Deftones bassist sick of 'battle bullshit'

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.

Not only is one-time online news editor Martin an established rock journalist and drummer, but he’s also penned several books on music history, including SAHB Story: The Tale of the Sensational Alex Harvey Band, a band he once managed, and the best-selling Apollo Memories about the history of the legendary and infamous Glasgow Apollo. Martin has written for Classic Rock and Prog and at one time had written more articles for Louder than anyone else (we think he's second now). He’s appeared on TV and when not delving intro all things music, can be found travelling along the UK’s vast canal network.