Top 10 Best Deftones Songs

The best songs from one of the pioneering nu-metal bands.
The Top Ten
1 Change (In the House of Flies)

I know it's a common choice to vote for their most popular song, but I genuinely believe this is the best song by them. It's accessible, whispering, howling, and wonderfully atmospheric. The structure is also not too repetitive.

The lyrics are highly memorable, unlike most Deftones tracks. Best track.

This may not be the most appreciated Deftones song, but I personally think it is definitely a masterpiece. It includes many elements such as alt-metal, rock, and streamlining, and they even mix them together!

It would be unfair to pass up the opportunity to vote for a high-quality song like this one.

2 Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away)

I know it might sound silly, but sometimes I think that Change is not as good compared to this song or some others. However, the truth is that both are good songs. I feel more relaxed and personally satisfied when I remember there is a song about driving that has very well-arranged shoegaze elements, defining the lyrics and the art it tries to demonstrate.

I also want to mention those guitars that are so churning yet at the same time unforgettable because they stay in your head for a long time.

3 Digital Bath

With some artists, it can be difficult to find a single track that encompasses their entire sound. For Deftones, Digital Bath is that track. Sure, Deftones' catalog is much more dynamically diverse than what you find in Digital Bath, but it all culminates in the best song from their best album to date. It is an emotional roller coaster both lyrically and musically. Not an easy achievement.

I feel that this song, in fact, belongs more at the top than Change. Don't get me wrong, Change is a beautifully composed song, but I really think Digital Bath is the true best song of the band.

It had a bigger impact on me since I first listened to the song, and it's catchy.

4 My Own Summer (Shove It)

It is incredible that this song appears as an official part of the Matrix 1999 soundtrack, but I still don't know in which scene or part of the post-credits it comes out. Even so, I feel that it is the best Deftones song because it handles screamo very well and at the same time mixes rap metal or nu-metal. It is simply a song worth listening to every day!

I think this song is out of this world. Sometimes it's hard to comprehend a loud screamo song, but this song is the exception. The chords are darker than in the Passenger song, probably the most successful hit that Deftones has ever produced. It's also one of the most unique sci-fi songs ever, which is why it was included in The Matrix movie.

5 Passenger

What a song. The dueling vocals between Chino Moreno and Maynard James Keenan work so well together. The lyrics are very dark, creating this awe-striking atmosphere. Stephen Carpenter and Moreno are excellent on guitar and rhythm guitar, respectively. Abe Cunningham's drumming hits very hard. The song just comes together so well. The ending is a bit abrupt, but that is merely a nitpick.

This is, in my opinion, the best song Deftones have ever made.

This song is absolute perfection, as is all of White Pony. It's one of my favorite songs of all time. Maynard and Chino's vocals flow perfectly together. Musically, this song is genius. Chino is an absolute genius with his lyrics, and that's as evident as ever in this song. From the atmospheric intro to the abrasive choruses, this song is Deftones through and through.

6 Diamond Eyes

This is the first song I ever heard outside of rap in high school, which acted as a gateway, leading to many other great songs of theirs and many, many other bands. I've always been extremely grateful for stumbling upon this song years since. This will always be one of their best, whether out of sentiment or not.

Love the guitar here, and the lyrics... Amazing. My favorite. White Pony is a great album, but this is better. And where is You've Seen The Butcher? Another incredible song...

"Time will see us realign. Diamonds rain across the sky. And shower me into the same realm." What a great song! Definitely one of their best!

7 Minerva

What in the name of Minerva is this doing at number 8? This piece of art screams the kind of sensuality that won't attract unwanted public staring!

Sweet song. The details of the song tell a fantastic lie of wish, passion, love, and everything else that put into function a dedicated song to a girl.

This song is fantastic.

Every time I listen to this song, it makes me smile. I absolutely love this song. One of my personal all-time favorites and should be No. 1!

8 Pink Maggit

Why is this at 100?! Yeah, it isn't as catchy, dynamic, or heavy, but it just hits me so hard and makes me feel deep emotion that no other song, apart from Be Quiet and Drive, can do.

This song gets all the feels without breaking a sweat. The fact that it's number 100 makes me question the depth of Deftones fans.

This song is actually really good.

9 Knife Party

"Ooh, I can float here forever
In this room
we can't touch the floor" - yeah, pretty much how I feel when I listen to this song. No other song I know makes me feel as weightless and free as "Knife Party." And when Rodleen starts to sing, the song becomes hauntingly beautiful, like something out of this world. Yet, it's also like the epitome of human expression all the same.

I think the only reason this song is so low is due to people not knowing about it. It's the best song ever by Deftones. I get chills every time.

Best song, or at least the most underrated. Just listen to it and come back singing, "In this room, we're all anemic. In this room, anemic and sweet."

10 Poltergeist

The most underrated and perfectly heaviest song of all Deftones songs. The guitar tone alone, which resembles the tone from Meshuggah's album Koloss, is the heaviest of all their works. The rhythm and the riff from start to end is what a complete song of this genre would be, apart from its heaviness and its beauty.

All-time favorite Deftones song. It always makes me think of my car!

Hands down the best song on Koi No Yokan!

The Contenders
11 Rocket Skates

I can't decide between this and Change. Both are fantastic songs and also the best of Deftones.

This song is almost a top contender for me. It's absolute greatness!

Best song from Diamond Eyes, easily.

12 Bored

The raw youth and anxiety tone of this song helps me relive the days I first listened to it! BEST SONG!

Not a big fan of Deftones, but I will say that this song is truly amazing!

Definitely my favorite by Deftones. It should certainly be higher.

13 Leathers

This is the best song on the "Koi No Yokan" album, and that is saying a lot. "Koi No Yokan" is an amazing album, and there is not a single bad song on it. You don't just say, "Eh, I kinda like this song." What you really say is, "Ok, that song is the best on the album. Next song... No, this song is the best on the album." Most Deftones fans will probably hate me for this, but I'm going to say it: "Koi No Yokan" is the best Deftones album, period.

This song is quite fresh, but it has the potential to be a 'Tones classic. I can listen to this track all day and never get bored. It fuses so much melody, emotion, and anger together.

Just give it a listen.

14 Sextape

No. 10 now, but I'm sure this song will move up the ranks over time. It's one of their newest but definitely the most beautiful song they've ever written, and Chino's voice is incredible on it.

This and Digital Bath are up there with my favorite songs of all time.

For me, this is the best song because it's really emotive and so beautiful. Every time I hear this song, I must pick up my guitar and start playing it. When Chino starts singing, I just start singing, almost crying because of the beauty of this song.

It should be No. 1.

15 7 Words

This song doesn't need decency. It is just another epic song with raw vocals and extreme guitars.

Awesome song all around. It starts off with a buzzing guitar riff and then that sick bass line. R.I.P. Chi Cheng.

16 Headup

Easily my favorite 'Tones song. Sick riff, and so heavy it makes you want to jump up and get angry. My all-time favorite song from this band. Max Cavalera being featured is awesome as well. Great song about D-Low. This is one of my top ten songs ever. The vocals are just great and heavy. You can barely understand what he is saying, which makes it just as badass.

My favorite from the greats, and also it is a damn shame it is such an underground song from them. A real fan knows of this gem though. And this is coming from a fan of all their work, from Adrenaline to now.

17 Tempest

Slow tempo but totally refuses to bore.

Moreno's as mesmerizing as usual.

I'd rate it among the top 3, at least.

No words are needed to describe how great this song is. If you just listen to it, you will know why it deserves to be in the top 10.

The best song ever by Deftones. Most underrated song and the best one.

18 Hole in the Earth

Saturday Night Wrist is so underrated! It's my favorite album of theirs, and I've been a fan since the ATF days!

19 Beauty School

One of the most beautiful songs I have ever listened to, not only from Deftones but also from any rock band. Definitely a favorite.

It's a shame that not many people know about it besides fans - everyone should.

This is one of the greatest songs I've ever heard! Every time I hear it, I have to completely stop what I'm doing and just listen 100%. Such an incredibly beautiful song, and it deserves to be so much higher.

Oh god, this song... What should I say? I just can't catch my breath when I listen to this. One of the greatest songs of all time!

20 Elite

Outright angry, extremely rough, pure Chino-Scream. This was a great triumph of nu-metal. The instrumentation is put on an industrial level. Why this song made it to the GRAMMYs without any promotion is a mystery that will never be figured out, but oh boy, did this one deserve it.

Don't you dare tell me they weren't nu-metal. Nu-metal is not derogatory by default. It's only derogatory because Korn and Limp Bizkit exist.

How is this not number one?! This won a Grammy in 2001 for Best Metal Performance. I bet most of you kids weren't even alive at the time.

21 Cherry Waves

So many emotions! It's definitely a gorgeous song that deserves to be at the top!

22 Engine No. 9

Agree, this is their best song, dudes!

A travesty that this is number 20...

23 Rosemary

This song is just so amazing. It's like a journey through Chino's mind, the way the song flows through emotions. Kind of like a ballad, but so much better. The ending lines "Just stay with me" are so beautiful, and then the heavy guitar crunch followed by notes of tranquility. It's like a nuclear bomb and then the resulting fallout.

My favorite song is "Passenger," but "Rosemary" deserves Top Ten.

Amazing song! Really puts you into a feeling you can't really explain. Just a purely awesome song! One of their best!

24 Around the Fur

This song was stuck in my head for ages. I feel like I can relate to the song somehow. Should I be different and maybe make a fool of myself to impress you? Or should I be like everyone else and be safe? Either way, I want you to notice me somehow.

That's how I interpreted it, and I think it relates to a lot of people.

It seems as though the easier listening songs got the top votes. I prefer their heavier sound. I can name a few favorites, but the chorus to this is explosive.

So much energy in this!

W.T.F. How is this song No. 17? This song should be in the top 5 at least.

25 976-Evil

A dreamy song with awesome lyrics. Definitely one of my favorite songs because I always get chills while hearing it.

Very underrated song - another one of their more melodic songs, which I really like. This song especially.

I wet myself every time I listen to it. Beautiful live!

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