Ill Niño
New Jersey nu-metal survivors who built their sound on Latin percussion and layered rhythm — groove-first, and heavier than the era's radio fare.
Ill Niño started out as El Niño, a New Jersey group formed in 1998 by drummer Dave Chavarri with vocalist Jorge Rosado, guitarist Daniel Gomez and bassist Christian Machado. After Gomez departed and a run of touring guitarists passed through, including Marc Rizzo, the band renamed itself Ill Niño in 1999, a Spanglish play on words meaning 'ill child'.
Machado moved from bass to lead vocals when Chavarri reassembled the group after a break, joined by guitarists Marc Rizzo and Jardel Paisante, bassist Lazaro Pina and percussionist Roger Vasquez. Exposure on New Jersey college radio station WSOU and festival slots supporting Kittie, Soulfly and Snapcase led to a deal with Roadrunner Records in 2000.
The band folded congas, timbales and other Latin percussion into downtuned nu-metal riffing, with Machado alternating between Spanish and English and between sung melody and shouted delivery. Debut album Revolution Revolución arrived in 2001 and sold more than 350,000 copies within two years.
Confession followed in 2003, entering the Billboard 200 at No. 37 on the strength of the single 'How Can I Live'. One Nation Underground came out in 2005, after which the band left Roadrunner, moved through Cement Shoes and Victory Records, and released albums including Enigma and Dead New World, the latter produced with Sevendust's Clint Lowery.
Ill Niño has continued through numerous lineup changes, with Marcos Leal taking over lead vocals after Machado's departure. Chavarri remains the band's sole original member across seven studio albums, two EPs and a compilation, with worldwide sales topping 1.3 million.
Festivals Ill Niño is playing
Ill Niño at a glance
What festivals is Ill Niño playing in 2026?
Ill Niño is booked at 1 festival: Aftershock 2026.
When does Ill Niño play at Aftershock?
Thursday, October 1, 2:45 – 3:15 PM at Faultline Stage.
What kind of music does Ill Niño play?
Ill Niño is tagged hard rock.
What festivals has Ill Niño played before?
Ill Niño has played Welcome to Rockville 2026.
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