A little tension can be a good thing in a relationship -- and sometimes, a lot can be even better. It seems to work for Deftones, anyhow.

The creation of their fifth CD Saturday Night Wrist was reportedly fraught with internecine turmoil -- false starts, multiple producers (including the notoriously demanding Bob Ezrin), and even the defection of frontman Chino Moreno during proceedings. After all that, it's remarkable they managed to finish this CD.

What's even more remarkable is how powerful and coherent most of Saturday Night Wrist manages to be. Booting up with the noisy guitar squall that kicks off Hole in the Earth, the band rages and wails through 51 minutes of ambitious alt-metal that balances art and aggression.

Aside from a few grand moments, Ezrin's heavy hand isn't overly evident in this dozen-song set, which is divided between grandly pummeling Pumpkins-style shriek-rockers like Rapture, Mein, Combat or Rats!Rats!Rats!, and swirly Cure-inspired gloomscapes like Beware, Riviere and Xerces.

There are a couple of missteps -- notably the sophomoric techno ditty Pink Telephone. And Moreno's lyrical obsession with entropy and escape ("This is the end ... I'm out;" "I'll be waving goodbye;" "You're holding me down") leaves you wondering if the band's days are numbered.

Even if this marriage can't be saved, though, at least Deftones went down swinging -- and swinging for the fences.

Track Listing:

1. Hole in the Earth
2. Rapture
3. Beware
4. Cherry Waves
5. Mein
6. U, U, D, D, L, R, L, R, A, B, Select, Start
7. Xerces
8. Ratsiratsirats!
9. Pink Cellphone
10. Combat
11. Kimdracula
12. Riviere