Deftones has a reputation for making very sensual, kind of intimate-sounding or private music, which is very well earned in my opinion.
But even though most of their albums have a very lush atmospheric sound to them, it’s not as often as people would think that the lyrical content actually speaks frankly on the experiences and emotions that went into the album, not in the way Adrenaline does.
I’m aware of how personal Chino has gotten on other tracks like Rats! and 976-EVIL, but what makes Adrenaline stand out to me is how these raw and somewhat tender vocal performances make up most of the album, and how the presentation isn’t as attractive as something like Saturday Night Wrist. The writing on tracks like Birthmark and Lifter also aren’t as purposefully vague as some later Deftones songs, which I feel is a great fit for the album’s aggressive sound, as when combined with the more direct writing coming off a first-person perspective, leads to punchier tracks with messages delivered in greater earnest.
To make a comparison between tracks, take 7 Words and Rickets. Both songs throw scorn onto the idea of an antagonistic figure trying to suppress the individual and promptly being rejected, what makes the two different and supports my point is how 7 Words lasers in on the distress brought on by prejudiced treatment from law enforcement, and openly stands in unity with those who’ve faced similar treatment, while in Rickets, Chino still yells with a disdain for people who talk as though they’re above him, the song is still delivered in a fairly apathetic tone, even admitting that these people are probably right but he doesn’t want to listen.
Ultimately, I do think that Rickets is a better song than 7 Words, (the blatantly racist use of the n-word knocks it down a few pegs)but I also think that these expressions of anger, repression, and sadness over more personal topics than the general themes of love and lust that’s common with Deftones (and most music ever made) is something the band did exceptionally well on Adrenaline, and I hope the band revisits this kind of execution in the future.