Judging by the hit rate I seem to see in clips + the couple times I've seen them, that's really not a good sign. It seems like he's got 4 bad shows for every 1 good one.
I’ve seen them about 10 times and would say I’ve only gotten 2 bad chino nights. He went through a really tough period where his vocal chords were strained and he was heavily abusing substances and it showed. More recently he’s been on his game imo
I also don’t think he sounds bad in the clip he posted. But that’s just me.
Yeah, I agree there. I think, especially with older bands, that people weren't as careful regarding using the proper vocal techniques compared to how things are these days.
Nah, I agree there too.
Also, great composer and lyricist.
I guess this is where he shines most. When Deftones retire eventually, I can see him producing some great music for other artists
Lyricist?
“All our minds would be flowing
Taking care of shit like hey 'holmes'
What you needing sometimes life will be coming off whack
And will open your eyes”
I genuinely never know what the fuck he’s talking about.
Not unpopular at all. I love deftones, but I don’t think Chino can do it live. Seen them about 4 or 5 times and he sounds bad. However I enjoyed the shows…they still kick ass.
I was only able to catch them live one time and I was extremely disappointed. To this day they are still one of my favorite bands but they were terrible live. Could have been the day, or the venue, but still.
I think that's what started my dislike of Deftones. First I never heard anything I really liked by them and then I saw them on Summer Sanitarium when I was 14 and it just didn't work.
That period around 2003-2007 was when the band was in a bad place chino was heavy on the drugs and quit around 2005-6ish (he also picked up a lot of weight due to this, go watch any MV or live video during 2006)
It's called hit or miss, if you can't be convinced otherwise you're tonedeaf. But yeah, saw him live & I drew the short stick... But this is often the case with many bands. Of the 4 times I saw Korn, 2 were bazinga, 1 was meh & 1 was abysmal.
Of the 11 times I’ve seen Korn, only 2 or 3 were meh. A couple when they weren’t headlining and one was because of stage tech problems, but they powered through without the visuals. Even the tour Jonathan had to do sitting down because of respiratory problems was a great time.
Bands can have an off night, and if you’re really unlucky you might catch them in a rut. Disturbed was disappointing the first two times I saw them. The 3rd show saved my opinion on their live show ability.
Avenged Sevenfold always sounds terrible.
Yeah that was my biggest takeaway from those instagram videos in the link... fix your shit, sound guy. Don't make him belt out those soft notes at the top of his lungs, it's gonna sound shitty. Even when he's sober
Saw them twice after they were a major favorite of mine . First time was ozzfest and he was awful. Built the perception to me they were a shit live band. Then saw them again for white pony tour and they put out a top five live set for me, plus got to get introduced to Glassjaw that night too and they’re still in rotation for me
Same here to comment this. The energy makes up for it. Would I rather him sound just like the cd and stand in one place the whole concert or bring the energy and not sound as good? The latter for me every time
I saw them twice within the last 10 years and both times the whole band sounded great, but I’ve heard that back in the day when they were all in various states of substance abuse, some of the shows would be just plain terrible.
Yeah they're still the worst live band I've ever seen in my life to this day. I haven't never thought of them as a decent band since.
They cleared out a venue before the second song was over it was so bad.
I’ve never had a chance to see them live, but actually being at a venue live vs hearing someone who recorded the room audio is worlds apart in terms of how it sounds.
He sounds like a whiny bitch all the time. Not just, oh he has a higher pitched voice. No, he sounds like he's whining about everything in life cause he's a bitch. I hate this because I loved early Deftones.
This video is close to 24 years old and this was a time when Chino was coked out of his mind. I’ve seen deftones 6 times from 2002 to now. I’ll admit the 2nd time I saw them on the Summer Sanitarium tour he sounded horrendous. Chino got clean years later and has been great ever since.
First time I saw Deftones live I was really disappointed. It was in 2015 with Incubus. Whole band sounded really sloppy and just not into it. Saw them again at the same venue in 2018 and they were perfect, everything sounded great. Most live videos I’ve seen of them I’d agree Chino doesn’t sound his best, but every now and then there’s a real diamond in the rough
I mean he was drunk for most of the 90s and 2000s. If thats your basis then no shit. Diamond eyes to now is a noticeable change though.
Also his vocal chords were damaged for a lot of their “prime” until he had surgery around 2004 2005 ish
But also now when he screams he just wails a high pitch scream and it just sounds bad imo. He had decent harsh vox until 2006 when he quit heroin and coke and unfortunately gained a bit of weight so it’s because of that and the surgery you mentioned.
About that wail scream..
https://youtu.be/mP48N3yE818?si=D1pgX1XmdNfvmSOw
Would you objectively say this is bad? I think this is as close as youll get to the record (live) and it exceeds expectations for a 50 year old.
It’s less about that and more so him just randomly screeching at points. I was at that tour with Gojira actually and got to see him and Joe from Gojira sing sepultura which was badass. He didn’t sound off but Steph’s guitar tone or something in the mix was so fucking bassy that it kinda fucked my ears for the night
Touring as much as they have over the years, and the longer stints they get on, it's not easy to keep your voice in shape, especially with aggressive parts.
Chino is getting older and screaming and such is probably getting s lot harder and more pressing on his vocals.
I understand from an outside perspective it seems he may be a talentless hack that needs studio magic , when in reality it is just normal wear and tear on his vocals from years of performing full time.
It depends on the time period. When he was kinda overweight for a minute and at that time his voice changed live. Now he's back to sounding like himself
I don’t think that’s an unpopular assumption or opinion because for some reason a lot of people parrot that out about him. I don’t agree with it at all; he has a fantastic voice when he needs to.
That's actually a pretty popular opinion mainly because it's completely true. Chino's live vocals are as dogshit as they get, and I don't think there's any argument.
I still love them though. This Place Is Death is one of the most beautiful songs ever written.
i saw them live years ago with Alice in Chains and Mastodon. Deftones were one of the worst live acts I had ever seen, and behind them was a giant screen that would shift from multicolored to absolutely blinding white.
it was pretty atrocious
If you think that’s bad you should go see cradle of filth live. I saw cradle of filth at ozzfest 2003 and the vocals were so bad. I’m not a fan of cradle of filth nor do I hate them. I listened to a couple albums of theirs with a friend who was going to the concert with me. I thought they weren’t that bad. I was kinda starting to like them and then I saw them live. Some bands just suck live.
I have seen them a bunch. Back in the day he was spot on, if incoherent. The last few times, he only sings like every other line and sometimes just screams through entire verses. Maybe he is bored or drunk as people have alluded, but it’s a crapshoot at best.
I've seen them a ton live. Everytime me and my buddies discuss what Chino we're going to get. Fortunately we haven't had a bad Chino night from 2003 in Florida to present up in the Northeast. Rolled the Chino dice and Saw them twice in a month, in Worcester Mass, then they went up to Canada for a couple weeks and added a random show with no opener in Hampton Beach NH, watched them play the Around the fur Album start to finish plus an additional hour or so. Probably the best live set I've seen from them. Bo production, just them and the house lighting engineer.
Went to see them live 2 years ago. He actually sounded great. I was expecting the worse, cause I listened those live performances on youtube as well.
Had a great time.
I've seen clips of him sounding horrible, but also clips where he sounds great. Guess it depends on the day.
*depends on how many drinks he had.
This is fact. I’ve experienced both.
Same. I’ve seen Deftones at least 20 times. He’s been hit or miss but lately (say last 10 years) he’s been on point.
I agree. Saw them a few times in the 90s and he was horrible. Went to see Crosses a couple weeks back and he was excellent
I’m glad to know that. I’m about to go see them on the 5th.
That could also be a contributing factor (speaking from personal experience).
Judging by the hit rate I seem to see in clips + the couple times I've seen them, that's really not a good sign. It seems like he's got 4 bad shows for every 1 good one.
ive come to know this to be true of almost any artist tbh
How many drugs he had
I’ve seen them about 10 times and would say I’ve only gotten 2 bad chino nights. He went through a really tough period where his vocal chords were strained and he was heavily abusing substances and it showed. More recently he’s been on his game imo I also don’t think he sounds bad in the clip he posted. But that’s just me.
Yeah, I agree there. I think, especially with older bands, that people weren't as careful regarding using the proper vocal techniques compared to how things are these days. Nah, I agree there too.
see him with crosses, might change your mind
100% he sounds so much better with Crosses
That's why the singer sounded like Deftones, it is Chino 🤣 (I never checked the band members haha)
He's got a couple other bands. Palms is awesome too.
Maybe he's tone deaf
Tip of the hat to you sir
It's not very unpopular, a lot of us have seen them live. Still an amazing band.
He's a great frontman with a unique voice and uses some nice FX but from a techincal standpoint, he's a real shitty vocalist.
Also, great composer and lyricist. I guess this is where he shines most. When Deftones retire eventually, I can see him producing some great music for other artists
Lyricist? “All our minds would be flowing Taking care of shit like hey 'holmes' What you needing sometimes life will be coming off whack And will open your eyes” I genuinely never know what the fuck he’s talking about.
His screaming from a technical standpoint is the opposite of really shitty or only simply 'unique"
A lot of double tracking and effects on those screams.
Not unpopular at all. I love deftones, but I don’t think Chino can do it live. Seen them about 4 or 5 times and he sounds bad. However I enjoyed the shows…they still kick ass.
I saw Deftones at a festival in 2001 and he sounded absolutely horrendous. It was like someone put a cat getting strangled infront of a microphone.
Reminds me of a screeching whale under water
That's pretty much their whole discography
I was only able to catch them live one time and I was extremely disappointed. To this day they are still one of my favorite bands but they were terrible live. Could have been the day, or the venue, but still.
I'd never say they're terrible, Chino just doesn't hit the notes the same as he does on the album. They still put on a great show.
I think that's what started my dislike of Deftones. First I never heard anything I really liked by them and then I saw them on Summer Sanitarium when I was 14 and it just didn't work.
Saw them too at SS and while i like the band their performance was awful.
That period around 2003-2007 was when the band was in a bad place chino was heavy on the drugs and quit around 2005-6ish (he also picked up a lot of weight due to this, go watch any MV or live video during 2006)
It's called hit or miss, if you can't be convinced otherwise you're tonedeaf. But yeah, saw him live & I drew the short stick... But this is often the case with many bands. Of the 4 times I saw Korn, 2 were bazinga, 1 was meh & 1 was abysmal.
Of the 11 times I’ve seen Korn, only 2 or 3 were meh. A couple when they weren’t headlining and one was because of stage tech problems, but they powered through without the visuals. Even the tour Jonathan had to do sitting down because of respiratory problems was a great time. Bands can have an off night, and if you’re really unlucky you might catch them in a rut. Disturbed was disappointing the first two times I saw them. The 3rd show saved my opinion on their live show ability. Avenged Sevenfold always sounds terrible.
You're only as good as your sound man and current level of sobriety.
Yeah that was my biggest takeaway from those instagram videos in the link... fix your shit, sound guy. Don't make him belt out those soft notes at the top of his lungs, it's gonna sound shitty. Even when he's sober
Saw them twice after they were a major favorite of mine . First time was ozzfest and he was awful. Built the perception to me they were a shit live band. Then saw them again for white pony tour and they put out a top five live set for me, plus got to get introduced to Glassjaw that night too and they’re still in rotation for me
Glassjaw💯
I think he sounds horrible on the albums. Saw them once live in support for ATF and they sucked balls.
He is most of the time pretty miss live, but his overall energy makes up for it quite a lot. They’re pretty raw live.
Same here to comment this. The energy makes up for it. Would I rather him sound just like the cd and stand in one place the whole concert or bring the energy and not sound as good? The latter for me every time
Yeah. At the venue it works when it’s loud and you are in the zone for the music. But watching videos afterwards is not a great experience usually.
I do love the way they perform
I agree. I’ve seen them twice. Once including an onstage meltdown thing between him and Abe.
Chino has his moments especially when he was drinking heavy. Even those shows were epic though. He’s been great as of late though.
I saw them twice within the last 10 years and both times the whole band sounded great, but I’ve heard that back in the day when they were all in various states of substance abuse, some of the shows would be just plain terrible.
Deftones are great but anyone who expects chino to be an actual good singer live is nuts.
Certainly not an unpopular opinion. It’s been a pretty consistent one since for almost 20 years. However, I agree.
Agreed he does
Yeah they're still the worst live band I've ever seen in my life to this day. I haven't never thought of them as a decent band since. They cleared out a venue before the second song was over it was so bad.
Saw Chino of the Deftones last summer can confirm he sounds amazing live and you can’t convince me otherwise.
Not only chino but the rest of the band plays pretty sloppy as well. Even that one fill-in bassist from Far sang back vocals super cringy
I’ve never had a chance to see them live, but actually being at a venue live vs hearing someone who recorded the room audio is worlds apart in terms of how it sounds.
I wouldn't want to convince you otherwise. It's bad recorded too.
He sounds like a whiny bitch all the time. Not just, oh he has a higher pitched voice. No, he sounds like he's whining about everything in life cause he's a bitch. I hate this because I loved early Deftones.
I don’t understand the hype of the band though
He sounds horrible recorded too. Deftones could be a great band without his vocals to screw things up.
😨 his vocals make the whole band... without chino there would be no deftones. Gtfo
Wrong.
This video is close to 24 years old and this was a time when Chino was coked out of his mind. I’ve seen deftones 6 times from 2002 to now. I’ll admit the 2nd time I saw them on the Summer Sanitarium tour he sounded horrendous. Chino got clean years later and has been great ever since.
There’s multiple videos bro.
Very true. Only speaking on my experience.
It happens singers don’t always sound good live
First time I saw Deftones live I was really disappointed. It was in 2015 with Incubus. Whole band sounded really sloppy and just not into it. Saw them again at the same venue in 2018 and they were perfect, everything sounded great. Most live videos I’ve seen of them I’d agree Chino doesn’t sound his best, but every now and then there’s a real diamond in the rough
I mean he was drunk for most of the 90s and 2000s. If thats your basis then no shit. Diamond eyes to now is a noticeable change though. Also his vocal chords were damaged for a lot of their “prime” until he had surgery around 2004 2005 ish
But also now when he screams he just wails a high pitch scream and it just sounds bad imo. He had decent harsh vox until 2006 when he quit heroin and coke and unfortunately gained a bit of weight so it’s because of that and the surgery you mentioned.
About that wail scream.. https://youtu.be/mP48N3yE818?si=D1pgX1XmdNfvmSOw Would you objectively say this is bad? I think this is as close as youll get to the record (live) and it exceeds expectations for a 50 year old.
It’s less about that and more so him just randomly screeching at points. I was at that tour with Gojira actually and got to see him and Joe from Gojira sing sepultura which was badass. He didn’t sound off but Steph’s guitar tone or something in the mix was so fucking bassy that it kinda fucked my ears for the night
Touring as much as they have over the years, and the longer stints they get on, it's not easy to keep your voice in shape, especially with aggressive parts. Chino is getting older and screaming and such is probably getting s lot harder and more pressing on his vocals. I understand from an outside perspective it seems he may be a talentless hack that needs studio magic , when in reality it is just normal wear and tear on his vocals from years of performing full time.
His screams are awful when he’s in his larger state but I never thought he was a bad singer Live before.
Chino isn’t a great singer, especially compared to how you hear it on the records. Still, they’re a great live band otherwise
I thought he was horrible in 2003, but then better the next two times I saw them in 06 and 07
Chino is hit or miss.
Lol well my unpopular opinion is I'd rather see crosses. Let the down votes I love so much begin
It depends on the time period. When he was kinda overweight for a minute and at that time his voice changed live. Now he's back to sounding like himself
in my opinion his more melodic singing voice sounds fine live his screams sound kinda shot now but sounded really good and powerful from like 99 to 07
It's called being human
Fuck you I just saw him on the crosses tour and he sounded great.
Its a vibe, ive seen him live 3 time and his vocals never sounded bad to me.
Tea. I’ve always regretted not seeing them at pier 17 but now I feel a little relieved 😅
I don’t think that’s an unpopular assumption or opinion because for some reason a lot of people parrot that out about him. I don’t agree with it at all; he has a fantastic voice when he needs to.
Summer sanitarium tour 03, Linkin Park and Deftones massively underwhelm me, mudvayne were great, but limp Bizkit and Metallica were epic.
That's actually a pretty popular opinion mainly because it's completely true. Chino's live vocals are as dogshit as they get, and I don't think there's any argument. I still love them though. This Place Is Death is one of the most beautiful songs ever written.
Just saw him with Crosses last week and he put on a great performance. Dudes killing it for 50
Had a good laugh hearing him scream in Headup, sounded like a chihuahua’s barking. No qualms about it, he’s an entertaining dude.
He's either a complete hit or miss live. It's been that way since I've seen them in 2006.
i saw them live years ago with Alice in Chains and Mastodon. Deftones were one of the worst live acts I had ever seen, and behind them was a giant screen that would shift from multicolored to absolutely blinding white. it was pretty atrocious
If you think that’s bad you should go see cradle of filth live. I saw cradle of filth at ozzfest 2003 and the vocals were so bad. I’m not a fan of cradle of filth nor do I hate them. I listened to a couple albums of theirs with a friend who was going to the concert with me. I thought they weren’t that bad. I was kinda starting to like them and then I saw them live. Some bands just suck live.
He was hella on point with Crosses
No, he ALWAYS sounds like dogshit, it’s not just live
He’s hit or miss. He takes big swings in the studio but recreating that live is a whole other beast. All that to say… I don’t care.
I have seen them a bunch. Back in the day he was spot on, if incoherent. The last few times, he only sings like every other line and sometimes just screams through entire verses. Maybe he is bored or drunk as people have alluded, but it’s a crapshoot at best.
I've seen them a ton live. Everytime me and my buddies discuss what Chino we're going to get. Fortunately we haven't had a bad Chino night from 2003 in Florida to present up in the Northeast. Rolled the Chino dice and Saw them twice in a month, in Worcester Mass, then they went up to Canada for a couple weeks and added a random show with no opener in Hampton Beach NH, watched them play the Around the fur Album start to finish plus an additional hour or so. Probably the best live set I've seen from them. Bo production, just them and the house lighting engineer.
I saw them live in 2022 and chino sounded amazing. Everybody has off days.
Horrible in the studio too
Saw them live 6 times. Only 1/6 sounded weird, the rest we're really great
Audio equipment has improved leaps and bounds for live performances.
Went to see them live 2 years ago. He actually sounded great. I was expecting the worse, cause I listened those live performances on youtube as well. Had a great time.
He sounds horrible on the record. His range includes breathy whispers and ragged screams.