Atomic Records

"Aug. 20, 2025

On a warm August afternoon inside Atomic Records, a no-frills music store tucked in a Burbank, Calif., shopping strip, the five members of Deftones carried armloads of vinyl to the register. {New York reporter doesn't know that we aren't in a shopping strip. Nope. Just a small retail store on a sidewalk. 😅}

Abe Cunningham, the drummer, rifled through a thick stack: the Residents, Prince, the Pretenders. Frank Delgado, who plays keyboards and turntables, walked out with Kraftwerk’s “Neon Lights” and an album from Alice Coltrane. The frontman Chino Moreno picked up a record he’d never heard of, drawn to a fierce-looking Roman soldier on the sleeve, and rattled off some of his favorites from different eras: Danzig’s self-titled debut, Morrissey’s “Viva Hate,” anything Cocteau Twins.

The picks might have seemed surprising for a band considered the vanguard of the late-90s nu metal movement. But Deftones’ eclectic tastes have proven to be the key to the band’s longevity."

Deftones Persisted for Decades. A New Generation Is Feeling the Noise. The band emerged in the ’90s nu metal scene and quickly expanded its range. Now it sits at the nexus of heavy music and nostalgia that’s enticing new listeners.