White Pony

by Deftones

Overview

Vaulting from genre favorites to the big leagues, Californian alt-metal outfit Deftones went from being the cool kid's nu-metal band of choice to a mainstream force with their seminal third album, White Pony. Taking steps away from the hip-hop swagger, rote riffs, and unpolished youthfulness of their early work, the band delved into their sonic toy chest, experimenting with atmosphere and effects, tightening their songcraft, and boosting Chino Moreno's pure singing vocals. The result was an artistic breakthrough, one that not only signaled a new direction for the band but also -- for better or worse -- cemented itself as arguably their finest work. Bridging their beginnings with what was to come, White Pony placated the hardened metalheads with ripping ragers like "Feiticeira," "Street Carp," and the Grammy-winning "Elite," while expanding their horizons with the midtempo lurch of "Rx Queen" (featuring an uncredited Scott Weiland on vocals) and the haunted haze of "Digital Bath." Whether loud or soft, violent or tender, each track on White Pony serves melody and mood in droves, resulting in the kind of album that is instantly recognizable as a conscious leveling-up. While best known on the charts and MTV for singles "Change (In the House of Flies)" and the bastard child afterthought "Back to School (Mini Maggit)" -- which was crammed in at the behest of their label -- the real meat of White Pony lies in a trio of late-album cuts that kicks off with the searing "Knife Prty," electrified by Rodleen Getsic's terrifying vocals at the close, and extends with the brutal "Korea," which features one of Moreno's most head-caving screams ever put to tape. The album's unnerving collision of sensuality and danger climaxes on the cinematic epic "Passenger," a bone-chilling duet with Tool's Maynard James Keenan that finds both frontmen at peak performance. Hearing the group evolve from 1997's unhinged "Headup" to something like the sparse, electronic ballad "Teenager" is a wonder and, in hindsight, it was clear that things would never be the same again for Deftones. Having tamed the beast, they emerged even more potent and powerful, embarking on a course to become boundary-pushing artists and survivors of the nu-metal era. ~ Neil Z. Yeung

Product Details

Release Date:	06/20/2000
Label:	Maverick
UPC:	0093624766728

Tracks

1. Feiticeira
2. Digital Bath
3. Elite
4. Rx Queen
5. Street Carp
6. Teenager
7. Knife Prty
8. Korea
9. Passenger
10. Change (In the House of Flies)
11. Pink Maggit

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Deftones   Primary Artist
Abe Cunningham   Drums
Robert Smith   Bells,Piano,Synthesizer,Bells,Piano,Synthesizer
Sarah Barthel   Vocals
Rodleen Getsic   Vocals
Chi Cheng   Bass,Guitar (Bass)
Frank Delgado   Turntables
Maynard James Keenan   Vocals
Stephen Carpenter   Strings
Chino Moreno   Guitar,Vocals,Voices

Technical Credits

Deftones   Composer,Lyricist,Producer
Howie Weinberg   Mastering,Mastering Engineer
Abe Cunningham   Composer,Group Member
DJ Shadow   Beats,Mixing,Producer,Remixing,Programming,Remix Engineer,Remix Producer
Bunny Lake   Mixing Assistant,Assistant,Mixing Assistant
Phantogram   Remixing
Count   Mixing,Mixing Engineer
Josh Carter   Mixing,Producer,Remix Engineer,Mixing Engineer
Purity Ring   Remixing,Remix Engineer
Salva   Composer,Remixing
Clams Casino   Remixing,Remix Engineer
Blanck Mass   Remixing,Remix Engineer
Scott Knapper   Remix Engineer,Mixing Engineer
Ted Regier   Mixing Engineer,Assistant Engineer
Paul Salva   Mixing,Composer,Remix Engineer,Remix Producer,Additional Music
Tourist   Remixing,Remix Engineer
Michelle Forbes   Second Engineer,Assistant Engineer
Will Borza   Mastering
Terry Date   Mixing,Producer,Mixing Engineer
DJ Crook   Programming
Chi Cheng   Composer,Group Member
Squarepusher   Remixing,Remix Engineer
Frank Delgado   DJ,Composer,Group Member
Ulrich Wild   Mixing,Engineer,Producer,Mixing Engineer,Assistant Engineer
Robert Smith   Remixing,Remix Engineer,Mixing,Remixing
James Minchin III   Photography
Kim Biggs   Creative Director
James Minchin   Photography
Guy Oseary   A&R
Jason Schweitzer   Assistant Engineer
Robert Daniels   Assistant Engineer
Frank Maddocks   Design,Art Direction,Creative Design
Ted Reiger   Assistant Engineer
David Wrench   Mixing,Mixing Engineer
Scott Olson   Engineer,Pro-Tools
Maynard James Keenan   Composer
Mike Shinoda   Mixing,Producer,Remixing,Remix Engineer
Trevor Jackson   Mixing,Producer,Remixing,Reproduction,Remix Engineer
Stephen Carpenter   Composer,Group Member
Chino Moreno   Composer,Group Member