be good, but I like the first two albums the best. The Deftones are a great kick-butt band, and any of their albums will enhance your metal and rock collection.

Album of the Millennium

When I think back to the summer of 2000, my best memory is listening to the Deftones' third album 'White Pony' every day. It stands out as one of the best albums in my collection and I still listen to it today and enjoy it just as much as I did when I first bought it. 'White Pony' is the definitive Deftones album. If you are looking for a place to start, look no further. This album perfectly displays what the band is capable of. With one song they can rock you around the room with brute force and then with the next, cushion you with a ambient, mellow ballad. DJ Frank Delgado joined the band full-time with this effort (he appeared on the first two albums, although minimally) and his contributions help give weight to the songs. Whereas other DJ's in rock bands don't do much but make a distraction, Delgado adds subtle texture to the already explosive material. Chino Moreno's vocals are in top form here. He effortlessly sways from calm and peaceful, emotion and fragile, to screeching and howling defiantly. Stephen Carpenter's hypnotic guitar riffs are much more diverse here than on previous efforts; without him I think the band's music would suffer as a whole. He is truly one of the most unqiue and gifted guitarists in the nu-metal world (although Deftones bend and defy the rules of the genre). Songs like "Elite" and "Street Carp" would fit in with earlier efforts, but tracks like "Digital Bath," "Knife Prty" and "The Passenger" (which features vocals by Tool/A Perfect Circle frontman Maynard James Keenan) break the mold and move the band in a more dynamic direction. "Teenager" is the moodiest cut on the album and gives Delgado his time to shine, while Chino whispers soothingly giving the song a sound akin to Smashing Pumpkin's "Mellon Collie" album. "Pink Maggit" (which would later be reborn into the single "Back To School") caps the album off perfectly, with a whirlwind that seems to merge all the best elements from this album into one song, which makes the bonus track "Boy's Republic" seem a bit tacked on, even if it is another stellar track to add to the fold. Overall, 'White Pony' stands as the Deftones' best work; where the band reached it's most successful point. It went on to sell a million plus records and the single "Change (In The House Of Flies)" still remains a staple of modern rock radio. In a world where hard-rock music and nu-metal in particular are rather one dimensional, an album like this and a band like the Deftones are truly a gift. 'White Pony' is, in my opinion, the best release (so far) in the new millennium and I have a hard time imagining anyone matching or exceeding it's potency anytime soon.

Hands down, one of the best hard rock albums of the decade.

Though I was turned off after my first listen, I listened again, then again, and again; I couldn't stop. It's a huge break from thier last album, and can easily be described in one sentance:

Not as artsy as Tool, not as passionate as Staind, and not as gothic as The Cure, but a perfect blend of all three!



This is the album that revived hard rock, which was indeed need of life considering all the unorigonal and korny (pun intended) hard rock/neo metal bands of the 90s such as Limp Bizkit, Godsmack, and Slipknot. Tool and Staind couldn't carry the genre on their backs forever and with Staind watering down their sound, Mettalica's popularity waning, and bands appearing and fading like Full Devil Jacket- things were getting worse by the second.



Then this album saved us all from either turning to the emo/screamo fad or the new Pearl Jam/Nirvana wannabes in desperation. Some of Deftone's BEST work is on this album including Digital Bath- a creepy Cure-esque song that strays away from the screamathon of their earlier songs, RX Queen- a truly perfect song for Chino's whining screaming voice, Teenager- a beautiful mellow acoustic song that's the complete opposite of any other Deftone's song (not a bad thing at all), Passenger, which features a duet with Tool's Maynard James Keenan and Chino, and my personal favorite, Change (In the House of Flies)- a fantastic song that delivers the pain and depression straight to your heart giving you chills all over, a definate classic. I can't say much about the extra song, it was okay I guess- a lot better than back to school which I didn't particularly like. It would have been nice if they just added both songs instead of replacing back to school- it is a limited edition, right? The biggest plus in my mind is that this album can easily be enjoyed by hard rockers or alternative rockers- a huge feat in today's factioned music structure, though it didn't crossover radio stations (a big dissapoitment).



If I had one gripe, it sounds to me a little overproduced, drenching some of the songs in a "digital bath" (again, pun intended). But that set aside, it doesn't detract from the quality of the album at all. This is a MUST OWN for any hard rock fan and including their fourth, self titled album, I think they may actually replace the gaping hole left after The Smashing Pumpkin's breakup, though I'm only speculating here.

Must listen!

Though not as heavy and hard as their previous albums, White Pony seems to be the most thought-out musically. With this effort, the deftones have produced an album of incredible intensity that keeps the listener entranced from beginning to end. The collaboration with Maynard James Keenan (of Tool and A Perfect Circle) on "Passenger" is particularly good. The album is full of rich melodies and harmonies, but the deftones are not afraid to be in-your-face hard rockers either, and they maintain a balance of the two on this album. The enhanced CD version contains all sorts of goodies, from personal band pictures and writings to internet links and an interactive deftones game which can keep you amused for hours (trust me, I know). All in all, I have come to like this album as much as their others, if not more, and that says something because I think "Around the Fur" is a fantastic record.

The Deftones at their peak

"Around the Fur" may be the Deftones' best album, but "White Pony" comes pretty close to that category. Unlike the previously mentioned album and their debut "Adrenaline", "White Pony" finds the band getting more melodic with their sound while still maintaining a heavy edge. Less rap/rock sounding than their previous releases and with slicker sounding production, "White Pony" is a treat for the ears. Standout tracks include "Digital Bath", the Grammy winning "Elite", "Rx Queen", "Korea", "Teenager", "Pink Maggit", and the album's big highlight "Passenger" which features Deftones voice Chino Moreno singing with Tool/A Perfect Circle frontman Maynard James Keenan. That song is worth the price of admission alone, and is incredibly haunting. This is the Red Limited Edition of "White Pony" that was released (along with a Black cover version as well) that features a bonus track exclusive to this version called "Boy's Republic". The song is pretty decent, but not worth shelling out more money than you should if you allready own the original album. All in all, consider this essential listening, even if your not a hardcore Deftones fan.