Around The Fur is one of the first metal albums I ever really fell in love with. I first heard it when I was about 12 and can say with certainty that it has shaped so much of what I think is cool today. At a time when I knew nothing about guitar tones I always noticed how badass the guitars sounded on this album. "My Own Summer" for example has such a laid back grooving verse and such a hard hitting chorus. I've always loved that contrast, almost hip hop elements mixed in with raw heaviness. The healthy mix of ambient vocals and brutal screams became Chino's calling card. Not only does this album stand the test of time but the Deftones are one of the only bands to come out of the nu metal era and avoid the bad cliches associated with that time and still continue to create thought provoking music.

Around The Fur is full of moods, it goes from one vibe to the next. The way "Lhabia" goes into "Mascara" leaves you just sitting there in that reverb'd out guitar riff thinking about shit, its beautiful. Then the title track comes on and you snap into a whole other momentum/den of vibes and so on. This album leaves on imprint on your subconscious. "Be Quiet And Drive" is one of the coolest single they ever released to this day in my opinion. Proof to any metal band that you can write a really cool song full of swag that fits on the radio without any artistic compromise or lack of heavy parts. Next you get a bangin' track like "Lotion" which still leaves me full of influence. I miss the days when guitarists would fuck around with an assortment of pedals and come up with weird sounds like the one that opens "Lotion". Axe fx usually takes away those experiences. I also really miss Chi. His playing and note placement in this song is so on point, I love it and never fails to get me amped whatever mood I'm in. The track "Headup" was a big anthem of mine in high school, it definitely gave me a confident stride down the halls when dealing with haters and bullies. Probably one of the most grooving, badass and effective 3-2-0 riffs ever written. 

One of my favorite things about this album is the hidden track "Damone". After waiting for what feels like forever after the last track you hear what sounds like a bong toke then another dozen minutes until 32:36 and you hear Abe lay into those toms and into the hidden track.  Its so exciting to find a full length album worthy track hidden so deeply at the end of an album you were already satisfied with. I swear this just doesn't happen anymore. 

Lastly, I'd like to focus on the album cover. As a teenager the album having a striking female as the focal point definitely caught my eye but there is a timeless in the sad girl/messy mascara vibe pictured on the cover.

It in a way haunts it you yet at the same time is very iconic, unmistakable and strong. Around the Fur is a testament of all the ingredients necessary in creating a flawless album start to finish but also to me is the benchmark of this legendary band's career. If you don't have this album do yourself a favor and pick it up and play it loud!

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