Closing track “ Rubicon” is a little more standard, but also has an earworm of a chorus slipped between the chugging verses. It’s the only song on Gore that truly feels like an evolution or improvement on the band’s sound, and had the band focused on this airy but melancholy feel, Gore could have been so much more. “ Phantom Bride” is hands down the highlight of the album, marrying the ethereal beauty of tracks like “ Sextape” and “ Rosemary” with an echoing guitar line and a colossal chorus that sticks in your head like a burr. “ Gore” sounds like an outtake off Diamond Eyes, with the heaviest chorus of the album both musically and vocally.
The spooky guitar line is a definite highlight of the album, and is the first instantly memorable riff on the album. “ (L)MIRL” has a dark, drifting intro that would be right at home on Koi No Yokan. It’s mellow, but the melody is strong and engaging. “ Xenon” also struggles to lift off the ground until the chorus lands. It’s brighter and happier sounding than the Deftones generally do, but spends four minutes doing absolutely nothing. “ Pittura Infamante” is simultaneously one of the more distinctive songs here, and the weakest. “ Hearts/Wires” has an extended intro that would fit in any 80s crime-noir film’s opening credits, before bursting into a spastic Deftones tantrum and just as quickly fading back out into a gentle, melodic song. “ Geometric Headdress” is the most experimental song here, with a repeatedly mutating riff, but it also wanders without much of a purpose, randomly throwing fragments of previous styles together. The verses actually feature the most interesting choice, when the guitar line teases 80s cock-rock territory. The song takes a couple sharp lefts, though, featuring a heavily distorted/digitized vocal bridge, and then a shift into a more standard chuggy riff that would be more impressive if it didn’t sound exactly like Koi No Yokan single “ Leathers.” “ Doomed User” is a throwback to Diamond Eyes, with a downtuned 8-string riff and Chino’s unmistakable yelp-scream throughout. “ Acid Hologram” has a chill, mellow vibe, which seems an odd choice so early in the album. It’s a common problem on Gore, which meanders a little too often for its own good – although the band do find some interesting nooks and crannies to explore as well. The chorus gets intense and moody, and the shrieked bridge is classic Chino, but even though all the same sounds are present, the song seems to lack a sense of urgency. Lead single “ Prayers/Triangles” enters on a wash of feedback, and a rippling, very pretty guitar line from Stephan Carpenter. That’s not to say stale Deftones doesn’t sound really good, but it feels like a letdown, especially after the phenomenal back-to-back of Diamond Eyes and Koi No Yokan. Even the lyrics rehash a lot of the same imagery – frontman Chino Moreno’s fascination with guns, razors, and knives continues here. For the first time with Gore, they have made an album that doesn’t really sound fresh. Adrenaline‘s rage, White Pony‘s experimental electronics, the wall of sludge that is Diamond Eyes, all of them are easily distinguishable. The key factor that has made the Deftones so enduring is that each album has sounded distinctly unique among the band’s work, even though every album uses many of the same elements.
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