DEFTONES Vinilo y CD

Review: Rumour has it that only 15 cassette tapes were initially distributed of this rare demo collection, which earlier in 2024 was revealed to be the most expensive cassette tape ever sold on Discogs (going for a hefty $5,000), though the common consensus is that surely more exist out in the ether. Available digitally for years but now arriving on a remarkably limited run of wax, these demos also appeared on the (Like) Linus compilation CD and feature John Taylor on drums as Abe Cunningham would be in the midst of touring with his original alternative metal outfit Phallucy at the time of recording. Featuring the entire demo which pre-dates their 1995 debut Adrenaline LP, including cuts such as the aforementioned '(Like) Linus' as well as 'Hump', and 'Plastic', this expanded version also boasts early takes of album tracks like 'Engine No. 9', and 'Nosebleed', painting one of the clearest pictures of the band's nu-metal teething phase while creatively and sonically striving to push those confines in a similar manner to early material from their peers in Incubus. Funky, jagged and raw, yet already exuding that signature sultry chaotic nuance, this collection is so OG that initial copies even labelled the band as The Deftones.

Review: Some 19 years later (and not a moment too soon) this great compilation from Nu Metal legends Deftones is seeing its much-needed repress - with an added remastering to sweeten the deal. A tough record to find at a stomachable price for a while, 'B Sides & Rarities' is full of acoustic versions, demos and covers of the likes of The Smiths, Cocteau Twins, The Cure and - most amusingly - Sade. 'Wax and Wane' is a severely underrated cover, a wicked interpretation filled with punchy guitars and, of course, Chino Moreno's mastery of blending metal and new wave vocals. The most popular of the tracks on offer here is, without doubt, 'Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want', their cover of The Smiths' 1984 B-side to 'William It Was Really Nothing' . It's a rollercoaster of a cover, with a wild guitar solo and filled with the same rumbling, underlying sadness that made the original such a staple. Who doesn't love a melancholic metal song?