Deftones

THE self-titled new album from the Deftones was a pleasant surprise to me because, for a long time, I thought I would absolutely hate this band.

Even though I'm a big rock fan the Deftones always seemed to stray too near that old heavy metal sound that I hate - and once I even heard them described as 'Californian rap metal.'

But I was wrong. And this mistake could cost me dear because now I think I might have to buy all the bands previous albums on top of the new one.

This is music for dedicated rockers but it contains a lot of depth and dynamics that only a talented band at its creative height could pull off.

The standout track is the single, Minerva, but none of the songs will leave you feeling cheated. Paul Keaveny