Deftones’ eighth album is expected in September or October – and the work is “a little screwy” when compared to their previous material, says frontman Chino Moreno.

The band are still preparing the follow-up to 2012’s Koi No Yokan, after having wound up with more material than ever before ahead of studio sessions.

Moreno tells Rolling Stone: “It’s a little more of a heady record. We’ve gone into the songs and really dissected them.

“If something sounded a little straight we took a left turn. We tried something completely opposite – not to sabotage it, but to challenge ourselves and try new things.

“It definitely feels like we’ve taken a step from our last record. But it’s definitely a Deftones record – it has all the elements that make us who we are.”

Moreno has completed a second album with side-project Team Sleep, although he’s “sitting on” the release until he feels the time is right. And his other outfit, Crosses, remains on the back-burner for now.

“Recently my head’s been completely engulfed in the Deftones record, as it should be,” he says. “It doesn’t make sense to try and do three projects at one time.”