‘I feel guilty’: Deftones fans torn after 2008 Eros album leaked online

Deftones fans are having a proper moral dilemma after material believed to be the band's scrapped 2008 album Eros leaked online this week.

While plenty of fans have spent nearly two decades wondering what ‘Eros’ sounded like, the leak has sparked a surprisingly heated debate about whether they should even be listening to it in the first place.

One Reddit thread discussing the leak has racked up nearly 400 comments, with fans split between curiosity and guilt.

“I know everyone is hyped and curious to finally hear it, but honestly, the more I think about it, the more it feels wrong,” the original poster wrote. “There’s a huge reason why the band kept this locked away in a vault for nearly two decades.”

They detailed how “it isn’t finished” and how nobody wants their “unfinished, raw work judged by the entire internet”. 

Still, plenty admitted they couldn't resist.

“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.”

Another fan summed up what a lot of people seem to be feeling: “The selfish fan in me is enjoying the hell out of it, but this entire happening feels very disrespectful to the band.”

The leaked files, which have reportedly since been taken down, included material attributed to the ‘Eros’ album recorded in 2008, alongside unreleased demos from Deftones’ 2020 album ‘Ohms’.

While some are questioning the authenticity of the files, 11 tracks reportedly connected to the long-abandoned record were identified.

The album was originally being worked on as the follow-up to 2006’s ‘Saturday Night Wrist’, but after replacing bassist Chi Cheng following his serious car accident in 2008, the band shelved the project. 

They started again from scratch, leading to 2010’s ‘Diamond Eyes’. 

And if anyone's still hoping for an official release, frontman Chino Moreno recently poured a bit of cold water on that idea.

"It will most likely never see the light of day," Moreno said. "That would involve going back to that period and resurrecting unfinished things and somehow bringing them to completion."

Which leaves Deftones fans exactly where they are now: grateful they've finally heard Eros, and feeling a little bit weird about it.