Deftones – Gore (CD)

Sacramento's finest have always occupied their own lane, blending shoegaze atmospherics with heavy riffs in ways that influenced a generation of bands. Gore finds Chino Moreno and company leaning deeper into lush, textured soundscapes without losing the dense low-end weight that made them essential, and Cantrell's presence feels less like a cameo and more like a meeting of Pacific Northwest and California heavy music royalty.