ILL NIÑO's CRISTIAN MACHADO Says 'Till Death, La Familia' Album 'Will Absolutely Surprise A Lot Of People'

ILL NIÑO will release its new album, "Till Death, La Familia", on July 22 via Victory Records. The band's lead singer, Cristian Machado, tells Arena.com about the upcoming CD: "The new album will absolutely surprise a lot of people." He continues: "I don't think we're the kind of band that releases the same album over and over. We always attempt to challenge ourselves musically in order to grow as artists and friends.

"The new album will have its surprises and all I will say is that it is very catchy and very groove-oriented. The lyrics, I feel, are by far the best lyrics I've ever written, and I really do give the guys in the band so much credit for writing such amazing songs for this new album."

Speaking about the difficulties of getting anything done while the members of ILL NIÑO are spread out in different parts of the country, Machado says: "Logistics are pure hell to work out. Every rehearsal, every album, every tour — flights have to be booked, cars have to be rented. It certainly is not cheap to keep this band active. Many times I wonder what it would be like if we all still lived in the same city. Luckily, at the moment three of us are in Southern California, another in Denver, another in New York, another in Dallas.

"I remember the days when it was as easy as calling everyone up and driving 15 minutes to rehearsal. This is no longer the case, but we keep going. Sometimes we may feel defeated, but that's when we thrive to become unstoppable.

Asked how some of the personal life changes have affected the band, with members having children, Cristian says: "I would say it definitely changes the perspective. We can no longer simply be on the road for the hell of it. All of us have family, some of us have children, so it is not easy doing what we do at the level we are at.

"There was a time in the music industry when money was abundant and the possibilities were endless. But those early days are slowly coming to a close. I do, however, feel very lucky and am very grateful to still have a career and most importantly to have so many loving fans. I can surely say without them, we wouldn't be here, still going strong."

ILL NIÑO's last album, "Epidemia", was released on October 22, 2012 via Victory Records.