Deftones’ 2006 album Saturday Night time Wrist was made in tumultuous circumstances. The band break up from longtime producer Terry Date early within the periods, and singer Chino Moreno clashed together with his alternative, veteran Alice Cooper/Kiss studio guru Bob Ezrin – a state of affairs not helped by the frontman’s battle with substance abuse.
Against this, the ambiance had utterly shifted when Deftones convened in 2007 to jot down what could be their sixth album. In 2008, they revealed that the title of the file they had been engaged on could be Eros, and that it could be launched early the next 12 months. They even premiered a brand new observe, Melanie, throughout reside exhibits in September 2008.
“We had been getting alongside so nicely through the Eros periods,” Chino informed The impartial in 2016. “It’s just like the music truly was even taking a backseat to our friendships. We’d go into the studio, and we had been manner into taking part in the board sport Threat on the time, so we’d arrange this elaborate sport of Threat that might final for weeks at a time. Terry Date was producing that file and he’d are available in and be like, ‘C’mon guys, let’s get to work’ and we’d be like, ‘Another sport.’ We had been having a lot enjoyable collectively as associates and reconnecting – then throughout these periods is when Chi had his accident.”
On November 4, 2008, bassist Chi Cheng was concerned in a automobile crash in Santa Clara, California, when the automobile he was travelling in hit one other automobile and flipped thrice. The accident left the bassist in a coma.
Understandably distraught, the remainder of the band deserted work on Eros. In keeping with Chino, that they had recorded 11 or 12 songs, amongst them Smile, Trempest, Dallas, Future and Melanie (sone of the titles apocryphally named after strippers).
“Musically it’s in all probability 75-80% finished and lyrically it was about midway there, however truthfully, I wasn’t too pleased with the fabric we had,” Chino informed The Unbiased in 2016. “A few of the music was missing slightly bit. I had religion it was going to return collectively and be nice ultimately, however we by no means acquired to that time.”
With Chi nonetheless in a coma, Deftones regularly returned to touring, with former Orange 9mm bassist Sergio Vega standing in. The latter appeared on the band’s subsequent two albums, 2010’s Diamond Eyes and 2012’s Koi No Yokan. Neither featured any of the fabric written through the aborted Eros periods.
Tragically, Chi by no means woke from his coma. He handed away on April 13, 2013. His loss of life put paid to the thought of revisiting the Eros periods.
“As soon as Chi had his accident, all the things got here to a halt with the Eros periods, so the thought of going again to that batch of songs, ending them and have Sergio be taught Chi’s elements simply hasn’t felt like one thing that we’re all in favour of doing,” Chino stated in 2016. “If the file had been completed and we had been simply sitting on it, we in all probability would have put it out by now, perhaps even given it away, simply so that individuals can hear it, however it could take much more work to get it finished.”
One track from the Eros periods has been launched. To mark the primary anniversary of Chi’s loss of life, Chino uploaded Smile, the one accomplished track, to YouTube. The observe was swiftly taken down by Deftones’ label, however it stays a tantalising glimpse of what might have been.
Will Eros ever see the sunshine of day? In 2017, Deftones drummer Abe Cunningham instructed that it would.
“If something in any respect, I see some tracks from it popping out in some kind or one other,” he informed Overdrive. “There’s some actually fucking bad-ass stuff on that album, but in addition stuff that’s not that good in my view. We all know that there’s curiosity within the album from the die-hards however I’m positive we’ll do the suitable factor on the proper time with it… it’s one thing that would floor within the coming years.”
However that hasn’t occurred but. And if Chino Moreno is to be believed, it appears unlikely that it ever will.
“It might take mainly getting in and ending it,” the singer informed Uproxx in 2020. “Emotionally heavy. Simply because it’s the very last thing that Chi performed on. Not saying that we gained’t do it, however we haven’t made any plans any time within the close to future to take action.”
