It starts with “Swerve City” setting the tone early, with its pounding drums and sludgy guitar riffing. Add in wonderful vocal harmonies from frontman Chino Moreno, and some prominent bass guitar work from fill-in Sergio Vega and you have yourself one heck of an opening track.
“Romantic Dreams” follows with its array of ever-changing time signatures and soaring chorus from Moreno, showcasing his awe-inspiring vocal range.
“Leathers” is a fine example of a classic Deftones song, starting out with eerie, spacious guitar sounds before exploding into the slamming main riff without warning. The shift between heavy metal and gentler music constantly appears during this piece. A powerful moment within the album, indeed.
“Poltergeist” is an absolute beast of a track with its crushing, thrashy 8-string guitar work compliments of Stephen Carpenter. The frenzied, immense groove never stops, galloping all the way to the finish and into “Entombed.”
A slower, more emotional ballad based around a smooth guitar-tapping lick from Carpenter, this one is an album highlight with its beautiful chorus section and layers of electronics and other instruments drenched in reverb.
With the soundscapes managing to draw us into a tranquil state, “Graphic Nature” turns around and erases that feeling with its dissonant guitar, frenetic drums, and its unsettled, restless vibe.
“Tempest” could be considered a sister track to “Leathers,” with the same quiet, unsuspecting intro before breaking out into another growling guitar riff. It’s another excellent moment on the record that treads the fine line between brooding and explosive, constantly keeping the listener guessing as to where the music will take them next.
“Gauze” follows in the same mindset, with another wrecking ball of a riff from Carpenter on a song that carries itself with a nice, melodic chorus section.
Koi No Yokan’s longest track is “Rosemary,” a dreamy (dare I say shoegaze-y) number with ragged guitar and bass that offer up serious shades of fellow California alt-metal-ers Tool.
Leading the listener out with a soft electro/guitar outro, the soundscape morphs into “Goon Squad,” which offers up one last bit of grooving, heavy metal thunder for all to hear.
It all ends on the dub-influenced, new-wavey ballad “What Happened To You?” Moreno offers up another solid vocal performance on this one, with synthesizers and samples taking place of guitars to lead the listener out.
At the end of it all, it’s hard to say where Koi No Yokan will fit alongside essential Deftones efforts of the past, but it is a very good representation of a band that has matured and bettered themselves in the face of adversity. The record covers a wide range of feelings, dynamics, and emotions, while showing listeners that heavy music can indeed be beautiful.
It truly is love at first listen.
