Around the Fur

Background

Around the Fur was the second album to feature Frank Delgado under additional personnel; he eventually joined the band officially in 1999.

The song "Headup" featured additional vocals by Max Cavalera of Soulfly. It was written by Cavalera and Deftones singer Chino Moreno as a way of venting some of their pain over the loss of Dana Wells, Cavalera's stepson and Chino's friend. The band name "Soulfly" was taken from a portmanteau invented for the song.

While the album's lyrics were included in the booklet, not every single word was printed. A good example is the song "Lhabia": In the verses, Moreno whispers statements that are hard to decipher. There is also one verse missing from the song "Headup".

The album cover was shot by photographer Rick Kosick during a late-night party in Seattle where the band was recording. Upon seeing the candid photo of a woman, the band decided that they wanted to use it as the album cover. Kosick was unsure who the woman was, so the band had to find and track her down to obtain permission to use the photo, which she eventually granted. Moreno has since expressed his dislike of the cover, calling it "horrible".

"When we went in to make this record, we really didn't have a set idea of what we wanted to come out with," said Moreno in a 1998 interview with Chart magazine. However, he felt that the album "fell into place" once the band had settled into the studio. The band expanded its sound, spending more time with producer Terry Date, and giving more thought to the album's production. Abe Cunningham varied his drum sound and experimented by using different types of snare drums on almost every track. The album was praised for its loud-soft dynamics, the flow of the tracks, Moreno's unusual vocals, and the strong rhythm section grooves created by Cunningham and bassist Chi Cheng.

Release

The album was highly anticipated, and propelled the band to fame in the alternative metal scene on the strength of radio and MTV airplay for the singles "My Own Summer (Shove It)" (released December 22, 1997) and "Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away)" (released March 9, 1998). The album's title track was also released as a promotional single in 1997.

Around the Fur sold 43,000 copies in its first week of release, and entered the Billboard 200 at No. 29 (its peak position), remaining on the charts for 17 weeks. The band went back to touring, making appearances at the Warped Tour (in the United States, New Zealand and Australia), Pinkpop Festival, Roskilde Festival and Ozzfest, as well as releasing a live EP on June 22, 1999. Around the Fur went on to reach RIAA gold status on June 24, 1999, and platinum status on June 7, 2011.

When the album was released on Spotify, it contained an alternate version of "Headup" running a full minute longer than the original release.

Critical reception

The album generally received positive reviews from music critics. AllMusic critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine wrote: "Deftones tap into the same alternative metal vibe as Korn and L7, and while they don't have catchy riffs or a fully developed sound, Around the Fur suggests they're about to come into their own". James P. Wisdom of Pitchfork described the songs from the album as "intense, harsh tunes", while Punknews.org thought that the album "showcased a band aware of their flaws, structure and lyrical approach, and thusly achieved an overall great improvement in said areas".

Track listing

All songs written by Deftones, except "Headup" by Deftones and Max Cavalera.

Band members

Additional personnel