Seven Albums and Counting: Ill Nino Will Never Die
Ill Nino burst onto the scene back in 2001 with the
memorable Revolution Revolución, a Latin-infused
shatteringly heavy record that turned the nu-metal scene on its ear. Now, some
15 years and six more albums later, the band continues to thrive in today’s
metal scene thanks to their unique take on heavy music. The band released their
seventh record, Till Death, La Familia,
back in 2014, a record that plainly proves Ill Nino is as strong today as they
were in 2001. They are currently working on their eighth studio album, which is
expected to be released sometime later this year.
Frontman Cristian Machado provides us with an in-depth look
the band’s latest record and everything that went into it, the bands
relationship with Victory Records and how the dreadlocked frontman looks back
at the bands career. He also answers if he thinks we have seen the best of Ill
Nino yet.
Get eXposed Music: Tell me about the recording process of Till Death, La Familia. How did the process vary from recording sessions in the past given this is your seventh go around? I could imagine that no two studio sessions are ever the same but do you feel at this point in your career this is something you have down pat?
Cristian Machado:
We certainly did not use the same approach when recording Till Death, La
Familia. It's unfortunate that we all live spread out across the country so
that makes it complicated when trying to secure material & concept for an
album. We all did our recording separately in different states and in the
end it really glued together perfectly. This time I personally had the
great pleasure of working with Eddie Wohl who recorded all of my vocals
allowing me a comfort level that I had not experienced on our last two
releases. The last two releases were more of a self-production and furthermore
a self-recording as well. Although some of the guys in the band still followed
that pattern for this album, I was blessed with Eddie. Looking back now, it
allowed me time & intuition not previously present in the past.
Concerning
all the vocals & lyrics, I personally didn't want to force anything. The
guys in the band did a tremendous job writing really cool tracks and I simply
wanted to compliment the deep melodic content present in the instrumentals they
sent me. I simply wrote from the heart and most importantly from the gut. I
wanted to do things that I felt good about and stick with ideas that were more
intuitive rather than over-thought. I really didn't want to be anything more
than another instrument in the band. A lot of credit must be given to the guys in
my band as I feel I had the easy job of having fun writing cool vocals over
cool music. After so many years of working together it can become frustrating
trying to connect on the same level but, I can honestly say we found a way to
make it fun & powerful.
What were some of the
driving inspirations in writing this record? You’ve always been able to balance
passion and aggression in your songwriting. Is that a result of your writing
style or does it always seem to just happen that way?
I
believe it comes from the many, many different style inspirations we derive
from. We are a band that listens to all genres and we all appreciate different
artists. You can obviously tell we are all metal heads but underneath that lies
a love for rock music, Latin jazz, pop and world music. To be in a band is to
create a unified concept of many different patterns of musical thought. We
strive to always release albums that differ from our past material and without
being well-rounded music fans we wouldn't have that drive. On TDLF we dug pretty deep and the melodic
and lyrical content is very forward. Our message is of unity not negativity.
There may be times where a lyric reflects a violent thought only to be followed
by its opposite intention, the control of the ego. Inside we are all the same
and our souls dance through life in concert with each other, sometimes our ego
gets the best of us and suggests a reaction in which we can or cannot sink
into. A lot of the new album dives into that thought process and much of it is
dedicated to our fans and families for their undying belief and support in our
culture metal.
Do you consider Till
Death, La Familia as a return to form in a sense? Some, myself
included, are saying it’s your best record since Confession.
I
do feel TDLF is a lot more intuitive
and from the heart, at least for me personally. That's what I believe music is
supposed to be - an instinct. We've been a band for many years, almost a decade
and a half; sometimes it's tough to stay focused on the things that are truly
important: simplicity, life changing messages, intuitive creative decisions,
and complexity when it is called for. We are guilty of straying from our
instinctual side on past albums. In searching for content that is not
repetitive and similar to our other releases, it happens; we are only human
beings trying to find our way within our own creative minds. This album is
confirmation that we did not and should not over think but feel more when
writing music.
I’ve also read some refer
to Till Death, La Familia as something of a rebirth for Ill
Nino. What are your thoughts and reaction to that?
Sure.
A re-birth perhaps of creative intuition followed with positive messages.
On the whole, what are your
thoughts and views on reviews? It seems that today everyone with a free blog
considers themselves a music critic. Do you read everything that’s written
about you? How do you take/react to reviews, either negative or positive? I’ve
heard from some bands who don’t pay attention whatsoever and I’ve also encountered
some who take every printed word very personally.
We
don't dive into any of that to be honest. I sometimes find myself clicking a
link and maybe skimming the content but I've realized a long time ago that you
can't please everyone especially when you are playing heavy music. I do
appreciate and am very grateful for the self-proclaimed critics that "get
it" and even of those self-proclaimed critics that don't "get
it". If you dislike what we do, we obviously were not writing music for
you. If you connect with our music, thank you, it means the world to us.
You’ve been on Victory for
over 4 and half years now. How has the label helped sustain your career?
Obviously they’ve provided a sense of stability, but what have they meant to
you as a band?
Victory
Records helped us regain ground that we lost with our prior label - no need to
mention names. Victory believes in us and that in turn helps us believe in
ourselves. We never claimed to make perfect decisions all along but, the older
we get, the more accurate we have become in our decision making process. Early
in our career, Roadrunner Records did an amazing job of branding the band
internationally and establishing a place for us in the heavy music scene. I am
very thankful to all involved; they have allowed us an international career
that is irreplaceable as we continue to grow with Victory Records.
After now seven albums, how
do you look back on Ill Nino’s career? Do you ever take the time to reflect on
the places you’ve been and things you’ve done?
Personally,
I am not one to live in nostalgia. Do I reflect? Yes. More than likely to
accept what the lessons learned are and what blessings have been brought out
way. If anything, it's the great moments of meeting fans that are truly touched
by the music that finds a soft spot in my heart. Some guys in the band like to
recollect many past memories good and bad. Both ways of living reality may be
polar opposites of each other yet both provide ample knowledge into how we, as
a group of friends and musicians, should react to situations should they
present themselves again. We have had many amazing experiences and some crappy
ones as well and we accept both and continue on life's path.
Have we seen the best of
Ill Nino? You’ve sold over 1.5 million albums and toured around the world with
a who’s who of tour mates, so, what’s left to accomplish?
So
many goals left unattended but we cannot pretend to accomplish them all. All we
can do is make music that is profound and positively charged. I hope we continue
on our path and perhaps all our goals will meet our reality someday. We have
accomplished many and we are very grateful. Our fans have facilitated our
career and we owe them the world.
What’s next for the band?
What can we expect coming down the pipeline?
More
intuitive life-changing music, a lot of side projects, and insane stage
performances. Thank you to all who have believed in us!
Check
out more on Ill Nino at www.illnino.com.
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