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Ohms (album)

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Ohms
Across a black background is a display of 12,995 white dots. Patterned into this sheet of white dots are a pair of eyes and eyebrows above them; the right eye appears to have a tear falling from it.
Studio album by
Deftones
ReleasedSeptember 25, 2020 (2020-09-25)
Recorded2019–2020
Studio
Genre
Length46:22
LabelReprise
Producer
Deftones chronology
Gore
(2016) 		Ohms
(2020)
Singles from Ohms
  1. "Ohms"
    Released: August 21, 2020
  2. "Genesis"
    Released: September 18, 2020
  3. "Ceremony"
    Released: January 26, 2021

Ohms (stylized as _Ohms on physical editions)[1] is the ninth studio album by the American alternative metal band Deftones, released on September 25, 2020, through Reprise Records.[2][3] The album was produced by Terry Date, making it their first collaboration since the unreleased Eros and the final with bassist Sergio Vega who departed from the band in early 2021. The album was preceded by the release of two singles: "Ohms" and "Genesis". The song "Ceremony" was later released as a single. Ohms received acclaim from critics.[4] The opening track "Genesis" was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance and the closing track and title track Ohms was nominated for Best Rock Performance at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards.

Background and production

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Deftones released their eighth studio album Gore on April 8, 2016, via Warner Bros. Records.[5] As part of the album promotion, the band embarked on an extensive US tour in the summer of 2016, with support from Refused and Spotlights.[6] The following summer, they performed a coheadlining North American tour with Rise Against, featuring support from Thrice.[7] In 2018, Deftones hosted the first annual Dia de los Deftones festival at Petco Park, featuring performances from artists like Mike Shinoda, Rocket from the Crypt, and Doja Cat.[8]

In a 2017 interview with NME, vocalist Chino Moreno said that Deftones had "talked about getting together sooner [rather] than later" on a new album.[9] On March 28, 2018, the Deftones Instagram account shared images of the band at a recording studio, one of which was captioned "Someone say jam?!".[10] That May, Moreno told Rock.com.AR that the band had "six or seven new songs, which are still mutating".[11] Deftones provided another update on the album in April 2020, with drummer Abe Cunningham saying in an Instagram video that, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, "it's been a bit difficult to get everyone in the same room", but that they were in the process of mixing the new album, and were aiming for a late 2020 release date.[12] Deftones worked with producer Terry Date on Ohms, their first collaboration since the unreleased Eros album in 2008.[13] Recording took place at Henson Recording Studios in Los Angeles and Trainwreck Studios in Seattle.[14]

Composition

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Musically, Ohms is widely described as a return to the band's core alternative metal style.[15][16][17][18] The album was also described as shoegaze[18] and post-rock.[18] Classic Rock magazine added a different assessment, calling the album "dream pop with a metallic edge".[19] It is the first Deftones album since their eponymous 2003 album to be produced by Terry Date, although the band had worked with him during the sessions of the unreleased album Eros in 2008.[20] It is also their first album in which Stephen Carpenter utilizes a nine-string guitar.[21]

Packaging

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The cover art was designed by Frank Maddocks, who has worked with Deftones on each of their albums since White Pony.[3] There are a total of 12,995 dots on the cover art.[22] Many fans believed that the design pays tribute to the band's original bassist Chi Cheng, who died in 2013, as the eyes that appear on the cover art line up closely with a photo of him. Band drummer Abe Cunningham stated in an interview that this was merely a coincidence, however. He added that the cover art idea reminded him of the 1980s, specifically the music video for Prince's 1984 song "When Doves Cry".[23] Shortly before the album's release, Deftones launched the "Adopt a Dot" campaign, allowing for people to purchase one of the dots on the artwork as their own. A photo of the purchaser would then appear as the dot they purchased and be a part of the "Ohms Adopt a Dot digital experience" viewable online. All of the proceeds from the campaign were given to both the UC Davis Children's Hospital and Crew Nation relief fund.[22]

Promotion

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The band began teasing the album's release with a week-long digital campaign in August 2020. Deftones released cryptic social media posts, their official website and animations through Spotify's Canvas feature that when solved revealed the word "ohms" and longitudinal coordinates for a billboard in Los Angeles teasing the album artwork.[24][25] The campaign concluded with a formal announcement for Ohms and a music video for the album's lead single, "Ohms".[2] The music video for "Ohms" was directed by Rafatoon and featured what Rolling Stone described as, "band performance video interspersed with scenes from a dystopian world, mirroring the musically and lyrically heavy song sentiments."[3] At the time of release, vocalist Chino Moreno described "Ohms" as a "a good scope of where this record's at,"[26] though in a separate interview producer Terry Date didn't feel like the song was a good choice for the album's lead promotional track.[27]

Deftones were originally scheduled to tour North America in support of Ohms with Gojira and Poppy in July to September 2020.[28] Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the tour was postponed until 2021.[29]

Belching Beaver released a limited edition pale ale beer named after the album in 2020.

Reception

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Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?8.6/10[30]
Metacritic87/100[4]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[31]
Consequence of SoundA−[15]
DIY[32]
Exclaim!9/10[16]
The Guardian[33]
The Independent[34]
Kerrang!4/5[35]
NME[36]
Pitchfork7.6/10[37]
Sputnikmusic5/5[38]

Ohms received critical acclaim from critics. At Metacritic, the album received an average score of 87, based on 21 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[4] AllMusic critic Neil Z. Yeung thought that Deftones "take their signature beauty-meets-brutality assault, searching for balance across a tightly focused ten tracks." Yeung further stated: "As a unit, they haven't sounded this refreshed in years."[31] Consequence of Sound's Joseph Schafer described Ohms as "their hardest-hitting effort in years" and "a record that hints at a purified blend of their contrasting influences in its finest moments."[15] Ben Tipple of DIY praised Date's production work and stated: "If any of Deftones’ previous records are guilty of lacking focus (you decide), ‘Ohms‘ is certainly safe from future vitriol."[32]

Describing Ohms as "truly and honestly a breath of fresh air," Exclaim! critic Adam Wallis thought that the record was "just as unique and innovative as each album before it."[16] The Independent's Roisin O'Connor regarded the album as "an intriguing addition to the band’s canon," while David McLaughlin from Kerrang! likened it to a "greatest hits [record] from a parallel plane of existence, yet dense enough to demand deeper exploration."[35] Writing for NME, James McMahon described Ohms as "heavy stuff, both sonically and in emotional clout."[36] Andy Crump of Paste regarded the album as "an engrossing refinement of what they’ve become over years of risk-taking and experimentation."[39] Sputnikmusic staff critic SowingSeason thought that the record "surpasses Deftones’ other iconic releases is in its dense, unpredictable layering and sheer intensity." He further stated: "There aren’t many traits present on Ohms that we’ve never heard from the band before,... but they’ve woven all these glimpses of previous albums together and improved upon them in nearly every facet."[38]

In a more mixed review, The Guardian's Dean Van Nguyen wrote that the album "lacks the lateral thinking that distinguished the band’s masterpiece, White Pony." Nevertheless, Nguyen further explained: "Still, by streamlining their sound, Deftones have made an album that proves that ferocity is not a diminishing resource."[33] Andy Cush at Pitchfork was also more reserved in his praise for the album than most critics, claiming the band are "not attempting to radically shift your notion of what their music can be. For those of us who have stuck around, that’s just fine; a Deftones album that effortlessly twists their familiar components into a few genuinely new shapes is plenty exciting"[37]

Accolades

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"Genesis" and "Ohms" were nominated for Best Metal Performance and Best Rock Performance, respectively, at the 64th Grammy Awards.[40]

Year-end lists
Publication List Rank Ref.
AllMusic AllMusic Best of 2020 N/A [41]
Alternative Press The 50 Best Albums of 2020 N/A [42]
Beats Per Minute Top 50 Albums of 2020 14 [43]
Consequence of Sound Top 50 Albums of 2020 7 [44]
Double J Top 50 Albums of 2020 34 [45]
Exclaim! Exclaim!s 50 Best Albums of 2020 19 [46]
Gigwise The Gigwise 51 Best Albums of 2020 8 [47]
Kerrang! The 50 Greatest Albums of 2020 3 [48]
Louder Than War Top 50 Albums of 2020 43 [49]
Loudwire The 70 Best Rock + Metal Albums of 2020 1 [50]
Metal Hammer 50 Best Metal Albums of 2020 1 [51]
NME The 50 Best Albums of 2020 13 [52]
PopMatters The 60 Best Albums of 2020 20 [53]
Revolver 25 Best Albums of 2020 1 [54]
Spin The 30 Best Albums of 2020 12 [55]
Sputnikmusic Top 50 Albums of 2020 19 [56]

Track listing

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All lyrics are written by Chino Moreno; all music is composed by Deftones (Stephen Carpenter, Abe Cunningham, Frank Delgado, Chino Moreno, Sergio Vega)

Ohms track listing[1]
No.TitleLength
1."Genesis"5:17
2."Ceremony"3:27
3."Urantia"4:30
4."Error"4:50
5."The Spell of Mathematics"5:27
6."Pompeji"5:25
7."This Link Is Dead"4:37
8."Radiant City"3:35
9."Headless"4:59
10."Ohms"4:10
Total length:46:22

Personnel

[edit]

Personnel adapted from liner notes.[1]

Deftones

Additional personnel

Charts

[edit]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Ohms (vinyl sleeve). Deftones. Reprise Records. 2020. 093624892144.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  2. ^ a b Bloom, Madison (August 21, 2020). "Deftones Announce New Album Ohms, Share New Song". Pitchfork. Retrieved August 22, 2020.
  3. ^ a b c Kreps, Daniel; Legapi, Althea (August 21, 2020). "Deftones Preview New Album 'Ohms' With Dystopian Video". Rolling Stone. Retrieved August 22, 2020.
  4. ^ a b c "Critic Reviews for Ohms by Deftones". Metacritic. Retrieved October 24, 2020.
  5. ^ "Deftones Confirm Gore Release Date And Tracklisting". Kerrang!. February 5, 2016. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
  6. ^ Sacher, Andrew (June 3, 2016). "Spotlights opening Deftones/Refused tour". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
  7. ^ Young, Alex (February 6, 2017). "Deftones announce 2017 summer tour with Rise Against". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
  8. ^ Wicks, Amanda (July 16, 2018). "Deftones Announce New Festival Dia De Los Deftones". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
  9. ^ Trendell, Andrew (May 22, 2017). "Deftones' Chino Moreno discusses the band's legacy, future and next album". NME. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
  10. ^ Trendell, Andrew (March 28, 2018). "It looks like Deftones have started work on their next album". NME. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
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  16. ^ a b c Wallis, Adam (September 25, 2020). "Deftones Return to Their Roots on Pummelling, Explosive 'Ohms'". Exclaim!. Retrieved September 30, 2020.
  17. ^ Grace, Paul (September 24, 2020). "Deftones: Ohms – album review". Louder Than War. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
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