Deftones consists of Abe Cunningham (drummer), Chi Cheng (bassist), Chino Moreno (singer, guitarist), Frank Delgado (dj), Stephen Carpenter (guitarist).
Deftones (pronounced "deaf-tones") are a multi-platinum selling, Grammy award winning Alternative metal band from Sacramento, California. Personnel are Chino Moreno ( vocals, guitar), Stephen Carpenter ( guitar), Abe Cunningham ( drums), Chi Cheng ( bass) and turntablist/ keyboardist/ sampler player Frank Delgado. (Incidentally, Carpenter is generally credited with "strings", though if he actually plays anything other than electric guitar it's not immediately apparent.)
Deftones has often been praised as one of the more innovative and unique rock bands of recent years. As Johnny Loftus notes, "Rock critics usually reserve a special place for Deftones above or at least away from the rest of the turn-of-the-century nu-metal movement. While they definitely share the influence of a group like Tool with peers like KoЯn, Deftones have always seemed more curious, more willing to incorporate traditionally revered sounds like dream pop or D.C. hardcore into their southern California alt-metal."
Moreno's poetic lyrics--described by a Time magazine critic as "furiously intelligent"--are often evocative, yet are sparse enough to allow for multiple interpretations. Moreno has cited Morrissey, Weezer's Rivers Cuomo, The Cure's Robert Smith, and Depeche Mode's David Gahan among his favorite singers, and beyond an occasional similarity in vocal technique, these singers' sweeping sense of drama and delicate vulnerability is often evident in Moreno's vocals.