Koi No Yokan is the seventh studio album by the American alternative metal band Deftones. It was released on November 12, 2012, by Reprise Records and was produced by Nick Raskulinecz. This was the last album produced by him until Private Music (2025). The album’s title comes from the Japanese phrase "恋の予感," which means "premonition of love." Critics praised the album when it was released, and it sold about 65,000 copies in its first week. It reached number 11 on the Billboard 200 chart and ranked number 5 on the Top Rock Albums chart. As of July 2025, Nielsen Soundscan reported that the album had sold 350,000 copies in the United States.

Background

Band frontman Chino Moreno described the album as "dynamic," meaning it has a wide variety of sounds. He noted that bassist Sergio Vega contributed more musical ideas than on their earlier album, Diamond Eyes. A major change in how the album was recorded involved using the Fractal Audio Systems Axe-Fx preamp/effects processor. This device mimics the sound of multiple amplifiers and effects devices, allowing the band to create different tones. Vega explained that the band could use the Fractal system in hotel rooms, connect it to software, and record ideas to develop later. The band first recorded guitar, bass, and vocals. Later, they recorded drums and replaced the earlier guitar, bass, and vocal tracks. Vega confirmed that all music was created naturally without artificial enhancements.

Loudwire described the music as having an "alternative metal vibe." It includes creative elements from the band's earlier albums, Saturday Night Wrist (2006) and Diamond Eyes (2010). The music combines styles such as metal (including doom metal and groove metal), alternative rock, shoegaze, dream pop, hardcore punk, post-rock, and progressive rock.

Release

On August 30, 2012, the band announced their new album and a tour to support it. On September 19, 2012, the band shared the song "Leathers" as a free download on their website. "Leathers" became the album's first official single on October 8, 2012. It was also released as a limited-edition cassette single with the song "Rosemary" on the B-side. On October 3, 2012, the song "Tempest" was first shared online for streaming on PureVolume. "Tempest" was later released as a single on October 9, 2012.

The album Koi No Yokan was released on vinyl in four different versions. A standard version was made on 140-gram black vinyl and sold in stores (3,000 copies). A special version was made on 180-gram black vinyl with jackets that had shiny, numbered designs (1,000 copies). An international version was also made on 180-gram vinyl. A fourth version, sold only at Hot Topic stores, was made on 140-gram clear-colored vinyl (1,500 copies).

The band started their tour on October 9, 2012, and it ended on November 21 in Los Angeles. Before the album was released, the band played shows at places that could hold between 1,000 and 4,000 people so fans could hear the music early.

Critical reception

The album received high praise from critics. A review website called Metacritic gave the album an average score of 86 out of 100 based on 18 reviews, which means it was highly praised by most critics. With this score, Koi No Yokan was among the top eight best-reviewed albums of 2012. Gregory Heaney from AllMusic wrote, "Many bands have tried to mix loud and quiet sounds over the years, but Deftones stand out because they can do both at the same time, combining calm and intense music into one unique style." Mischa Pearlman from BBC Music stated, "The album goes beyond what is usually expected from its genre, even surpassing the standards set by the band itself." Al Horner from NME described the album as "a powerful mix of loud guitars, intense music, and large, emotional songs that are very captivating." Greg Fisher from Sputnikmusic called it "a very consistent work" that "includes beautiful melodies and strong, powerful guitar sounds, showing the band's best work in over ten years." Rolling Stone called the album "bold and adventurous" and noted, "The album ranges from very intense, heavy music (like the song Gauze) to grand, atmospheric rock (like the song Tempest)." The opening track, Swerve City, starts with a strong, heavy guitar sound, but the band also uses more careful and detailed methods to create tension, as seen in songs like Entombed and Rosemary.

In May 2013, Revolver magazine named Koi No Yokan as the "Album of the Year" at the fifth annual Revolver Golden Gods Award Show. In 2024, the staff of Loudwire selected it as the best hard rock album of 2012.

Track listing

The lyrics are written by Chino Moreno. The music is composed by the band Deftones, which includes members Stephen Carpenter, Abe Cunningham, Frank Delgado, Chino Moreno, and Sergio Vega.

Personnel

From the CD liner notes.

• Abe Cunningham − drums
• Stephen Carpenter − guitar
• Frank Delgado − keyboards and samples
• Chino Moreno − vocals and guitar
• Sergio Vega − bass

• Nick Raskulinecz − production
• Matt Hyde − additional production, recording, and engineering
• Steve Olmon − recording and engineering assistance
• Rich Costey − mixing
• Chris Kasych − Pro Tools mix engineering
• Eric Isip − assistant mixing engineer
• Ted Jensen − mastering
• Frank Maddocks − art direction and package design
• Futura − photography
• 13th Witness − band photograph