Deftones

Deftones came up in the same mid-90s scene as nu metal but quickly outgrew it. Stephen Carpenter's crushing, down-tuned riffs and Abe Cunningham's heavy, intricate drumming meet Chino Moreno's voice, which slips from a dreamy whisper to a raw scream, and his love of The Cure, Depeche Mode and shoegaze runs right through the band.

Around the Fur sharpened the attack, and White Pony, with Frank Delgado's electronics now part of the sound, brought in atmosphere and melody, winning a Grammy for 'Elite'. Diamond Eyes, Koi No Yokan and Ohms kept balancing beauty and brutality, and Private Music followed in 2025.