Band:	Ill Niño
Album:	Enigma
Style:	Nu metal
Release date:	2008
A review by:	Jeff

01. Alibi Of Tyrants
02. Pieces Of the Sun
03. Finger Painting (With The Enemy)
04. March Against Me
05. Compulsion Of Virus And Fever
06. Formal Obsession
07. Hot Summer's Tragedy
08. Me Gusta La Soledad
09. 2012
10. Guerrilla Carnival
11. Estoy Perdido
12. Kellogg's, Bombs, & Cracker Jacks
13. De Sangre Hermosa

It's never easy to leave a monster label like Roadrunner Records and try to follow serenely its musical career. Ill Niño is now signed on Cement Shoes Records a label which clearly not have the influences of RR but Ill Niño still have a good fanbase and I'm sure that their fans will be happy to know that the new album of the American combo is out. As always the band plays some kind of Neo Metal with Latin influences but if this new release is not terrible I regret however that the album lacks a bit of energy?

"Enigma" begins with the really good "Alibi Of Tyrants", a song which is Neo Metal of course but with has a lot of energy and some really good arrangements with Latin music and percussions (the trade mark or Ill Niño). Though even if the second track, "Pieces Of the Sun" is a bit similar in term of quality, the other songs, and the album in general, quickly become weaker and a lot more pop and commercial. Well Ill Niño is not known to be the most original band on Earth (despite the really good idea of the Latin music influence) but I was expecting something a bit more engaged and above all anything else something with rage! Here Il Ninõ just plays some kind of really popy Neo Metal, it's not horrible and there are catchy good tunes but they should do something better?

"Enigma" is not bad album though and the fans of the combo will be happy with it in my opionion. The Latin influences are stronger this time and I really like when Cristian Machado sings in Spanish. Of course the recording is perfect, it's an American production after all, but finally the more I listen to the album, the most I think that it's more some kind of angry Pop than Metal... Is it the Neo Metal syndrome? Maybe? but it's weird because I really have nothing against such musical genre and I enjoy a lot to listen to some of the bands labelled in this category but I didn't feel anything special with "Enigma". I just think, really, that Ill Niño should try to be a bit more darker, it should be really better?

"Enigma" will not disappoint the fans of the Ill Niño but it's a bit sad that the band didn't manage to write songs which could be interested too for the open-minded Metalheads. They have a lot of good ideas, they have all the good cards in their hand, they just should try to be a bit less Pop and it should work. Who know maybe that one day, Ill Niño will find the way to cross this border and this day I'm sure that a lot of new Metalheads will take them into consideration.