Length 51:50 Koi No Yokan
(2012) Gore
(2016) Release date 12 November 2012 Genre Alternative metal | Label Reprise Artist Deftones Producer Nick Raskulinecz | |
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Released November 12, 2012 (2012-11-12) Recorded 2012, Paramount Studios, Los Angeles; Ameraycan Studios, Encore Studios, North Hollywood Nominations World Music Award for World’s Best Album Similar Deftones albums, Alternative metal albums | ||
Koi No Yokan is the seventh studio album by the American alternative metal band Deftones. The album was released by Reprise Records on November 12, 2012 in the UK and November 13, 2012 in the United States. Koi No Yokan was met with acclaim from professional critics on release and debuted at No. 11 on the Billboard 200, with sales of 65,000 copies. According to Nielsen SoundScan, the album has sold over 200,000 copies to date in the US. Koi no yokan is a Japanese phrase translating to "premonition of love".
Contents
Background
Band frontman Chino Moreno characterized the album as "dynamic" with a full range of noise, noting an increased contribution of ideas by bassist Sergio Vega compared to their previous record, Diamond Eyes.
A major change in the recording process came with the use of the Fractal Audio Systems Axe-Fx preamp/effects processor, which creates the sound of multiple outboard amps and pedals and allowed for different tones. Vega said the group was able to "bring Fractal into hotel rooms and run it into software and record ideas and flesh them out later". The group tracked guitar, bass and vocals, then recorded drums and replaced the guitar, bass and vocals. Vega confirmed that "everything was organic".
Composition
Described as having an "alternative metal vibe", the music incorporates experimental elements from the band's previous albums Saturday Night Wrist (2006) and Diamond Eyes (2010), incorporating elements from metal (including doom metal and groove metal), alternative rock, shoegaze, dream pop, post-rock and prog rock.
Release
On September 19, 2012, the band released the song "Leathers" as a promotional single via a free download on their website. On October 8, 2012, "Leathers" was released as the album's first single. "Leathers" was also released as a limited-edition cassingle with "Rosemary" as the B-side.
On October 3, 2012, the song "Tempest" premiered on PureVolume for streaming. "Tempest" was released as a single on October 9, 2012.
Koi No Yokan was released on vinyl in four versions: a standard retail version pressed on 140-gram black vinyl (3,000 units), a direct-to-consumer version on 180-gram black vinyl with foil-stamped numbered jackets (1,000 units), an international edition pressed on 180-gram vinyl and an exclusive edition sold through Hot Topic retailers pressed on 140-gram clear-colored vinyl (1,500 units).
This was also the first album released through HDtracks.
Tour
The band launched a tour on October 9, 2012, which ended on November 21 in Los Angeles. The band played at venues with capacities between 1,000 and 4,000 with the goal being to allow fans to experience the music before the album was even released.
Critical reception
The album was met with overall critical acclaim. The aggregate review site Metacritic assigned an average score of 86 to the album based on 18 reviews, indicating "Universal Acclaim". With this score, Koi No Yokan was among the eight best-reviewed albums of 2012. Gregory Heaney of AllMusic wrote, "While a lot of bands out there have been tinkering with the loud/quiet dynamic for decades now, what makes Deftones so special is their ability to do both at the same time, effectively blending the calm and the storm into a single sound". Mischa Pearlman of BBC Music wrote, "It transcends the boundaries and expectations of its genre--even those previously set by the very band that made it". Al Horner of NME said of the album, "It's a shotgun blast of cranked guitars, bruising hardcore and canyon-sized choruses, and it's mesmerising". Greg Fisher of Sputnikmusic called it "a remarkably consistent effort" that "glitters with supreme melodies as much as crushes with massive riffs showcasing the quintet's most accomplished material in over a decade". Rolling Stone called the album "adventurously aggressive" and stated, "Koi No Yokan ranges from brutal, blunt-force trauma ('Gauze') to epic prog-rock atmospherics (the sprawling, enchanting 'Tempest'). Opener 'Swerve City' sets the tone immediately with a bludgeoning riff, but Deftones also take nuanced approaches to angsty tension, weaving meticulously crafted cosmic rock on 'Entombed' and wading through murky, jagged textures on 'Rosemary'".
In May 2013, Revolver named Koi No Yokan the "Album of the Year" at the fifth annual Revolver Golden Gods Award Show.
Commercial performance
The album debuted at No. 11 on Billboard 200, and No. 5 on the Top Rock Albums, selling 65,000 copies in the first week. The album has sold 214,000 copies in the US as of March 2016.
Track listing
All lyrics written by Chino Moreno; all music composed by Deftones.
Personnel
Koi No Yokan album personnel adapted from the CD liner notes.
Songs
1Swerve City2:44
2Romantic Dreams4:38
3Leathers4:08