Metal megastars Deftones hit Memphis this Tuesday for a show at Minglewood Hall. Formed while three of the members were still in high school, Deftones have become one of the biggest bands in alternative metal, with a Grammy award and around 10 million total albums sold. The band’s fanbase is notoriously loyal, and albums like White Pony and Around the Fur are classic examples of mid-’90s nu-metal, before it got repackaged by major labels for MTV consumption. The band also paved the way for indie experimental metal bands like Glassjaw to gain traction, and it could be said that Deftones are one of the first bands to mold nu-metal/experimental metal into what it is today.
Opening for Deftones is Code Orange, the Deathwish Inc./ Roadrunner Records band from Pittsburgh. Formerly known as Code Orange Kids, the four-piece definitely owes a lot of their song structures and writing style to Deftones, although they are most commonly referred to as a hardcore punk band. The band recorded their second album I Am King with Kurt Ballou, a producer who once recorded the first album by Memphis’ own Nights Like These, even though the label they were on eventually asked the band to re-record the album with another producer. Sadly, that session has never been officially released. Code Orange are definitely flying the modern metal-core flag high, and their upcoming album for Roadrunner Records will likely see the band move in a more mainstream direction. Tickets moved fast for this one, and as a result the show is sold out.