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Sacramento’s DEFTONES has set “Diamond Eyes” as the title of its new album, due on May 18. A song from the CD, “Rocket Skates”, will be made available as a free download via Deftones.com on February 23.

In a recent interview with SPIN.com, DEFTONES frontman Chino Moreno stated about the forthcoming CD, “The dynamics DEFTONES are known for — aggressive overtones and lush openness. They’re on opposite sides of the spectrum, but we meld them together without sounding contrived. There are a few heavy songs, too, like our first couple records, and there are also experimental tunes — but there’s not a minute on this record that feels like it doesn’t need to be there. Each sound complements the other. I’ll straight-up say it: it’s definitely one of our best albums.”

Regarding he lyrical direction of the new album, Moreno said, “Well, I’ve been wanting to record a fantasy album like ‘White Pony’, where the lyrics are less, ‘This is my life and this is what we’re going through.’ It helps take us away from reality. I don’t like listening to people’s problems — I like music. Music has been smothered with that complaining since the early-’90s. It gets old. Instead of going to the opposite side of the spectrum and listening to BLACK EYED PEAS, which is just straight silly, I choose to listen to more instrumental music. I do very little singing about myself on this record. I love songs where I can totally take myself out of being human. I can sing about really odd things, and they don’t necessarily have to pertain to me at all. It paints a picture. Those are the kind of lyrics I grew up with — like THE CURE. Really visual images and no storytelling.”

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I’m excited already, Deftones always deliver the goods. Can’t Wait myself.

The Scottish singer/guitarist told BBC 6music that he and guitarist Nick McCarthy had been working on new songs at McCarthy’s house for the follow-up to last year’s ‘Tonight… Franz Ferdinand’ effort.

“I’ve been round at Nick’s and we’ve been writing some things, and trying to do things in a different way again,” he explained. “You’ll hear it before too long.”

Kapranos added that he was a touch wary about revealing too much about the writing sessions this early on, however.

“Before the last record I talked far too much about it,” he said, “as we had the ideas and I made a vow that I wasn’t going to say anything about what we are actually doing until we’ve done it, and then wait about another three weeks.”

Franz Ferdinand are set to tour Australia from the end of this month, followed by some South American live dates.

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“I think that everyone who hated Limp Bizkit before will continue to hate Limp Bizkit,” Borland told Guitar Edge in reference to the sound of the album. “It’s definitely a fun party kinda vibe, it’s a little like the old stuff but with a Daft Punk vibe thrown in”.

He added: “It’s not like we all of a sudden grew up and started making smarter music. There’s big huge riffs and hopefully catchy lyrics, it’s still about halfway done so we’re waiting to see how the rest of it goes.”

I have a love/hate relationship with Fred Durst and co. Sometimes I can’t put up with the silly and non-sensical lyrics, then other days I hear ‘Eat You Alive’ or ‘Take A Look Around’ and I think how amazing they are. Their albums are very hit and miss, but hopefully there’ll be some interesting ideas.

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“I mean, we definitely go in there very prepared. We never enter the studio unless we feel like, right now, if these are the songs we record, that we would have an album that we’re proud of and we’re excited about. And we put everything under the microscope and examine it the best we can to make sure that we’re prepared. We don’t like going in there wasting time. We go in there to work, and to try to make the best album we can.”

The band has also set March 23rd as the release date for the 10th anniversary edition of its debut album, “The Sickness”. The set, which will also be available on vinyl, will feature B-sides, new artwork, and exclusive online content. Rock on.

My Chemical Romance axeman Frank Iero has been giving Rock Sound the skinny on the band’s fourth album progress, R&R, and Gerard and Lyn-Z’s good news…

What stage are you guys at with the fourth My Chemical Romance album?
”Right now, it’s really in the preliminary writing stage, just tossing back and forth ideas. There haven’t been any real serious writing sessions yet. We’re actually talking about getting together again this month, and after that in the new year we’ll really sit down and start working on songs. For now it’s just been you know, kinda hanging out.”

Life must have been so hectic over the past few years; we expect you need time to reflect?
”Well that’s the thing, it’s nice to see your family again and become part of their lives again. We’ve been away for so long that it’s hard to reconnect to the people that you left back home, because it’s just hard to reconnect to real life. And to actually be able to make plans and say, ‘Hey, you know what, I will see you next weekend, I will be around, what are you doing, can we hang out and just be together?’ That’s a real nice thing.”

Do you ever stop and pinch yourself? It’s incredible the level you’ve reached from quite modest beginnings, playing smaller festivals and support slots not too long ago…
”Absolutely, every day you wake up and you’re like, ‘Holy shit, what happened?’ I remember being in a van, I remember getting to these shows, and then all of a sudden I’m coming home to a house that’s mine, and playing shows to thousands of people – venues and countries that I never thought I’d play. I feel very, very blessed to be able to do that – I really am doing things that I dreamed of as a kid. We know how fortunate we are, and I don’t think a day goes by that we’re not thankful for that.”

We were very happy to hear that Gerard and Lyn-Z are expecting their first child; is that going to affect MCR’s plans much?
”No. You know if anything, it’s just going to make the family bigger and we’re just really excited. As soon as he told me my jaw dropped, because he was the kind of kid that was like, ‘I’m never going to get married, I’m never going to have kids’, and it was in a year that all that changed. I’m just so excited for him, because he’s so excited, and if anything, it’s just going to make touring that much better – everyone’s gonna have kids out on the road and their wives and stuff, it’s just going to be like a touring family circus.”

Any progress is good news, and after a hectic time touring the Black Parade, some time off over the Christmas and New Year holidays is expected. Like Paramore and Green Day, having time off after a hugely successful album is massively beneficial to the band and is for the best in the long run.