Deftones

Deftones is an American alternative metal band formed

in Sacramento, California in 1988. They were formed
by Chino Moreno (vocals, guitar), Stephen
Carpenter (guitar), Abe Cunningham (drums), and
Dominic Garcia (bass). During their first five years, the
band's lineup changed several times, but stabilized in
1993 when Cunningham rejoined after his departure in
1990; by this time, Chi Cheng was bassist. The lineup
remained stable for fifteen years, with the exception of
keyboardist and turntablist Frank Delgado being added
in 1999. The band's experimental nature has led some
critics to describe them as "the Radiohead of metal"
Deftones have released nine 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 second album Around the Fur was released in 1997, reached chart positions along
with its singles, and became the band's first to receive certification from the RIAA. The band
found even further success with their third album White Pony (2000), which saw a transition
away from their earlier, more aggressive sound into a more experimental direction. Its lead
single "Change (In the House of Flies)" is the band's most commercially successful single,
and the track "Elite" won a Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance; it was also the
band's first of three albums to be certified platinum in the United States. Their self-titled
fourth album was released in 2003. While the group's critical success continued, sales
proved to be lackluster compared to White Pony.
Deftones' fifth studio effort, Saturday Night Wrist, was released in
2006. While critically acclaimed, the album's production was marred
by creative tensions and personal issues within the band, some of
which influenced its material. In 2008, while Deftones were working
on an album tentatively titled Eros, Cheng was involved in a traffic
collision. As a result, he was left in a minimally conscious
state until his death in 2013 of cardiac arrest. After Cheng's
accident, Deftones halted production
on Eros. Quicksand bassist Sergio Vega, who had filled in as a
touring member to replace Cheng, later became his permanent
replacement, though Vega alleges he was never an official member.
The band released the critically celebrated Diamond Eyes in 2010
and embarked on a triple-headline tour with Alice in
Chains and Mastodon throughout North America. Their seventh and
eighth albums, Koi No Yokan (2012) and Gore (2016) respectively,
saw the band continue to move in an increasingly experimental
direction and were released to critical acclaim. Their latest
album, Ohms, was released on September 25, 2020, receiving
significant critical praise for its return to the band's heavier
sound.[3] In March 2022, it was announced that bassist Sergio Vega
had left the band in early 2021. They have sold more than 10 million
albums worldwide.
• Current members
• Chino Moreno – lead vocals (1988–
present); rhythm guitar (1999–present)
• Stephen Carpenter – lead guitar (1988–
present)
• Abe Cunningham – drums (1988–1990,
1993–present)
• Frank Delgado – keyboards, turntables,
samples (1999–present; touring musician
1997–1998)
▪Chino met his future bandmates
Abe Cunningham and Stephen
Carpenter in school.
▪The three guys were brought
together by skateboarding. In
1988 they began to jam together.
However, Moreno was kicked out
of school because of drug use.
As a result, he never finished
high school.