Leaked Deftones 'Eros' Material Sparks Debate Amongst Fans

The Deftones fan community is abuzz after material purported to be the band's long-shelved 2008 Eros album surfaced as part of a leak that also included demos from their Ohms album that featured a previously unreleased b-side.

It now appears that the leaked files have been taken down. There was some question amongst fans as to whether the files posted were actually legit, but the material remained up long enough to spur plenty of discussion amongst fans online about not only the music but also personal internal debates about whether listening was the right thing to do given the band's reluctance to release the material and past statements that the works were not complete.

What Fans Were Saying About How They Felt Checking Out the Deftones' Eros Leak?

As stated, the leak of the long-shelved Deftones Eros album left many fans conflicted about checking out the music. Multiple Reddit threads popped up discussing the leak.

In the Deftones subreddit, the author of the thread discussing the leak shared, "I know everyone is hyped and curious to finally hear it, but honestly, the more I think about it, the more it feels wrong. There’s a huge reason why the band kept this locked away in a vault for nearly two decades.

"First of all, this was Chi Cheng’s final work before his accident in 2008. For us, it’s 'unreleased hype,' but for Chino [Moreno], Steph [Carpenter], Abe [Cunningham] and Frank [Delgado], these files are literally the ghost of their best friend. Reopening this stuff is probably incredibly painful for them. On top of that, the album isn't even finished. Chino said in interviews that while the instruments were mostly done, the vocals and lyrics were barely halfway there. What leaked is basically a bunch of rough drafts, demos and unfinished ideas. No artist wants their unfinished, raw work judged by the entire internet."

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Another fan noted, "Wrong or not, we have had way worse reasons to dump excitement for a leak or release before. Having said that it is obviously in an unfinished state just as Chino said. It is however far 'further along' than I guessed. The band will be mad at the link, not the fans absorbing it."

One fan commented, "I agree with you it feels wrong and I hate that this was out of the bands control. Now that it’s out there though - I wonder if they will reconsider finishing, editing and mixing it for an official release over just letting this version circulate online forever."

Yet another summed it up stating, "Do I feel guilty for listening to my favorite artist’s unfinished work? - Yes. Do I feel like I checked off one more thing on my bucket list today and can die a little more at peace than I did yesterday? - Absolutely. Having been a fan since Adrenaline, has Eros filled a huge musical void that I somehow felt was missing to understand Deftones’ evolution? - Of course it has."

What 'Eros' Tracks Were Part of the Supposed Leak?

In total, there were 11 songs that were issued that were attributed to the Eros album. They include: "Destiny," "Brenda," "Melanie," "Smile," "Margot," "Candy," "Sable," "Electra," "Trempest," "Diamond" and "Briana."

How Did Fans Respond to What They Heard?

Within some of the Reddit discussion of the leak, one fan noted, "At the end of the day, my overall impression is positive and this album, regardless of how unfinished it may be, isn’t something to just listen to, but rather to feel and integrate into your life however you prefer; for me, it’s closure."

"I'm not sorry for the tears that almost rolled down my face from hearing 'Brenda' for the first time. Stunning," remarked one fan who checked out the leaked material.

"I understand the personal reasons they decided not to release it but having listened to it all the way through, I think it’s an incredible album. I can’t believe after all this time, it’s no longer a myth," added another fan.

In a separate Reddit discussion, another fan stated of what they heard, "I’ve given this two listens now and I have to say, if the mixing/production was a little more finished/polished, this would’ve been an interesting add to their discography. I think 'Destiny' is a beautiful song. Some cool bangers in there like 'Candy' and 'Sable' too."

Another listener commented, "I think on the whole it's great but also frustratingly reserved and it never really takes off other than in a few tracks like 'Melanie' and 'Electra.' But I am much bigger fan of heavier Deftones overall. I wanted this to be more unhinged and full of rage and it's just not that - it's the smoldering remains of rage."

Why Was Eros Initially Shelved?

Deftones had been working on Eros as their follow-up to 2006's Saturday Night Wrist. But in November 2008, the band's bassist Chi Cheng was involved in serious car accident in Santa Clara, California. The injuries sustained in the accident left him in a minimally unconscious state and he was eventually moved to a facility to help treat the brain injury.

In early 2009, the band welcomed Quicksand's Sergio Vega into the studio to join them on bass and the decision was made to scrap the material they had been working on for Eros and start fresh. The decision to start anew eventually yielded their Diamond Eyes album that was viewed as a career resurgence.

What Has Been Said By Deftones About Eros in Recent Years?

Just last August (2025), Moreno addressed the status of the Eros album. While speaking with The Guardian, he commented,  "It will most likely never see the light of day. That would involve going back to that period and resurrecting unfinished things and somehow bringing them to completion. 'Dallas' is the only song that was anywhere near finished."

He also further elaborated on how the band had worked on music during the pandemic, but ultimately decided that when it came time to make last year's Private Music album, none of the band members wanted to revisit that period and rather chose to work on what was inspiring them in the present.

Using that as an example, he added, "So going back to try to capture what was happening back during Eros and finishing those ideas doesn’t really make sense."

In 2013, Cheng eventually passed. On the one year anniversary of his death, the band released the song "Smile" from their shelved Eros album, but the track was swiftly removed from streaming services by their label. Five years later, the band gave "Smile" its live debut during their 2019 Dia De Los Deftones curated festival in San Diego. But outside of that, no other material from the album had been made public until the leak this week.

Deftones in 2026

After receiving some of the best response of their career for 2025's Private Music album last year, the band has largely been quiet in 2026. They will return to the road in mid-August, kicking off a European trek in Wien, Austria on Aug. 16.

At present, the European tour leg and the band's fall appearance at Sick New World Texas are their only scheduled shows for 2026. Ticketing and tour dates can be found via their website.

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