2025 was a year of ups and downs in the rock and metal community. On July 22, 2025, we lost the legendary Ozzy Osbourne, just 17 days after his farewell “Back to the Beginning” concert earlier that month. Despite the heartbreaking news last summer, 2025 featured some notable rock albums. These included new albums from Three Days Grace, Halestorm and Deftones. My favorite among them was “Private Music” by Deftones.
Deftones formed in Sacramento, California, in 1988 and are known for big hits like “Change (In the House of Flies),” “My Own Summer (Shove It)” and “Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away).” Throughout their career, they have released 10 albums, with their most recent being “Private Music” on Aug. 22, 2025.
The hype for the new album began early last summer when the band posted teasers on social media. The first single and leading track was released on July 10, called “my mind is a mountain.” It wastes no time getting into a heavy intro, with a memorable rhythm.
The second single, “milk of the madonna” was released nearly a month later and is one of the heaviest songs on the album. This is one of my personal favorites and is what got me super excited for the rest of the album.
The day the album came out, I listened to it from start to finish. The second track, “locked club” has a darker, tuned-down guitar riff and faster tempo. The high-note vocals toward the end with “I can feel it (I can feel it)” gave me goosebumps after a few listens. “ecdysis” starts off with a groovy bass riff and guitars that ascend into the main riff and remains heavy through the end.
The end of the track leads into “infinite source,” which is another favorite of mine from the album. Everything in this song, from the guitars and vocals are catchy. The breakdown at the end is hard to listen to without wanting to headbang. “souvenir” starts off with a heavy riff, then gets tuned down in a Tool-esque sounding riff in the verses, including an interlude in the end. This leads into “cXz,” which is consistently strong throughout and is reminiscent of their self-titled with Chino Moreno’s occasional angry vocals.
Another one of my favorites off the album is “i think about you all the time.” This song is deep and emotional. The tempo is slower, with an atmospheric feel to it that is reminiscent of “Beauty School” and “Minerva” from older albums. “Cut hands” is another heavy track with some angry vocals and a catchy breakdown towards the end. This is the more nu-metal-sounding song on the album. “~metal dream” is alright, but is still worth a listen each time it comes on while my playlist is in shuffle mode. This track leads into the closing track on the album, “departing the body,” which starts slow and gives an atmospheric feel when the main guitar riff and chorus comes in. This is a nice closer to a great album.
I would rate this album a 10/10. It is one of my top Deftones albums alongside their self-titled album, “Deftones” and “White Pony.”
I look forward to what 2026 has in store with new albums within the Rock/Metal genres.
- Deftones – Biography | Metal Storm | https://metalstorm.net/bands/biography.php?band_id=560&bandname=Deftones |
- The Biggest Rock + Metal Stories of 2025 (In Case You Forgot) | Loudwire | https://loudwire.com/biggest-rock-metal-stories-2025/ |
- The Best Rock + Metal Albums of 2025(So Far) | Noisecreep | https://noisecreep.com/ixp/366/p/best-rock-metal-albums-2025-so-far/ |
- Deftones – “private music” Lyrics and Tracklist | Genius | https://genius.com/albums/Deftones/Private-music |
