Deftones - 7 Words ｜ Warner Vault

What this video is

Released in September 1995 on Maverick Records as the lead promotional single from Deftones' debut album Adrenaline, '7 Words' arrived at a pivotal moment when nu metal and rap-metal were emerging from the American underground. The video's Sacramento origins ground it in a regional skate-punk and hardcore-influenced scene that would prove formative for the genre. Thematically, the song—written by frontman Chino…

Why it matters

One of the earliest visual artifacts of the nu metal movement, this video documents Deftones before their genre-defining evolution. Its $12,000 DIY-origin production and Sacramento street-level aesthetic stand in stark contrast to the glossy major-label metal videos of the era, cementing an…

The director

Chris Burns directed the 1995 music video for Deftones' '7 Words', filmed on location in Sacramento. The video was produced on an ultra-low budget of $12,000, originally conceived as an electronic press kit for the band's debut album Adrenaline on Maverick…