Assorted Vocal Textures in Deftones’ Turbulent Rock

The Deftones have often been compared to fellow Sacramento band Korn, but while there are certain similarities between the two bands, there are also many subtle differences. Both aspects came to the fore when the Deftones played Monday at an oppressively muggy, sold-out Whisky--where members of Korn were part of the packed crowd.

The Deftones’ turbulent hard rock bristled with the same raw emotional edge as Korn’s, but wasn’t quite so dark, and was driven by more sinuous rhythms. Stephen Carpenter’s guitar gouged into the groove one minute, then peeled out of it the next, boosting the undulating rhythms of songs such as “Lifter” with relentless, repeating riffs.

Singer Chino Moreno hurled himself around the stage, his dreadlocks flying as he spewed his abstract lyrics through a startling assortment of vocal textures--from the primal keening of “Root” to the tuneful crooning of “One Weak,” some rapping, hair-raising howling and melodic mumbling. There were a couple of hard-core interludes accompanied by the appropriate audience mayhem, and the evening ended with a bang when Korn frontman Jonathan Davis joined in on the explosive set closer, “Engine No. 9.”