Sacramento, California's Deftones rely on the traditional hard rock structure of guitar, bass, and drums for the core of their thunderous, heavy sound. But that's only the foundation onto which they add the effects of strings and a turntablist. On the band's third disc, all of these elements fuse together to make what's likely to be one of the biggest rock records of 2000.

Throughout White Pony the mix of pounding drums, Tool-esque bass (Tool frontman Maynard James Keenan appears on the sludgy, guitar-centric "Passenger"), and a blues guitar via hard rock (think Steve Vai heavily shaped by Muddy Waters) -- sweetened with the sporadic additions of faint strings and moody turntables, creates a unique hybrid of hard rock and new wave.

Longtime Deftones fans looking for their hard rock fix will be satiated by the blistering opening track "Feiticeria" and the ferocious "Elite", which owe's a debt to hardcore death metal. But it's the diversity of White Pony that stands out. The lovely ballad "Teenager" centers around a Portishead-flavored trip-hop groove. "RX Queen" starts off with a repetitious synth beat that nods to Depeche Mode, one of lead singer Chino Moreno's favorite bands. And the drawn-out finale, "Pink Maggit," has a lush, early Pink Floyd feel in a sprawling psychedelic arrangement that eventually leads into a heavy drumbeat.

What separates the Deftones from their numerous peers is this wide range of influences. By bringing those together, as they do on White Pony, the band establishes itself as much more than a one-note pony.