After announcing his departure from Deftones last month, bassist Sergio Vega has confirmed he has new projects in the works.

In an official press release (per Kerrang!) it was revealed that the current Quicksand collaborator is partnering up to launch a new writing/production project that involves working with multiple talented and acclaimed artists.

Vega will also be keeping in touch with his musical output and has a few other music-related projects in the works.

Last month, the bassist announced his departure from Deftones after 13 years – having replaced Chi Cheng in 2009 upon the latter’s serious automobile crash (resulting in his passing in 2013) – following disputes over his contract.

Vega announced his departure from the band in a video posted to his Instagram account. “Our respective management had a conversation to discuss a new contract, and they offered me the same deal.” Vega says in the video.

“At that point. It was clear there was no opportunity for growth for me… I call the guys immediately to see where the miscommunication was to resolve it. But there was no response.”

He continued: “A couple of days later, I received an email from their lawyer that their offer was withdrawn, and that they wished me the best. So I left the band early last year.

“I want you to know that I appreciate all the years we spent together… you created a new sense of passion for music that I will always cherish and carry with me. You truly changed my life.”

Vega’s last studio album with Deftones was their ninth release, ‘Ohms’, which dropped in September 2020.

In a five-star review, NME noted how Deftones were “as thrilling – and as emotional – as they have ever sounded”.

“The band [has] an attuned ear to the world. A platform to express rage they’ve never done before and to further solidify their status as the most interesting heavy metal band in the world.”

Vega’s former bandmate, Chino Moreno, along with Far multi-instrumentalist Shaun Lopez, recently spoke to NME about future plans for their own side project, ††† (Crosses).

The pair, who released a self-titled debut album in 2014, returned last December with a cover of ‘Goodbye Horses‘ by Q Lazzarus, and dropped two original songs, ‘Initiation’ and ‘Protection’, last month.

Asked if they had a new album’s worth of material ready to drop, Moreno replied: “I think there’s beyond a record in the can. It’s just about us now picking and choosing when and how to release it.

“The idea now is just to slowly put out ‘singles’ and little batches of songs over a long period of time, and then at some point to accumulate it into a full-length record.”