Deftones’ ‘private music’: The ’90s Kid All Grown Up (album review)

I’ve been riding with Deftones since I was fourteen—back when weed came in maybe ten strains and video games were mostly side-scrollers and RPGs. Back when you discovered new bands from the graphic on a kid’s hoodie—the same kid who swore, “if you play track nine backwards, demons will crawl out at night.” Or just by flipping through racks at the local record shop. Ah, the local record shop.

I first heard Deftones in the mid-90s, born from the same soil that gave us Korn, Limp Bizkit, Coal Chamber, and the whole nu-metal wave. Maybe it was MTV that introduced me—back when it really was Music Television. I still remember watching them in 2000, ripping through “Back to School” at the MTV Sports and Music Festival. Even then, they stood apart—threading melody and atmosphere through the chaos. Chunky riffs, nasty rhythms you couldn’t shake. I was hooked instantly. Besides fumbling my way through Deep Purple riffs on guitar, “My Own Summer” was probably the second song I ever learned.

Watching bands from that generation evolve has been fascinating. Korn, Limp Bizkit, System of a Down—hell, they’re still selling out tours today. I was just at one the other night. Those bands hold tight to the same raw energy that made them massive. But Deftones took a different road, carving out something moodier, more artful, and more enduring. You can hear their growth etched across the albums—each one pushing forward yet always anchored to their core. Where many bands serve up variations of the same record, Deftones keep you guessing while never losing that unmistakable identity.

With their tenth album, private music, they’ve come full circle—channeling the haze and heaviness of the 90s into the present, delivered with the confidence of a band fully grown into its own legacy.

private music dropped August 22, 2025—their first studio full-length since Ohms (2020), produced with Nick Raskulinecz (the guy behind Diamond Eyes and Koi No Yokan). Eleven tracks, lean runtime, on Reprise/Warner. The singles “My Mind Is a Mountain” and “Milk of the Madonna” set the temperature: fogged-out melody against tectonic groove, like the band remembered exactly why we fell for them and then refined it with 25 years of taste.

And it fits their larger pattern—this is a band that’s never gone dormant. Think back to the White Pony 20th anniversary project, where they handed the album over to an eclectic lineup—Mike Shinoda, DJ Shadow, Squarepusher, Phantogram, Robert Smith—artists you’d never normally expect to be paired with Deftones. That remix record (Black Stallion) proved how good they are at bending their sound across scenes, staying relevant through unlikely but inspired collaborations. private music feels like the next logical step: a band deeply aware of their legacy, but still intent on pushing it into the present tense.

It absolutely smacks. From the start, private music dives right back into that heavy/dreamy zone that only Deftones can live in. The way “Milk of the Madonna” runs straight into “Cut Hands” is a perfect example—it’s got that raw punch and urgency that takes me straight back to their 1995 debut Adrenaline, but with the polish and confidence of a band that’s been doing this for decades. There are even these noises tucked into “Cut Hands” that make me think of The Prodigy—rest in peace to Keith Flint—those chaotic textures that feel like they could set a whole room on fire.

Raskulinecz was the right reunion, no question. The production on Diamond Eyes was unreal—like an alternate universe where you felt weightless yet completely grounded at the same time. That record had this clarity and lift that made the heaviness feel even heavier, and you can hear that same touch all over private music. The mix is sharp but spacious, the riffs hit like concrete, and yet there’s always air around them. It’s eleven songs with no fat, just that same balance of force and atmosphere that made Diamond Eyes so addictive.

Spinning it on the store-exclusive metallic gold vinyl made the connection even sharper—the riffs feel thick, the grooves nasty, and the atmosphere cuts through like smoke in headlights. The pressing itself rules, and it looks almost like it was pressed with sand. Sadly, I did miss out on the numbered deluxe gatefold iridescent edition, but even without that, this version is killer. I’m blasting it as I write this, and it makes me love the record even more. It’s not just nostalgia—it’s proof Deftones can still channel that early energy while sounding fully evolved. Crazy how this band can still drop consistent bangers after all these years.

Happy I got to see them in April, and I can’t wait to catch them again when they come back through the NY/NJ area. private music is the perfect reminder of why Deftones matter—not just because they’ve lasted, but because they’ve kept evolving without ever losing themselves. Three decades in, they’re still heavy, still consistent even through lineup changes, and still pumping out those classic vibes. And if you ever get the chance to dive into a Chino-curated playlist, do it—his eclectic taste will pull you into sounds you’d never expect to love, and maybe even things you never thought you’d listen to at all.