As clubgoers stood in line outside the 9:30 Club on a chilly Monday night, a car slowed and eventually came to a stop. Down came the window and two girls yelled out, “Who’s playing tonight?” “The Deftones,” came a response. “What do they sound like?” “They’re heavy,” shot back a fan.

That’s about as good as you can get in describing the Deftones without getting too far into mixed genre terminology — they’re heavy. The Sacramento-based quintet came to prominence in 1994, rising alongside other nu metal acts like KoRn, Limp Bizkit, and Staind. But unlike their peers, some of whom have lost members to Jesus, succumbed to the annoying ego of their lead singer, or simply crapped out bland MTV singles on a yearly basis, the Deftones have always confounded critics and marveled audiences with a sound that alternates from heavy to atmospheric, as much Meshuggah as it is My Bloody Valentine. While guitarist Stephen Carpenter churns out heavy metallic riffs, singer Chino Moreno wails and croons in a voice more appropriate for The Cure. And though their music can sound disjointed and schizophrenic at times, it can also come together and create a musical experience like few others in the genre. (So intriguing is their music that The New Yorker recently reviewed their latest album, a first for both the magazine and the band).