I can hardly imagine them playing live and not performing it.

First world problems compared to the millions of bands that never make it, sure.

However, so often when an emerging band that has fast become a genre leader, big corporate record labels can foul up the flow.

This was almost the case of White Pony by Deftones, and the case where the hype was lived up to by pencil pushers, bean counters, and greed almost wrecked the game.

White Pony i s the bands pivotal third album, where they built off the stylistic changes that came in with Around The Fur ( Maverick ) and pushed their sound further than before.

In the process, they severed themselves far from the Nu-Metal wave that was exploding at the time and firmly created a new camp of Deftones Music as a category.

The band continued to work with the maestro, Terry Date ( Pantera, Soundgarden, White Zombie ), and unlike most producers who would try to make a band conform to their previous sound, Date was more of a partner who let the band do what they do best.

Being definitely themselves and exploring all of their non-heavy influences is what makes the band great in the first place, so why mess it up The entire album flies in the face of the musical conventions of the scene at the time from the choice of opener, the sequence of the tracks, and just overall being inventive musically.

The album has more in common with the schizophrenic nature of a later-era Faith No More album than what was popular at the time.

Its also the polar opposite of their other two album openers up to this point.

Digital Bath is likely one of the three tracks the average fan knows from this album.

It was definitely a game-changer and along with its spiritual cousin Change In the House of Flies are songs best associate with vocalist Chino Morenos love of The Cure, Morrissey, goth rock, new wave, new romantic 1980s pop and other influences.

They are both iconic tracks and continue to influence and drive fans love of the band.

Street Carp is one of the harder tracks here with that great riffbass combo from Stephan Carpenter and Chi Cheng (RIP).

Morenos themes of sex, romantic love, violence, depression, drugs, and rebounding from these lowest lows can be heard and interpreted on nearly every track, even though typically his style is poetic to all, but mostly up to the listeners interpretation.

Teenager is the first super chill, Trip-hop song of the bands career.

These and other influences from DJ Frank Delgado begin to really be felt here.

Knife Prty is one of the best songs on the album, and is just aggro enough to please the holdover fans.

Korea is heavy and the most Adrenaline- like, Nu-sounding track of the album.

Saving the big three for last, these tracks continue to live in the lore and hearts of the fans.

Passenger of course, features Maynard James Keenan of Tool on co-lead vocals.

Rember that Tool was becoming a huge band at this time with nima ( Volcano ) blowing up so to have MJK also co-write and produce the track was a major deal.

Best Deftones Album