MUSIC FEATURE: DEFTONES

Fuck omens. They’re serious about playing Boston.

The last time Deftones were supposed to play Boston, the show was canceled at the last minute due to the wrath of Hurricane Sandy. The next night, they were supposed to play New York City, but again, that show was called off because of the storm’s watery devastation.

From there, the band was scheduled to tour South America, but their passports got lost in the mail and they had to re-route to Washington, D.C. to get new papers so they could leave the country.

For lesser bands, it might have been an ominous sign to call the whole tour off. But this is Deftones we’re talking about—a band that has seen more than its shares of ups and downs over the past two decades.

“It was pretty wild,” drummer Abe Cunningham told the Dig. “We came right down to New York from Boston. We got there right after [Sandy] hit and that’s when things started going crazy: power outages, the subway was done.

“All the flights got re-routed and [our passports] got lost. They never made it,” he continued. “They were lost in transit. But we’re pretty pro. We handled it pretty well. Things happen. That was out of our control. I’m just happy to be safe and glad everyone’s alright.”

Par for the course for the Sacramento-based alt-metal kings.They just keep it moving, and now they’re back to make up the New York and Boston shows before heading out on a two-month swing down the East Coast to Florida and over to Texas and the Midwest.  Then they make a quick trip back east to North Carolina before jetting off to play Ozzfest in Japan and six dates in Australia.

“We put everything we have into our shows,” Cunningham said. “We’re an honest band. We just play our asses off. We’re more than thrilled to be coming back.

You can’t cancel Beantown and New York City and not come back. You could have some problems. We always like to keep our end of the bargain up.”

Their latest release, Koi No Yokan, is a melodic monster, packed full of impassioned, intense tracks that see vocalist Chino Moreno and company at the top of their game. Dramatic, roller-coaster rocket rides like “Tempest,” “Entombed,” and “Leathers” prove once again that the band of old pals from northern California’s skatepark wastelands still have plenty in the tank.

“I’ve known these dudes for more than half my life. And it’s an understanding,” Cunningham explains.

“Going through all the crap–all the typical rock ’n’ roll clichés. After going through all that ridiculous stuff and coming out on the other side, and still having that friendship, it’s great.”

Original bassist Chi Cheng, tragically, remains in a coma from a 2008 car wreck. His condition is unchanged, Cunningham says, which constantly weighs on the band’s collective mind. Still, they’ve pressed on.

“We’re older gentlemen these days and we’ve finally figured out how to make it work,” he says.

“I wouldn’t change the past. It’s part of the journey. We’re really just having a fucking blast playing. We’re gonna just keep going and going.”

DEFTONES

TUE 3.5.13
HOUSE OF BLUES
15 LANSDOWNE ST.
BOSTON
7PM/ALL AGES/$32.50
@DEFTONES
HOUSEOFBLUES.COM