ILL NIÑO has released a video for the new track "All Or Nothing", featuring a guest appearance by P.O.D. vocalist Sonny Sandoval, from the group's forthcoming album, "IllMortals". "Like P.O.D., ILL NIÑO have always incorporated their culture, roots and heritage into their music and sound, which have set them apart in this metal scene for over two decades," Sandoval says. "It was my honor and privilege to have contributed to this record. After knowing them for 20 years now, I don't know why we didn't do this sooner." Adds ILL NIÑO vocalist Marcos Leal: "'All Or Nothing' was written as a challenge to myself. I knew the moment I joined ILL NIÑO I would face negativity, scrutiny and possibly ridicule. It caused me to question myself, and even question if I was good enough to embrace this opportunity. I challenged myself as I'm challenging all of you, what would you do if the opportunity of a lifetime was within your grasp? I chose to go 'all or nothing.' I wanna thank one of my heroes, Sonny Sandoval of P.O.D. for lending his freshness to this track and being a constant inspiration." The "All Or Nothing" single will be available via digital music providers on May 14. Last December, ILL NIÑO debuted a new track, "Máscara", featuring a guest performance from AJ Channer of FIRE FROM THE GODS. "IllMortals" is slated for release this fall via Break Silence Music (BSM), which is distributed through ONE-RPM. Last December, ILL NIÑO released the official music video for its previous single, "Máscara". ILL NIÑO's current lineup features founding member Dave Chavarri and longtime bassist Laz Pina alongside recent recruits, Leal (SHATTERED SUN), lead guitarist Jes DeHoyos (SONS OF TEXAS) and rhythm guitarist Sal Dominguez (UPON A BURNING BODY). "IllMortals" will feature additional guest appearances by Benji Webbe (SKINDRED) and Max Georgiev (FALLING IN REVERSE). ILL NIÑO's new LP will mark the band's first release since the departure of vocalist Cristian Machado, lead guitarist Ahrue "Luster" Ilustre and rhythm guitarist Diego Verduzco. Machado, Ilustre and Verduzco, along with Chavarri and Pina, announced in March 2020 that they had "reached a mutual, amicable and binding agreement" that will allow Chavarri and Pina to continue with ILL NIÑO while Machado, Verduzco and Ilustre will move on with new projects. According to a joint statement release by the five musicians, "No party has admitted fault and there has been no court judgment on the merits. The parties entered into a confidential settlement agreement." During a November 2020 Facebook Live chat with The New York Hardcore Chronicles, Chavarri stated about ILL NIÑO's recent lineup changes: "When all this went down, Laz and I had taken the high road and been classy about it and not really spoken out. We think it's weak to go out there and badmouth somebody and spread half-truths and play the victim and try to get attention. That's not what we wanna do. We wanna keep it positive. The band is doing better than ever." Regarding ILL NIÑO's new members, Dave said: "We were very fortunate to get the best guys in the band. We've got Marcos Leal, who also sings for a band called SHATTERED SUN. A great kid, man. Fucking hungry as fuck to get shit done. But very, very on top of his game. He's a fucking star from beginning to end. But the best part of it all is that he's such an easy guy to work with. He's so into the music, and he's so passionate about the business, and that's half the fucking battle. When you lose your passion… I can't work with people that aren't passionate about what they do anymore, and that was one of the biggest reasons for the lineup change. We've got Jes DeHoyos on lead guitar, who also plays in another band called SONS OF TEXAS, and Sal Dominguez, who used to be in UPON A BURNING BODY. We had the pleasure of hanging out with him on Mayhem festival when we toured with those guys, and it was fucking hilarious. We had a lot of fun with those guys. We love UPON A BURNING BODY — a great fucking band. And we revamped the lineup, man. This is the new lineup." He continued: "The one thing about this lineup is that we're here to elevate each other. We're not here to put each other down or point fingers. This band elevates each other. Every single member in this band is so important to the puzzle right now, because we all feed off each other. We all speak on a daily basis. I talk to every bandmember practically every single day, and that's something that was missing — the disconnection that I had with the last lineup. It was a disconnection that actually started about seven years ago, and it just got progressively worse. "Listen, sometimes you have to go through shit like that to be able to step into a positive light and into a better situation," Chavarri added. "And that's the way life is, right? It throws you some fucking fucked up shit along the way so you can come out and blast it off with what you've got going on now." Machado recently confirmed that he is working with Ilustre and Verduzco on a new project. The as-yet-unnamed group has already completed an album's worth of material for a tentative late 2021 release. Photo credit: Tom Barbee
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