Deftones’ Classic Climbs To New Heights Decades After Its Release

Deftones’ Around the Fur hits the U.K. albums sales top 40 for the first time, as the 1997 classic also reaches a new high on the physical albums tally. Studio portrait of Deftones, Chino Moreno, Stephen Carpenter, Abe Cunningham, Frank Delgado, Chi Cheng, Vaartkapoen (VK), Brussels, Belgium, 22nd January 1998. (Photo by Gie Knaeps/Getty Images)

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Deftones are enjoying a career highlight this week in the United Kingdom, and it’s thanks to a set that first arrived nearly three decades ago. The band’s Around the Fur climbs to new heights in the nation, landing inside the top 40 for the first time on one chart and hitting a new personal best on another at the same time – just as the group prepares to deliver its latest full-length to an expectant audience.

Around the Fur Reaches the Top 40

Around the Fur rises from No. 41 to No. 40 on the Official Albums Sales chart this week. Its ascent helps bring it to the top 40 on that tally for the first time. Over on the Official Physical Albums ranking, the project improves from No. 35 to No. 34 — a new high for the set when it comes to the physical-only list.

A Long Journey to the Top 40

Around the Fur debuted on the Official Albums Sales chart in January 2023, more than 25 years after it was originally released. Since then, it has gradually built enough momentum to finally break into the top 40. Such a journey is rare, as most titles hit their peaks either as they arrive, or soon afterward. Doing so more than a quarter-century later is odd.

Still a Fixture on the Rock & Metal List

In addition to its new peaks, Around the Fur is still a mainstay on the Official Rock & Metal Albums chart. The set comes in at No. 9 this frame, down from No. 5. Throughout the more than 200 weeks it’s spent on the genre-specific tally, the Deftones project has climbed as high as No. 2, missing out on becoming a champion by one frustrating space.

A 1997 Classic With Lasting Appeal

Released in 1997, Deftones’ second studio album Around the Fur helped cement the group’s reputation as one of the most innovative and exciting new acts in alternative metal. This surge comes just as Deftones prepare to release the band’s next set, Private Music, in late August. The effort’s lead single “My Mind Is a Mountain” arrived in mid-July, and it appears to have turned attention back to the outfit’s catalog.