Deftones recently wrapped up pre-production on their seventh studio album and have set a date of July 9 to enter the studio for the new recording. The disc will be the follow-up to their 2010 release ‘Diamond Eyes.’

Frontman Chino Moreno recently offered up some insight on the direction of new music, saying, “I know everyone says this, but I think it will be the best album we've recorded." Moreno called it “a step forward” and described the sound as “futuristic” in a recent interview with La Tercera. Moreno went on to describe the new disc as sounding more like their 2000 release ‘White Pony’ than anything else in their discography, explaining, “The songs are very different, not heavy or slower but dynamic and go into many directions, it's so heavy and so beautiful.”

While original bassist Chi Cheng remains in a coma after a car accident in 2008, the band will tap Sergio Vega on bass once again. Moreno did speak of Cheng and his current condition, stating, “Every day is different and he is still fighting. It has already been three years and every day he makes tiny progress, but still does not speak or communicate.” He continued to talk of Cheng's progress, saying, “Sometimes he can follow some brief instructions to lift a leg or squeeze a hand, so we expect the best and we hope, but no doctor can tell us when he will wake up. All we can do is keep hope.”

As of right now, no release date has been mentioned, but hopefully fans can look forward to new music from Deftones later this year.

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