Deftones bassist Sergio Vega says he’s sick of the speculation surrounding the band’s relationship with guitarist Stephen Carpenter.
Carpenter admitted in February that he originally didn’t want to play on eighth album Gore because he wasn’t happy with the musical direction.
But he later slammed the suggestion that he was set to leave the band, and stated that the track Hearts/Wires, which had caused his issues, had become one of his favourites on the record.
Now Vega – who joined Deftones in 2009 – tells Rolling Stone: “People want to perceive it as the battle between melodies and the metal dude. They’re not coming in with songs like that. We write together.
“The whole thing is such bullshit, to be honest. It just drives me crazy.”
Instead, he argues that the Gore material was created during one of the most collaborative periods in the band’s recent history.
“We showed up, Chino popped through, and we were just jamming, having a good time,” he says.
“For me, this record is all about the touch and the details. The effort really went into the arranging. I feel like it’s a smart record.”
Gore, the follow-up to 2012’s Koi No Yokan, is released on April 8. Deftones play a handful of US festival dates in May, followed by a return to Europe that includes an appearance at Download in June. The band are featured in the current edition of Metal Hammer.
