Search - Deftones :: Around the Fur

You Don't Have To Like Nu-Metal/Alternative To Enjoy This

Mono-Grind | Here | 04/01/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This Album "Around The Fur" by the Deftones, i regard as their absolute best. I doubt they will ever top this truly classic CD. Classic mainly, in the genre it's in. But like the title of this review says, you really don't have to be a straight-forward fan of Nu-Metal or Alternative to get something out of this CD. It's a CD that does lean alot towards Nu-Metal and Alternative, but even so it's still a very enjoyable and pretty unique Album by all means.



The main thing about the Deftones, i feel, is the vocalist Chino Moreno. Many people have tried hard to sound like him, but failed. In that regard he's really very influential i think. And so is this band as a whole. But Chino Moreno totally adds so much to this music. If he left and they decided to bring in a new vocalist, i doubt it'd work. the Deftones would surely be over. Not that i think he's the greatest vocalist in the world, because i don't, i just feel he's the center of this band and i also feel he's one of the main reasons for their popularity.



the Deftones are influenced by bands such as Helmet, The Cure, Killing Joke and Joy Division, just to name a few. You can almost get the Helmet influence, but as for the others it's hard to tell. That's how unique i believe the Deftones really are. I've even heard that guitarist Stephen Carpenter is a big fan of the technical, ultra-heavy death-metal band, Meshuggah..Although the Deftones sound NOTHING like them, obviously because they are in a totally different genre, it's interesting and pretty cool to see how open-minded the Deftones seem to be about music. (More so than most other Nu-Metal/Alternative bands i know of anyway..)



There really isn't any filler songs on this CD either. That's one of the main reasons, obviously, that i give this 5/5. The standout tracks from an Album of standout tracks (If that makes sense..) would be "My Own Summer (Shove It)", "lhabia", "Around The Fur", "Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away)", "Lotion", "Dai The Flu" and "Head Up (Feat. Max Cavalera)"..I think i left out 3 songs there. Which goes to show how great this Album really is, as "Mascara", "Rickets" and "MX" are still top-quality Deftones songs.



My two personal favourite songs are both "Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away)" and "Head Up". "Head Up" features Max Cavalera of Soulfly/ex-Sepultura, and inevitably ends up sounding a lot like Soulfly (With the riff and then the long outro..) except for Chino Moreno's vocals. Max Cavalera actually doesn't seem to contribute much except for a few words here and there. All in all, those are the two most catchy songs i think. "My Own Summer (Shove It)" is also a very catchy song, that they also shot a Video for. "Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away)" to me, is the Deftones most stunning song off this Album though. (They shot a Video for that as well..)



I think every metal fan in general has either heard, or heard about, the Deftones by now. And if you've thought about getting into them, but weren't sure and still not sure of which Album of theirs to start with, i'd start with this definitely. This is very highly recommended to fans of Alternative Metal, and to all fans of metal in general as well.



Without question "Around the Fur" is 5/5"

Don't call me dude... I'm not a stoner anymore.

TwoTreesForMe | Nanango, QLD, AU | 11/25/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I'm a very large deftones fan, in my opinion they are one of the best bands ever to grace this earth. I have all four of their albums, from Adrenaline to the Self-Titled. They all have their charms, but this album tops them all. Not that their other releases are anything near bad! Not too many tracks, but the feel of the album and quality of the songs make up for it. Songs:



My Own Summer (shove it) - Great song, first heard this a few years ago on the matrix soundtrack (and hated it...) but listened to it recently, now i love it, but i admit to skipping over it sometimes. Not the best song on the album, but a killer intro track. Steph's (Guitarist) intro piece is absolutely awesome. I heard it was written when the singer put aluminium foil over the windows in his boiling hot hotel room and make-beleived he was in an apocalytic world where the sun was gone - and called it his own summer.



Lhabia - Pretty good too, very catchy chorus, great interlude piece. one of the better songs on the album. (Yes, the name is almost spelt like a part of the female anatomy - don't really see how it relates to the song, but it probably does in some way...)



Mascara - DEFTINITELY one of their best songs ever. It has this weird quiet charm, not something you'd expect from the Deftones, not really nice and sweet like Teenager but with a darker almost gothic feel, a dreary but beautiful song that I love listening to. Beautiful lyrics, sounds almost like he's talking about looking at all the faults of the girl he's with but, but feeling something about her just drives him insane with passion (her long shady eyes?), and can't help but make this night all about her.



Around the Fur - HELL YESSSSS!!!! excellent heavy song. I love the screaming, i used to listen to this song alone over and over again. fabulous. Talks about the underground people (as in prostitutes and stuff), and seems to take a stab at the high society and fasions.



Rickets - ehhh... I like this (its deftones!!) but it definitely pales next to all the other songs. Still cool though.



Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away) - Holy flurking shnit. This song is de bomb. I'm not suprised it's been called the best deftones song ever by many. Wow. Long, but heaven every second. A great soothing song, I could fall asleep to it, and i'm sure i'd have dreams of being driven away into the night at unbeleivable speeds by a gorgeous woman.



Lotion - This is probably my favourite damn song on this whole damn album. damn! Heavy in the verses where chino (vocalist) sounds like he's having an angry outburst of temporary insanity which slides into an amazingly adrenaline-pumping chorus that shows off chino's awesome vocal talents - and abe's drumming sounds awesome in the chorus, the transition between verse/chorus just clicks for me... wow...



Dai the Flu - Cool bass, Chi!!! I heard somewhere that "Dai" is part of Chi's name too, one of his middle names or something. Groovy song, i like it heaps (my sister loves it too, its her favourite on this album). Sweet-ass.



Rickets - This song is cool, but it took a little getting used to for me. Its rather heavy and seems to show off the classical deftones sort of sound, like in Engine #9 off adrenaline. I admit to skipping over it though, because the tune in deftones is the thing that wins me over, and this song doesn't have that much tuneful stuff... still good.



MX - Veeeeeery good song. Has this weird verse part where chino talks to this chick, it sounds really cool, especially when you listen to what he's saying. This song is kinda scary, the chorus is "hahahaha... Come over here, over here, Closer to Lung, hahaha... So I can, So I can, Shove her over railing.".... whoah dude.... SWEET AS!



I love the amazing pictures deftones songs build, and the subject matter of their music. Its harsh real beauty. Besides the fact they make cool-ass music, the lyrics send you on these crazy mind trips... they do to me anyway. When I listen to MX i connect it with the image on the front of the album, that rather attractive woman with her legs in the water, especially since at the start of the song you hear some water-like sounds, and some of the vocals sound all bubbly like they're underwater... Lotion is such a great angry-sounding song, and the chorus sounds sarcastic and almost mocking... "Mascara" has this weirdly romantic feel to it, but its not fake-sounding or overly sappy... i think chino (and whoever else contributes to the lyrics) understands that words are just words, that there are many ways to express feelings... and that life isn't as black-and-white as its perceived in many other bands and songs ("I love you, you're perfect, let's come together and live together forever happily ever after...."). The guys in the deftones seem so honest and genuine with their music and thats why they hold about number 1 in my list of favourite bands (tied with 36 Crazyfists & System of a Down). Buy this CD now, its worth it dudes."