“My feel drives Stephen nuts – he’d rather have a traditional metal bass player who uses a pick and follows his every move. Instead, I counter his every move”: Chi Cheng on his final Deftones album – which took almost three years to complete

Photo of DEFTONES, Performing live on stage.

Every now and then, you get a band which genuinely defies expectations. Sacramento outfit Deftones are one of this elite, formed in 1988 and emerging from the almost wholly regrettable nu-metal sound of the mid to late-'90s with a deeper, immensely textural approach of their own.

Long-term readers of Bass Player will know that Deftones' original bassist Chi Cheng was left in a coma after a car accident in 2008. Cheng never emerged from his coma, tragically passing away in 2013. Sergio Vega filled his position up until 2021, playing on three albums – Diamond Eyes, Koi No Yokan and Gore.