One Nation Underground

by

ill niño

Edit

First off... Soulfly is not death metal. Nor do they come close. Secondly, Every metal band in the world states that their next album is gonna be heavy. Why wouldn't it be? It IS a metal album. The thing about this album is not to look at how heavy it is, or how much he screams and growls on this album. The fact of the matter is, that Ill Nino didn't have anyone breathing down their necks anymore about what kind of album to make, like they did on Revolution/Revolucion, and especially confessions. They said it themselves that those weren't the albums they intended to make. Even going as far as to say that this is the first REAL iLL Nino album.

This album is a masterpiece of Latin Metal. The fact that no two songs sound alike is a great testament to that as well. The song writing and approach taken on this album is very unique and for the first time ever, Christian Machado, the lead singer, breaks away from his own personal pain to write about... OUR pain in the world. It's so much harder to write about what is going on in the lives of other people and how the world is feeling, than just reaching inside and pulling out your thoughts.

The guitar work on this album is above average. Yet, the ingenuity of it is superb. When these guitarists really get down to it, they know how get the sound they want. Although Marc Rizzo isn't part of this band anymore, the new guitarist is doing a great job of making us forget all about him. On tracks like "De La Vida" it's clearly obvious they aren't going to follow the paths of other bands. While the metal scene is moving back towards older riffs and structures, (Trivium, SHadows Fall, Arch Enemy) Bands like iLL Nino and Mudvayne are carving their own path through the metal cookie cutter bands.

One of the standout tracks on this album has to be "La Liberacion Of Our Awakening". It is such a superb way to show the fans that iLL Nino isn't soulfly and that they are definitely not "hXc". This song has a beautifully designed chorus really showing off the synergy of this band. Everything flows together, so seamlessly and your left wanting more when the song is done. Which is kind of a problem because the follow up track "All That I Ask For" is the weakest one on the album. Not to say that its a terrible song, but it clearly seems written for radio. And in the catchy-poppy way.

The most beautiful part about this album is that 80% of these songs can be translated into live show flawlessly. Turns To Gray and This is War are obviously going to be crowd pleasers. Yet, you have tracks like "In this Moment" and "Corazon of Mine" that will probably getter a stronger reaction just because of the structure of the song and the soaring choruses. And really... when you think about what you have left, you get two of the best songs on the album. "My Resurrection" and "Violent Saint". Which shows you equally, how to start an album and how to end it.

Overall, I can say that this is their best work to date. It's hard to stop listening, especially when you catch so much new stuff each time you listen. The change from spanish to english and vice versa is great. Spanish is such a beautiful language when sung or spoken. it just rolls off the tongue and vibrates in the air... The drumming is very creative and the latin rhythms never stop which is a good thing. Ill Nino has made the quintessential Latin Metal masterpiece, clearly staking its claim in the metal world and on music in general.

It's hard to know what to make of Ill Nino's third full-length effort, "One Nation Undergound." At times, it's heavier than either of it's predecessors, and at times, it's just downright cheesy. I guess Ill Nino have never been the most original band to begin with, so what did I expect? Well, they seemed to be on a roll with 2003's "Confession," so I guess something a little more bold and unique was to be expected as the follow-up. After, the third album is supposed to be "the one," right? Maybe if "One Nation Underground" was the band's debut, I'd be a little more impressed...

What "One Nation Underground" sounds like to me is jumping the shark. Yet another nu-metal band trying to dodge the trend and fit in with the metalcore genre. Take "My Resurrection" or "Violent Saint" for example, both are blatant Killswitch Engage rip-offs. Sure, "This Is War" and "What You Deserve" are reminiscent of the band we know, but they are the singles and leave little left to be discovered. "In This Moment" and "Everything Beautiful" are the better of the batch, but neglect to deliver anything new. The best way to describe this album is one-half rehash, and one-half rip-off. For some reason, I expected better. But this album has left me with a sour taste in my mouth. It's not terrible, as there are moments worth hearing, but they truly dropped the ball. You'd be better to listen to their first two albums, or better, any of the various bands that influenced these guys.