Deftones 'shine' as a result of community-style writing process

Chino Moreno
Chino Moreno (Image credit: Getty)

Deftones frontman Chino Moreno says the band’s community-style writing process allows all of the members to “shine.”

The band released their latest album Gore earlier this month and Moreno says they were careful not to put pressure on themselves by outlining what kind of record they wanted to make.

He tells Whiplash (via Blabbermouth): “We don’t talk about what we’re gonna try to do. We really try to make it an in-the-moment sort of experience, and it seems to be the most exciting way to make records.

“I feel like if we talked too much about it, or planned it out too much, or decided what type of record we were gonna make, we’d sort of be boxing ourselves in to have to stick to that.

“So we kind of just let it happen. We don’t write before we get in there. Everything is pretty much written together while we’re all in the same room, and for that reason, I feel like it has this sort of live communal kind of feeling to it.

“Everybody very much shines in the right way.”

The singer adds that the laid-back approach helps the band organically evolve from one album to the next.

He says: “Hopefully, we do evolve when we make records. I think that’s sort of important for us to try to challenge ourselves and try to think outside the box as well.

“I feel like it’s still very much a Deftones record, but like with anything, I think it should progress and it should expand on what it was before, and I felt like we did that.”

Deftones have a string of tour dates lined up for 2016.

Deftones tour dates 2016

May 08: Kannapolis Carolina Rebellion, NC
May 15: Atlanta Shaky Knees Festoval, GA
May 21: Maryland Heights Pointfest, MO
Jun 03: London SSE Arena Wembley, UK
Jun 04: Mendig Rock AM Ring, Germany
Jun 05: Nurnberg Rock Im Park, Germany
Jun 07: Milan Trezzo Sull’Adda Live Club, Italy
Jun 10: Paris Download, France
Jun 11: Donington Download, UK
Jun 12: Nickelsdorf Nova Rock, Austria
Jun 14: Cologne Palladium, Germany
Jun 15: Berlin Columbiahalle, Germany
Jun 17: Aarhus NorthSide Festival, Denmark
Jun 18: Reykjavik Secret Solstice, Iceland
Aug 02: Bethlehem Sands Bethlehem Event Center, PA
Aug 03: Baltimore Pier Six Concert Pavilion, MD
Aug 05: Brooklyn Coney Island Amphitheater, NY
Aug 06: Philadelphia Festival Pier at Penn’s Landing, PA
Aug 07: Uncasville Mohegan Sun Arena, CT
Aug 09: Boston Blue Hills Bank Pavilion, MA
Aug 10: Asbury Park Stone Pony Summerstage, NJ
Aug 12: Sterling Heights Freedom Hill Amphitheatre, MI
Aug 16: St Paul Myth, MN
Aug 17: Clive Seven Flags Event Center, IA
Aug 18: Tulsa Brady Theater, OK
Aug 20: Magna Saltair Resort Main Pavilion, UT
Aug 23: Fresno Woodward Park Summer Concerts, CA
Aug 24: Los Angeles Greek Theatre, CA
Aug 25: Berkeley Greek Theatre, CA
Aug 30: Las Vegas The Joint, NV
Aug 31: Mesa Mesa Amphitheatre, AZ

Stef wrote close to 5,000 stories during his time as assistant online news editor and later as online news editor between 2014-2016. An accomplished reporter and journalist, Stef has written extensively for a number of UK newspapers and also played bass with UK rock favourites Logan. His favourite bands are Pixies and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. Stef left the world of rock'n'roll news behind when he moved to his beloved Canada in 2016, but he started on his next 5000 stories in 2022.