Deftones is an American alternative metal band formed in Sacramento, California, in 1988. They were formed by frontman Chino Moreno, lead guitarist Stephen Carpenter and drummer Abe Cunningham, with bassist Chi Cheng and keyboardist and turntablist Frank Delgado joining the lineup in 1990 and 1999, respectively. After the lineup settled in 1994, Deftones secured a recording contract with Maverick Records, and subsequently released their debut album Adrenaline in 1995. Extensive touring and word-of-mouth promotion of the album helped Deftones garner a dedicated fan base. Their second album, Around the Fur (1997), was certified platinum in the US. The band found further success with their third album White Pony (2000), which marked a transition from their earlier, more aggressive sound into a more experimental direction; its track "Elite" won the Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance. Their self-titled fourth album was released in 2003 and debuted at number 2 on the US Billboard 200. Deftones' fifth studio album, Saturday Night Wrist (2006) was marred by creative tensions and personal issues within the band, some of which influenced its material. In 2008, while Deftones were working on an album tentatively titled Eros, Cheng was involved in a traffic collision.
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