Album review: Deftones – Private Music

While Stef’s role as a touring member of Deftones has been reduced given his reluctance to travel outside of the United States, his efforts here vindicate any stipulations he has, being among the finest of his career. Perhaps that’s because he’s actively re-embracing the old school, as on Ecdysis and Infinite Source, where those rasping riffs recall the finest moments from his band’s past – back when they were erroneously but unsurprisingly considered part of the nu-metal boom – without ever sounding anything other than fresh.

Stef’s parts rarely sound anything other than dense either, whether the song necessitates it or not. Halfway through I Think About You All The Time, a romantic number of narcotic magnetism, he unleashes an almighty groove, backed by bassist Fred Sablan, that you’d imagine would upend something so elegant – yet somehow it works.

The fact even the bold gambles come good is indicative of the much mythologised push-pull dynamic between Chino and Stef reaching its most finest equilibrium since 2000’s masterpiece White Pony. In doing so, that perhaps sets Private Music above Diamond Eyes, their mid-career renaissance. So while Locked Club and Souvenir possess dreamy elements to set minds adrift – informed, as ever, by the likes of The Cure and Cocteau Twins – that molasses thick guitar is never far away, heaving you out of your blissful state.

Chino, meanwhile, sounds like a man with an MO to do whatever the fuck he wants, which he grabs with both hands. You’d be hard pressed to find a Deftones record with greater vocal variety – ranting, whooping, wailing, whispering and, of course, screaming – with Cut Hands and Metal Dream worthy of special mention for including all of the above between the two of them.

Albums as great as Private Music don’t come along every day – they do, however, appear every few years when Deftones release them. But even in the scheme of one of modern rock’s most consistent and treasured back catalogues, Private Music is in the upper most tier, a record that succeeds where its predecessor didn’t quite. Essentially, then, Ohms walked so that Private Music could run, jump, and soar.

Verdict: 5/5

For fans of: Sleep Token, †††, Dayseeker

Private Music is released on August 22 via Reprise / Warner. In early 2026, Deftones will return to the UK and Europe for an arena tour with Denzel Curry and Drug Church.

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