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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Out Of The Ordinary, October 2, 2005
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.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
"Society is a loaded weapon", September 7, 2006
I am becoming a huge Ill Nino fan! I haven't been this excited about a band in over a decade! One Nation Underground received some early lukewarm reviews. The most common complaint was that it is not as hard as their previous albums. On first listening, I felt it was not quite as good as Revolution/Revolucion but an improvement from Confession. After repeated listens, I am liking this album more and more and put it right up with Revolution and maybe even slightly above! It is not as intense and powerful as Revolution so I can understand why some fans who hoped they would produce a heavier Sepultera/Korn style metal album may have been disappointed. That heavier side of Ill Nino is here, but not as much as on Revolution.
This band has so many styles working for it which is the reason they are my favorite modern band. The more accessible power metal style is what drew me to them because so much new metal is dominated by death metal with screeching or bellowing vocals. The excellent, sing-along-to vocals here along with the addictive hooks is what makes this band top-notch in my opinion, and that side of Ill Nino is most prevalent on One Nation Underground. The shorter tracks also make this album more accessible.
The booklet includes photos of the band, lyrics (including the English translation of the Spanish parts which is a big plus), credits and thank you's. As the album title/cover suggests, there are political themes here, but I don't think it dominates the album. The last tracks, brings responsibility away from society and back to the individual: "I am the only thing that destroys me/I hold my own convictions/Yo me rompo (I will break)."
"This Is War" (3:45): Korn-like beginning. Furious and angry. It reminds me of "If You Still Hate Me" off Revolution. It changes tempo and vocal style as Ill Nino is known for and has a Latin-style instrumental bridge.
"My Resurrection" (2:54): For fans who like the heavier Korn-like metal sound, this song is for them. It has screaming, vicious vocals straight-through.
"What You Deserved" (3:00): Now this track has that more accessible power metal sound that I prefer. It is very catchy. One of my favorites.
"Turns to Gray" (3:24): Thunderous vocals combined with a catchy, sing-along chorus and a heavy powerful ending.
"De La Vida" (4:05): This is a pounding track. There is a lot of depth to this one. An excellent blend of the accessible and the harsh with some Spanish lyrics. In other words, what Ill Nino is all about.
"La Liberacion of Our Awakening" (3:45): As the tile suggests, this is a very political song. The spoken word part includes lyrics like "corporations play a monopoly with society" and "Pharmaceutical companies provide you with all the answers to your problems only to fill the pockets of the politicians." Excellent chorus.
"All I Ask For" (3:40): One of the softer, more radio-friendly track on this album. Very catchy. I love this track! It's softer but still rocks! You may not bang your head, but it will definitely move in a nodding motion (Oh yeah!).
"Corazon of Mine" (3:30): Now the heavier side of Ill Nino. Still, not as much of the raw, harsh vocals, but still a blistering track. I love the chorus: "Stay forever/Walk behind me/When I say it's forever/Don't remind me how long."
"Everything Beautiful" (3:14): Intense at times but, as the title indicates, it is beautiful at others, particularly the chorus: "And I'm breaking away from everything beautiful..." Ah, the beauty of metal. There's nothing like it.
"In This Moment" (3:22): A lot of Latin flavor here.
"My Pleasant Torture"(4:29): OK, this track may be a bit soft for Ill Nino. There are some powerful parts but, "Did you ever ask the stars not to shine no more, fly no more?" is rather sappy. Like "With You" off Revolution, Ill Nino is not at their best doing sweet, sensitive songs.
"Barely Breathing" (1:05): Short, soft guitar instrumental. It hooks into the next track, which is incredible, I didn't even know this was a separate song until I checked the track listing.
"Violent Saint" (3:46): FURIOUS and BLISTERING! Incredibly powerful ending track. The tortured vocals screaming out "Why am I a victim to myself? When everything burns my torture lies within!" Awesome! Ill Nino rules!
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
You will never learn to stop lashing out, October 13, 2005
With so many bands coming back better than ever this year (Sevendust, Chimaira, etc.) it might seem a surprise to you for me to include Ill Nino in that statement. While I liked their first two albums, Revolution/Revolucion being the better of the two in my opinion, I never really credited them with being heavy or lyrically deep. But with One Nation Underground we are introduced to an entirely different side of Ill Nino. This side being the much darker, much heavier side. From the get-go it's obvious to any listener that the intensity is at an unpredictable high with Christian Machado screaming and roaring through 10 of the 13 tracks. Two of the tracks seem to be made for radio play while the third song is an instrumental opening to Violent Saint. The singing of Christian always bothered me a little. He doesn't have that great of a voice so to hear him only trying to sing in the past albums turned me off. But even in the radio ready songs where he does sing quite a bit, he seems to have been practicing because it's a lot better. The band is heavier than ever letting the spanish guitar and bongos fade out of the picture a little and bringing the riffs to the forefront, the way I feel it should be.
This Is War starts off the album with a bang, a perfect introduction to Christian's new vocal stylings. This song I think really just prepares you for what the rest of the CD will bring. My Resurrection is one of the album's true anthems. Lyrically this seems to be a high point and musically this is almost as good as you'll get on this CD. What You Deserve is the single as of now. I'm not particularly fond of this song because it features so much singing. That aside it is a good track. Brings back the style they used in Revolution/Revolucion and Confession. Turns To Gray is another strong point in the album, thanks, in part, to Jamey Jasta (Hatebreed). This song is intense in a different way. While not being the heaviest song, the vocals of Jamey and the singing of Christian just bring the intensity level up. La Liberacion Of Our Awakening is one of the best songs featured. This is a song that balances singing with screaming perfectly in my opinion. I also think this is where Christian really got to show how well he can sing. Everything Beautiful brings back some of the spanish elements that Ill Nino seem to cherish so much. In no way is this a heavy song, it is as the title states, beautiful. The lyrics are touching and the music is incredible while never really going all out. By the time you reach My Pleasant Torture you can tell the CD is about to wrap up. I've noticed that Ill Nino seem to save a few of the slow songs until the end of the disc. This slow song however, is as powerful a slow song as Ill Nino have ever released. My Pleasant... is also the lyrical peak of this album with a very touching chorus. Violent Saint seems to be one of the heaviest tracks offered. If you love Christian's scream then you'll love this song. He shows just how intense he can be in this track. Probably the best way you can end a CD of this type.
My favorite songs on this CD are My Resurrection, Turns To Grey, La Liberacion Of Our Awakening, Everything Beautiful, and Violent Saint. I should also mention that there are no songs like Te Amo...I Hate You or God Save us. While those tracks were good when they were released, they got old quick. 'I hate you' songs are far too common nowadays and it isn't something I really like anymore. So with Ill Nino losing those kinds of songs it's a definite plus. Overall this is a CD full of screams, heavy riffs, beautiful singing, and lucious melodies. You can't go wrong with this release.
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by Ill Niño 
