Deftones - Around The Fur

Around the Fur has been one of the most eagerly anticipated releases of the year for a lot of people. Now it's finally here. Has the anticipation been worth it. Most people seem to have answered that question already, and pretty much in the yes camp. Me, I'm gonna throw a little spanner in there. Yeah, it's a good album, but as yet I don't know that I can call it the classic that others have already heaped on it's shoulders. But I feel much the same about the last efforts from both Machine Head and Korn. Maybe we jump too quickly sometimes in our judgement.

95's debut, Adrenaline, is a fine album, which still gets frequent play, but as yet, none of the songs on ..Fur have quite grabbed me in the same way as Bored, or Teething, or 7 words did.

Headup, the collaboration with Max Cavalera for example, has been talked about by many. And frankly, the first few times I listened to it, it doesn't do a great deal. Look behind the surface at who guests on it, and you have a song, whose last minute or so, is totally pointless. The rest of it is intense, yes, but at the moment, not great.

Ok, so that's not going to get me many friends, but whatever. Live, the Deftones were an awesome proposition, who frankly, pissed over both the albums. Many bands are like that. Maybe in time, this will grow to feel like a classic album. Some of my all time favourite albums have done that, but for now, it's a good album, not a great one. Afraid it still doesn't come anywhere near Human Waste Projects 'E-Lux' in the favourite album of the year award.

There does seem to be more diversity in some of the song structures than a lot of similar bands are taking at the moment, and that will probably mean that I grow to like this one more with time. So many bands seem to be falling into the trap of sounding one dimensional at the moment. If you like that dimension, which generally I seem to, then it does sound good, BUT, it's not enough for longevity. The scene needs to develop some new tricks, otherwise many bands will fall the way the NWOBHM and thrash bands did in the 80s. This album is definitely a step towards avoiding that pitfall for the Tones.

There's always gotta be one hasn't there.