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61. ††† - ††† (Crosses) (2014)

Electronic Rock

Less a full divergence and more an ephemeral deviation from the sound that Chino Moreno trademarked with Deftones, the debut self-titled album from his side project ††† (Crosses) is a deviously playful experiment in marrying traditionally disparate sounds. The album naturally features his patented ethereal voice, but instrumentally, it trades the immediacy of metal for a less blatant but equally moving electronically-flavored rock infused with a heavy dose of occultish spookiness. 

Lead single, “The Epilogue”, plays like a slick gothic soundtrack to a drive through a never-ending graveyard. The album wields a dreaminess that swings back and forth between fantastical on “Bermuda Locket” and nightmarish on “Bitches Brew”, where leaden synths paint an ominous picture beneath Psycho-esque stabbing keys. But whether entrancing or creepy, the common thread throughout is a sort of fetishized sexuality of a decidedly gothic persuasion. “Blk Stallion” is a b-side gem that leans closest to Deftones’ style of hard rock while featuring a guitar solo that would hardly feel out of place in a Tim Burton film. Though this 2014 release remains the only ††† (Crosses) album to date, it’s nearly an hour of stylishly bewitching electronic rock that whets an appetite for a sound you never knew you wanted while leaving the door open for a follow-up sometime down the road.

*image; cover art for the album ††† (Crosses) by the artist ††† (Crosses)