In November 2008, Deftones bassist Chi Cheng was seriously injured in a car accident in Santa Monica, California. His injuries were so severe that he’s been hospitalized almost ever since, with much of his time spent in a coma in intensive care. If there’s an upside, it’s that he is now at home with his family.

Deftones are a widely-respected group even outside their core audience of metal fans. This is not doubt do to their genre-spanning sound, which employs atmospherics, tension and release and a strong melodic undercurrent. To call them the “metal Radiohead” wouldn’t be a stretch.

Since the band released its first album, Adrenaline, in 1994, they’ve steadily grown in popularity. Their most recent effort, Saturday Night Wrist, was critically well received, even garnering a glowing notice in The New Yorker. Deftones seemed primed to seize this momentum for their next record, until Cheng’s accident put a halt on the proceedings. read more