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Cover Songs & Acoustics

Deftones really have come up trumps with their presentation of the time-worn B-side collection. Most bands will pump out a B-side album, or a DVD to give themselves some more time before writing another album, but there's something about the 'B-Sides and Rarities' collection that somehow puts it a little higher than the get-rich-quick albums of the rock world.

Certainly the presentation of the album beats the competition- a delicious hardback digi-pack with built in booklet and both a CD and a DVD to admire. There really is the feel that the band has thought about what they wanted to show the world, for each song has a small write up on how it came to existence.

From the hypnotic sway of 'Wax and Wane' with the traditional Chino vocals fitting in perfectly with the lyrics, to 'Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want' with the uplifting feel contrasting against the actual emotions of the song, it's an interesting compilation that will appeal to both newcomers to the band (that is, if there is anybody left who is unfamiliar with the band!), collectors of the band's work and those, like myself, who tend to only buy albums rather than singles.

'Change (In The House Of Flies)' was always going to be the focus point of this album, with it's sultry, haunting feel. It's a song that, even when performed acoustically, holds enough power to bulldoze other bands trying to work their way into the Deftones fanbase. Similarly, the acoustic version of 'Digital Bath' is an impressive collision of tenderness and rage burning beneath the surface.

Deftones were always considered masters of the loud/quiet formula, but what this album also reveals is a finely tuned ability to cover songs that are great in their own right- and not make a mess of it. 'Wax and Wane' is turned into a pleasant new experience to listen to, whilst 'Sinatra' is given a newer kick that almost echoes Korn if you listen close enough. Their slick cover of Sade's 'No Ordinary Love' proves that the band are more- as many have always known- than just another nu-metal band in a sea of talentless screams and swear words.