The group formed in Sacramento, California in 1988, when then high-school students Stephen Carpenter (guitar), Abe Cunningham (drums), and Chino Moreno (vocals) first began to jam together. They chose the name Deftones and began playing out locally shortly thereafter, going through several different bass players before finding a permanent bassist in the form of Chi Cheng. Although the group were more heavy metal-based early on, the early '90s saw Deftones expand their sound even further, inspired by such groundbreakers as Tool, Rage Against the Machine, and Faith No More. A strong four-song demo was completed soon after, and it landed the band a recording contract with Madonna's label, Maverick.Įnlisting the services of Soundgarden and Pantera producer Terry Date (who would eventually become a regular producer for the group), the quartet's debut full-length, Adrenaline, was issued in October 1995. While the album wasn't an instant success, Deftones built a dedicated fan base the old-fashioned way - by touring relentlessly (both on their own and opening for more established acts such as Ozzy Osbourne, L7, and Korn).
With sales of Adrenaline topping 200,000 copies, expectations were high for their sophomore release, Around the Fur. Issued in October 1997, it more than delivered, catapulting the band to the top of the alt-metal mountain on the strength of such MTV/radio faves as "My Own Summer (Shove It)" and "Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away)." Sometime after the record's release, turntablist/keyboardist Frank Delgado (who had helped out on the first two albums) formally joined up and expanded the group's lineup to a five-piece.Ī seven-track import EP, 1999's Live, was issued as a stopgap release as Deftones began work on their third studio effort (Cheng issued a spoken word release, The Bamboo Parachute, around this time as well). White Pony was eventually released in June 2000 and proved to be one of the most eagerly anticipated heavy rock releases of the year.
(After touring wrapped up for the album, Moreno formed Team Sleep and began recording an eponymous album, which was delayed numerous times but finally saw release in 2005.) The album was another success (debuting at number three on the album charts), and it showed the quintet unafraid to experiment with their sound, as Moreno let such '80s modern rock influences as the Cure and the Smiths seep into Deftones' sound.
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