by Deftones drummer Abe Cunningham recently addressed the band’s place within the emerging “horny metal” genre, sharing his thoughts in an interview with Blunt Magazine.
When asked about his thoughts on the rise of horny metal and where Deftones fit within this classification, Cunningham offered a candid response about the band’s musical sensuality.
“We’re [all] just human…just horny people,” Cunningham said. “I mean, I think there’s…definitely a sensuality to [our] music, you know?”
The drummer also revealed his unfamiliarity with the term itself, expressing surprise at the genre classification.
“I didn’t know that there was [such] a thing as horny metal…I better get hip to this…I swear to God, I didn’t know that,” he continued.
Cunningham’s comments reflect the band’s long-standing approach to creating music that transcends traditional metal boundaries. The Sacramento-based group has consistently pushed beyond conventional genre limitations throughout their career.
Wikipedia reported that Deftones formed in 1988 in Sacramento, California. The band has long been recognized for blending heavy metal with experimental and shoegaze elements, setting them apart from typical nu metal bands. This distinctive approach has earned them critical acclaim and a devoted following over more than three decades.
The band’s evolution became particularly evident with their 1997 release. Diffuser noted that their album Around the Fur introduced shoegaze textures to their heavy sound. This approach has influenced many bands in the heavy alternative scene since then. This experimental direction helped distinguish them from their nu metal contemporaries.
Unlike many nu metal acts that leveraged raw anger and aggression, Deftones incorporated ambiguous moods and sensuality in their music. They moved beyond simple themes of rage to explore more complex emotional landscapes. Death Doom explained that this distinctiveness was part of why critics have described them as “the Radiohead of metal.”
The band’s willingness to explore themes of sensuality and emotional complexity has become a defining characteristic of their sound. This approach aligns with Cunningham’s recent acknowledgment of the sensual elements in their music, even if he wasn’t previously familiar with the “horny metal” classification that has emerged to describe such bands.
