After four years of juggling day jobs and leading a
demo-to-demo existence in between consistent gigging,
the Deftones finally landed a deal with Maverick and
with the production assistance of Terry Date (Soundgarden,
Pantera, White Zombie)--who became a regular producer
for the band--they recorded their full-length debut,
Adrenaline, in 1995. Much of the record was recorded
live, capturing the rawness of Moreno's cryptic trademark
screams/whispers and the band's bracing riffs of fury.
Released in October 1995, Adrenaline sold more than
200,000 copies from word-of-mouth alone--a success fueled
by 13 months of touring with the likes of Korn, Ozzy
Osbourne, White Zombie, L7, and Bad Brains; a stint
on the Warped Tour and the Ozzfest; three rounds of
headlining U.S. tourdates; and a cameo performing the
song "Teething" in the movie The Crow: City
Of Angels. "Teething" was also featured on
the film's soundtrack while another Deftones song, "Can't
Even Breathe," appeared on the soundtrack to Escape
From L.A.
The Deftones' highly anticipated sophomore release,
Around The Fur, was issued two years later and eventually
went gold. Featuring the addition of turntablist Frank
Delgado to the band's lineup, the album catapulted the
Deftones to the status one of alt-metal's premier acts
on the strength of such MTV/radio faves as "My
Own Summer (Shove It)" and "Be Quiet And Drive
(Far Away)." The quintet released a seven-track
import EP titled Live in 1999 as they returned to Sacramento
to begin working on their third full-length, White Pony,
which proved to be another success, debuting at number
three on the Billboard album charts. This time, they
went to extremes with studio experimentation, flirting
with a new wave sensibility as Moreno let such '80s
modern rock influences as the Cure and the Smiths coalesce
into the Deftones' sound.
After touring in support of White Pony and before regrouping
to record the Deftones' self-titled fourth album, Moreno
formed a side-project called Team Sleep, featuring guests
like ex-Faith No More singer Mike Patton, ex-**Hole
bassist Melissa Auf Der Maur, and ex-Helium singer/guitarist
Mary Timony. Team Sleep's song "The Passportal"
appeared on 2003's Matrix Reloaded soundtrack, alongside
a new tune from The Deftones album, "Lucky You."
The Deftones and its first official single, "Minerva,"
were released in May 2003.
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