Koi No Yokan

Band frontman Chino Moreno characterized the album as "dynamic" with a full range of noise, noting an increased contribution of ideas by bassist Sergio Vega compared to their previous record, Diamond Eyes.^[11] A major change in the recording process came with the use of the Fractal Audio Systems Axe-Fx preamp/effects processor, which creates the sound of multiple outboard amps and pedals and allowed for different tones. Vega claimed that the band was able to "bring Fractal into hotel rooms and run it into software and record ideas and flesh them out later". The group tracked guitar, bass and vocals, then recorded drums and replaced the guitar, bass and vocals. Vega confirmed that "everything was organic".^[12]

Described as having an "alternative metal vibe" by Loudwire,^[13] the music incorporates experimental elements from the band's previous albums Saturday Night Wrist (2006) and Diamond Eyes (2010),^[14] incorporating elements from metal (including doom metal and groove metal), alternative rock, shoegaze, dream pop, hardcore punk, post-rock, and progressive rock.^{[5][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][4]}

The band announced the album as well as a tour for the album on August 30, 2012. On September 19, 2012, the band released the song Leathers as a promotional single via a free download on their website.^{[22][23][24][25]} Leathers was released as the album's first single on October 8, 2012. It was also released as a limited-edition cassingle with Rosemary on the B-side.^[26] On October 3, 2012, the song Tempest premiered on PureVolume for streaming.^[27] Tempest was released as a single on October 9, 2012.^[28]

Koi No Yokan was released on vinyl in four versions: a standard retail version pressed on 140-gram black vinyl (3,000 units), a direct-to-consumer version on 180-gram black vinyl with foil-stamped numbered jackets (1,000 units), an international edition pressed on 180-gram vinyl and an exclusive edition sold through Hot Topic retailers pressed on 140-gram clear-colored vinyl (1,500 units).^[29]

The band launched a tour on October 9, 2012, which ended on November 21 in Los Angeles. Before the album was released, the band played at venues with seating capacity between 1,000-4,000 to allow fans to hear the music early.^[30]

More information Aggregate scores, Source ...

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
AnyDecentMusic?	8.1/10[31]
Metacritic	86/100[32]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[33]
Entertainment Weekly	B+[34]
Drowned in Sound	9/10[35]
Kerrang!	5/5[36]
Loudwire	[37]
NME	8/10[4]
PopMatters	9/10[38]
Slant Magazine	[39]
Spin	7/10[40]
Sputnikmusic	4.4/5[41]

Close

The album was met with overall critical acclaim. The aggregate review site Metacritic assigned an average score of 86 to the album based on 18 reviews, indicating "Universal Acclaim".^[32] With this score, Koi No Yokan was among the eight best-reviewed albums of 2012.^[42] Gregory Heaney of AllMusic wrote, "While a lot of bands out there have been tinkering with the loud/quiet dynamic for decades now, what makes Deftones so special is their ability to do both at the same time, effectively blending the calm and the storm into a single sound".^[33] Mischa Pearlman of BBC Music wrote, "It transcends the boundaries and expectations of its genre--even those previously set by the very band that made it".^[43] Al Horner of NME said of the album, "It's a shotgun blast of cranked guitars, bruising hardcore and canyon-sized choruses, and it's mesmerising".^[4] Greg Fisher of Sputnikmusic called it "a remarkably consistent effort" that "glitters with supreme melodies as much as crushes with massive riffs showcasing the quintet's most accomplished material in over a decade".^[41] Rolling Stone called the album "adventurously aggressive" and stated, "Koi No Yokan ranges from brutal, blunt-force trauma (in reference to Gauze) to epic prog-rock atmospherics (in reference to "the sprawling, enchanting Tempest"). Opener Swerve City sets the tone immediately with a bludgeoning riff, but Deftones also take nuanced approaches to angsty tension, weaving meticulously crafted cosmic rock on Entombed and wading through murky, jagged textures on Rosemary".^[20]

In May 2013, Revolver named Koi No Yokan as the Album of the Year at the fifth annual Revolver Golden Gods Award Show.^[44] In 2024, Loudwire staff elected it as the best hard rock album of 2012.^[45]

From the CD liner notes.^[46]

Deftones

• Abe Cunningham − drums
• Stephen Carpenter − guitar
• Frank Delgado − keyboards, samples
• Chino Moreno − vocals, guitar
• Sergio Vega^[a] − bass

Technical

• Nick Raskulinecz − production
• Matt Hyde − additional production, recording, engineering
• Steve Olmon − recording and engineering assistance
• Rich Costey − mixing
• Chris Kasych − Pro Tools mix engineering
• Eric Isip − assistant mixing engineer
• Ted Jensen − mastering
• Frank Maddocks − art direction, package design
• Futura − photography
• 13th Witness − band photograph