Deftones' follow-up to Gore — which is expected later this year — is one of the most highly anticipated albums of 2020, and the band's singer Chino Moreno discussed the forthcoming LP with Apple Music's Zane Lowe in an interview that will premiere in full at 10 a.m/ PST at at Apple.co/zane. Moreno also talks about the 10th anniversary of Diamond Eyes, working with longtime producer Terry Date, his approach to vocals, and the possibility of re-releasing White Pony for its impending 20th anniversary, as well as his "At Home With" playlist. See video of the interview below.
"We started the record last summer and we ... I mean, even before that we were taking our time and just doing at our leisure," Moreno says of Deftones' new album. "We just started the mixing process a couple of months back. It worked out as far as doing it remote. Our producer, Terry Date who's doing the record, he's in Seattle. As a band, we're all spread out, any ways. He's just been working on it and then sending us stuff and we'll send it back with notes and this and that, whatever. Usually it would be a little more expedited had we all been able to be in the same room at the same time, but it's working out and he just finished his first full round of mixing the whole record and now it's going back to little things and particular things on each song. So we're using the time, trying to at least, by still working on the record and there's no rush obviously for us to get out and do anything. So we're just taking our time with it.
"We moved out of Sacramento maybe 20 years ago or so, it seems like almost now. But everybody's been placed all around the U.S. and so we've been working in this digital age for a while. I mean, as far as writing the music, it's been good. Everybody gets together and we lock ourselves in a room and we write together, which I think that's the important part, that we're not just sending ideas over the internet. We're actually writing music together. But once we do that, everybody steps away and goes back into their own little worlds, and then we take a tally on what's this and what's that and then we can work that way. So it's worked out for us."
He adds, "We haven't really discussed it too deeply other than we plan on it coming out this summer. It's not looking like we're going to be able to get out there this summer to support it. So does it make sense to put it out when you can't support it? Maybe. Maybe not. I don't know. I think that's something that we're going to have to figure out sooner than later. But I think our mindset right now is just finishing it completely and making sure that it's great. And then taking it from there."
Speaking of a potential White Pony 20th anniversary reissue, Moreno says, "There's a little talk of it. Well, actually it's funny because we talked about this when the record came out that we wanted to remix the White Pony record. Our initial idea was we're going to get the masters of the White Pony record. And we're going to put some money in a briefcase and the masters in a briefcase. And we're going to go to DJ Shadow's house and we're just going to hand it off to him and say like, "Here man, remix this record." And we wanted to call it the Black Stallion."
He continues, "But yeah, I mean we still may try to do something similar to that. I mean, who will be involved? I'm not quite sure yet. Because re-releasing a record and having it would be great, but obviously it's like what are we going to do? Change the album cover, different sleeve or whatever? It's like it'd be cool to actually ...
"That's the thing that every song that we made is on that record. So yeah. So we don't have anything leftover really. I mean we did have a couple B-sides, but those were released already too. So I think it would be to try to maybe add a little something to it, whatever. Or do it in a neat way and not just do a remix just for doing a remix, obviously that'd be good. That's kind of the only thing we're thinking about really doing that. And I mean, maybe playing some shows would be great to see where that goes as far as maybe doing the record in its entirety or something like that at some point."
