While it has since been taken down, fans were shocked to find that Eros, the shelved album by Deftones, had leaked online, after nearly two decades of rumor and mystery. The album saw the final recordings of the late Chi Cheng, who would be involved in a serious automobile accident in 2008, which saw him remain in a comatose state until his death in 2013.
As such, the album felt like it would never see the light of day. To call this leak contentious is to put it gently, as it feels like something intensely personal to the band, hence their reticence on releasing it properly. It was unfinished, never mind a reminder of what could have been, what was supposed to be, even. It feels verboten given its lore, but that is - for better or worse - the appeal, that forbidden fruit of it all.
The reaction to the album is all over the place. Some are rightfully lamenting, while others are conceding that the album is unfinished, and as such has its flaws and imperfections. It is also being hailed as a mark of the band's evolution, as if bridging a gap between albums, in this case Saturday Night Wrist and Diamond Eyes.
Whether you, as a reader and a fan, choose to seek out the leaks and see what the fuss is about, or if you decide to leave the memories alone and refrain, this is a momentous occasion for one of nu metal's seminal acts, if a bit dubious.
