Ill Nino's had a rather jagged career so far, with their debut Revolution/Revolucion taking center stage for a long while and proving Latin metal was more than just tribal beats. However, their follow-up entitled Confession started driving some of those fans away with its cleaned-up style, all the while missing the raw edge that made Ill Nino so unique. Now, with One Nation Underground, Ill Nino jumps back into the game for what, personally, an album that raises above the heights they've already reached and should please audiences of both albums.

Right from the beginning, you can tell that Ill Nino wants to put the point across that they are back to brutality with the lead-off track "This Is War". The rather fast-paced and scream-laden song starts off what I promise is a worthy trip, as it shows off two things right off the bat. The first is that Ahrue Luster, who joined the group during/after Confession, can actually do more than make a band go to crap (also see: Machine Head's Supercharger and Burning Red; Soulfly). Second, it proves that they still have what it takes to hold up against the latest insurgence of hardcore and metal in the mainstream. Moving onward, the album twists and turns between radio-friendly songs with that edge we love and some of the harder stuff they've written. Will I go so far as to say that it's harder than Revolution? God no, but it definitely stands on the same ropes, as heaviness and texture are never the same thing.

A lot of the texture comes thanks to a massive transfusion of Latin drum work. Chavarri shows off how much he can really do with the drums at any given point in time, while the Latin bongos and such you'd find in your local Tejano bands really helps enhance the energy of the music to new levels. The guitar work is also crunching, but there is a significant amount of acoustic Latin guitar that pops up here and there in little pieces, giving the song very mellow breakdowns rather than killing you with the razor's edge of distortion. Any guitarist will tell you that this is some crazy stuff! The bass that was laid down on the album is also rather snappy and deviates quite a bit from the bass seen on previous albums, as it seems there is a little more breathing room. Of course, Cristian's signature vocals lace each track with that feeling of true pain that (really) only him and Aaron Lewis seem capable of.

Take a song like "La Liberacion of Our Awakening", where the chorus switches off to a rather downbeat heavy set of driving riffs and outstanding percussion from a moody verse, giving you that feeling that your heart just dropped and splatted from the top of the Eiffel Tower. Meanwhile, "What You Deserve", my candidate for the second single off the album, gives Ill Nino the chance to mix it up a bit and pay some tribute to idols The Bad Brains in the process. It carries a more punk-paced orchestration, making it a standout track with no problem. "My Pretty Torture" should keep all the girls happy, and for me, it's definitely one of those songs where you just want to lay a girl out on your bed and go to town, as it definitely holds that Latin sensuality that people always seem to love. There is also this one note that Cristian hits in the song, man, what a note, so much is said in just that one "you".

As for my standard standout tracks, "My Resurrection" will definitely catch the eyes of anyone who loved Revolution. "La Liberacion of Our Awakening" seems to always get a lot of play time, but above all, the two that will remain in my head for days are "Turns To Gray" and "De La Vida", as they hold a fantastic progression and keep you interested to the end of the album. Overall, though, the only song I end up skipping is "Everything Beautiful", and it's mostly because of bad tracklisting placement. Had it been placed closer to, say, "My Pretty Torture", it probably would've held a better chance of fitting in place.

Recommended: Yes

Great Music to Play While: Listening