Diamonds are forever but the Deftones have largely shined off their support of their latest “Diamond Eyes.” This weekend, the band finishes their worldwide tour overseas, and now those eyes have turned toward their next recording project.
But first there were the other projects. Frontman Chino Moreno combined with Scott Chuck and Far guitarist Shaun Lopez under the moniker Crosses (†††), and released a self-titled EP early last month. Guitarist Stephen Carpenter had Kush and now Sol Invicto, which both featured members of Cypress Hill. Turntablist and keyboardist Frank Delgado is in a DJ troupe called Decibel Devils. Bassist Sergio Vega, who has also DJed for years now, released a remix of tourmates Dillinger Escape Plan”s “Black Bubblegum” in the first week of August. If the opportunity comes up with other groups, he hopes to remix more.
“Everybody is very creative,” Vega qualified. I spoke to the Deftones performer in early August, after the hard rock band had finished a slew of American concerts this summer. “Deftones are Deftones, it does what it does. We have a lot of friends and we all have projects we want to do with them. It doesn”t… imply anything other than that, and it doesn”t come at the expense of the Deftones” schedule.”
Vega thinks that the number of side projects that his band members are involved in is actually a strength. “It just helps us to get excited whenever we get back together. It helps build the energy for the next body of work that the Deftones do.”
As for what or when that might be, Vega insinuated that the band would finish the tour and head straightaway into working on another set. While “Diamond Eyes” is the only set he”s personally worked on, the former Quicksand member said he”d love to work with that album”s producer Nick Raskulineczagain for whatever”s next.
He also wouldn”t mind the same recording schedule and pace. Vega said “Diamond Eyes” came together in two months, seamlessly and quickly, with a tight cluster of “hours and hours” of recording and then a scheduled day off. Then repeat.
“There was an efficiency of time and building a nice schedule that allowed people to have a day outside of it. We”re used to an organic process, sort of jamming, and that work mode made the most of that,” he said. “And we released it quickly, too.”
Side projects won”t be putting a dent on that schedule, Vega continued. Deftones takes precendence.
“We like doing this. Everyone goes back a long ways. Everyone is friends, everyone is invested in each other”s lives.”