There’s nothing surprising about the title of Deftones’ frontman Chino Moreno’s new self-titled side project “Team Sleep” – it will put listeners to sleep.

Side projects have the distinction of either being near-identical copies of the original band or overly-artistic compilations that every so often hit the mainstream. Side projects such as Death Cab for Cutie and DNTL’s electro-pop group, The Postal Service, are examples of an experimental album overshadowing its forbears. “Team Sleep” however, does not break the same boundaries and instead drags on much longer than 15 tracks should.

The first half of the album sounds as if Moreno is whimsically crying to the ambient background music around him, using his poetic lyrics to drive the album forward. Often though, this drive creates an overlap with each track on the first half of the album, making it difficult to tell when one track ends and another begins. Separately, each of these tracks would be a welcome relief placed amid the adopted Deftones’ sound of heavy riffs and coarse vocals, but when taken in together, listeners will be overloaded with Moreno’s drone.

Fans of Deftones’ slower songs on its “White Pony” album will be able to draw parallels to “Team Sleep” and perhaps enjoy it more so than listeners waiting to hear a wall of noise engulf them.

The album’s first single, “Ever (Foreign Flag),” unfortunately sounds no different from any other of the album’s first seven tracks. Only when the album reaches the eighth track, “Tomb Of Liegia,” will listeners find something more experimental and worthwhile. Led by Mary Timony, known for her part in the noise-pop band Helium, “Liegia” tells the tale of a woman who kills a man and spends most of her life incarcerated. The song is a voice-driven piece with an eerie piano resonating in the background, which would set the scene for a dark, rainy night – or for Timony to steal the show from Moreno.

Timony’s second appearance, “King Diamond,” is one of the album’s best offerings, with a hip-hop style that offsets the overemphasized vocals on many of the tracks. Though not perfect, the track is a nice break from Moreno even though he also appears on the track.

Also featured on the album is Rob Crow, a quirky artist whose musical background is mainly comprised of compilation works. Crow takes the lead vocals from Moreno and Timony, delivering “Our Ride To The Rectory,” “Ever since WWI” and “11/11.” Of the three, “11/11” is Crow’s standout track, yet sadly it is buried as the album’s closer.

“Team Sleep” is not the Deftones – nor should it be – but for a band that has been on the music scene for as long as they have, this album will fall desperately short of many fans’ expectations.