Having this amazing opportunity to come to the U.S.
What has really stood out to you about the evolution of the Latin metal genre?Įarly on when we formed a band we were definitely influenced by culture in general - being Latino Americans. Obviously as musicians we create music that we love and want to create, but at the end of the day we do it for the fans. You know, we just really really grateful. Do you think the songwriting will possibly still be in that vein? The last album’s message was centered on the people that have helped support you guys over the years. I’m super excited about that and I think it’s the best song on the album. We also just shot a video for “Blood is Thicker Than Water,” which is the second single off the album. I’m looking forward to a similar work flow as on that one. It’s interesting hopefully we can expand on the last album we put out, Til Death la Familia. Then we send our music we’ve written to each other. But we will probably start that discussion soon about when we should release music, which spurs writing. With everyone living on one bus in close quarters it’s not our recording environment. Not really, but we don’t often write on the road. So have you guys been doing any songwriting as of late? So it’s only natural to cross breed music and cultures, and to accept that. The whole hip-hop movement and culture, and the rock culture, has always been more predominant in America I think. So you feel like that acceptance is much more prevalent in the U.S. As far as American trends and music go, it seems like it is much more acceptable to bands that crossover slightly from hip-hop and rock. Hopefully we can make some new fans there. And it will be a completely new experience for us. There’s a lot of great bands playing it this year. From what I know, and a lot of bands tell me this, that it’s an insane experience to play it and witness it. Have you ever played the Gathering of the Juggalos? Then we’ll be going straight from Chicago to Europe and doing a bunch of the European festivals, playing with a lot of great metal bands. We’re also playing the Gathering of the Juggalos, which is notorious for its craziness. We’re actually going to do the European festivals after this U.S. Yeah you guys do a lot of festivals overseas right? We’re hoping our fans will come out and represent and get a little bit of Latin metal vibe going on across the country. It’s been a long time since we’ve toured in the U.S., and I’m super excited to be back in the country. We got to do some shows in the Caribbean and went over to Europe and did a Russian tour. We’ve been doing a little bit of everything to be honest. What has the band been doing since then besides touring? It’s almost been a year since the release the band’s last album, Til Death La Familia. I’m excited to see a lot of the Latino American metalheads come out to the show! There’s a huge scene out there and I’m hoping to see a good turnout. Since you come out to Phoenix pretty often, are you familiar with the strong Latino metal scene out here? Needless to say, he’s super pumped for Ill Niño’s show in town. He also claims that Sedona is one of his favorite places on earth. His fiancé lives out here, and he attests that over time he’s probably spent years and years in and around the Valley. The self-described “metal hippie” has strong roots in AZ, and it’s not just because of the relevance of the Latino metal scene. New Times talked with lead vocalist Cristian Machado to preview Ill Nino’s show at Club Red on Tuesday, June 23. They’re pioneers of Latin metal, and Machado focuses on bilingual lyrics and philosophical song themes, like growing up without a father and trying to find one’s place in society. The six-piece act has the ability to intertwine melody and thrash in a reliable yet refreshing way. to rock fans with their Spanish guitar riffs, Latin rhythms, and shredding vocals. Now, currently touring to promote their 2014 release Til Death La Familia, Ill Nino is finally returning to the U.S.
They’re notorious for playing festivals, from Ozzfest in Europe to Grass Pop in Belgium to Vive Latino in Mexico to Download in the UK. It was in 2003 that the American Latin metal band garnered the attention of the mainstream with their second album Confession. Over the course of seven studio albums and two EPs, the band has sold more than 1.4 millions units worldwide. Ill Niño is a fitting name for a heavy metal act that has been whipping through festivals and speakers non-stop since the year 2000.