M-16

Artist Information

Biography

M-16 is a Latin Hardcore band that has been redefining heavy music since its inception.
In the late 90's three friends and musicians emigrated from the Dominican Republic to New York in search of a wider audience for their brand of metal.

Daniel Estrella (Bass/Vocals), Omar Rodríguez (Guitar) and Cristian Peña (Drums) hook up with the forward-thinking Mother West Records in Manhattan, and release a crushing 7 song EP. In it, they demonstrate what metal sounds like when issued from the darkest recess of the soul.

After a couple of years Cristian took leave from the band to return home. Ray Reed, formerly of the New York metal/hardcore outfit Lockdown, stepped in to pound the skins.

In 2001 the band release a video for their track “La Sangre Que Corre En Mis Venas” shot by veteran director David Capurso. The full-length album “Canciones Escritas En El Exilio” soon followed, along with many outings to support the release including tours in Puerto Rico (with VICTIMAS DEL DR CEREBRO), Santo Domingo, and in Houston and Dallas opening for LOS ANGELES DEL INFIERNO.

The song "¿Por Qué No Morir?" was featured in the 2003 film
"Particles of Truth"
http://www.particlesoftruth.com/music.html

"La Sangre Que Corre En Mis Venas" was featured on the Asi Suena Emergente 2 de 6, 2005 compilation.

"Raza" was featured in the Boom Magazine promotional CD compilation for the issue of February/March 2006.

"¿Por Qué No Morir?" was featured in the 2006 film "You Tell Me"
http://www.leaveblank.com/ytm/soundtrack.html

In 2004 Ray Reed leaves the band and Jeff Ortiz steps in to abuse the skins.

On August 13th, M-16 performed at the 2006 “LOCOBAZOOKA” music festival at the Tweeter Center for the Performing Arts in Mansfield, MA
ALICE IN CHAINS headlined.

In 2007 the band was invited to perform at the DC Latin Rock Fest, The NYC Horror Film Festival, at a fundraiser for the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, on FEARLESS MUSIC TV, and to Los Angeles where they performed at the PICO RIVERA SPORTS ARENA for ARKA FEST 2007.

In 2008 the songs "Puño al Aire" and "Feeding the War Machine" appear in the indie horror film "Devil's Grove"
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1051704/

Scathing, pulsing, louder than hell, M-16's music is at times bombastic and scalding yet poetic in style and nature. Unapologetic lyrics sung entirely in Spanish, scream and whisper tales of mortal disillusion, political terror, and the chaos of modern times. A band that firmly believes in substance over style, M-16 is all the angst and frustration of real people channeled through guitars, drums and bass.

Currently the band is composed of original member Daniel Estrella, guitarist Marcos Medina and Jams Allen on drums. They are playing local shows and working on the next record.

Instrumentation

Daniel Estrella/Bass & Vocals
Marcos Medina/Guitars & Backing Vocals
James Allen/ Drums

Discography

Full-length album "Canciones Escritas En El Exilio" 2001 Mother West Records NYC

"¿Por Qué No Morir?" featured in the 2003 film
"Particles of Truth"
http://www.particlesoftruth.com/music.html

"La Sangre Que Corre En Mis Venas"
featured on the Asi Suena Emergente 2 de 6,
2005 compilation.

"Raza" featured in Boom Magazine promotional CD compilation for the issue of February/March 2006.

2006 M-16 EP

"¿Por Qué No Morir?" featured in the 2006 film
"You Tell Me"
http://www.leaveblank.com/ytm/soundtrack.html

Audio

• Garras
  Listen  
• Puño al Aire
  Listen  
• El Ojo de la Aguja
  Listen  
• Abismo
  Listen  

Lyrics

• Garras
• Puño al Aire
• El Ojo De La Aguja
• Abismo

Video

Photo Gallery

Press

• M-16 [+ Show ]
  

  By Max Stratton WOW! A good Metal band! You don't see that very often in today's times. Origin...By Max Stratton
  
  WOW! A good Metal band! You don't see that very often in today's times.
  
  Originally from the Dominican Republic and later of NYC, M-16 is a Latin Hardcore band that formed in the late 1990s. With members Daniel Estrella (Vocals/Bass/ Guitar) and Jeff Ortiz (Drums/Percussions) their sound can not be explained. Ok well maybe it could be if someone put their head
  against Daniel Estrella's amp or Jeff Ortiz' bass drum we could watch the
  remains of this former human as it goes into convulsions and as we witness it's body flap around like a dying fish all while an amazing amount of blood is spewing from this monsters head we would get a pretty decent dose of explanation. Of course I am not saying you'll turn into a monster when listening to M-16 it's just almost painfully hard not to get up and smash something.
  
  With a 7-song EP already released the band recorded a Full-length album in 2001 entitled "Canciones Escritas En El Exilio" on Mother West Records. They also made a video for a track called "La Sangre Que Corre En
  Mis Venas" that was filmed by director David Capurso. After their busy year in
  2001 they would go on to tour parts of the country in support of the album and with a brief line up change they are currently doing local shows and working on new material for their next album.
  
  This group MUST be on your list of bands to check out. There is a guarantee; You won't be disappointed. Arguably one of the top five metal bands around today.
  
  http://www.northeastintune.com/index.php?bd=reg&sb=land&article=050611

• M-16 [+ Show ]
  

  Originally from the Dominican Republic, now living in New York City, metal trio M-16 sing entirely i...Originally from the Dominican Republic, now living in New York City, metal trio M-16 sing entirely in Spanish and create music that sounds all fierce and scary, yet also has an underlying poetry not present in many bands of their ilk. Those who think they can't dig this music because they don't speak Spanish are missing the point entirely. Rage is universal, and any band capable of carrying their emotional message in their music will transcend any language barrier. The CD's opening cut, "Porque No Morir?" (Why Not Die?) is pretty straight forward hardcore in the style of Puya and Sepultura, with the darker melodicism that Fear Factory occasionally tap into, so they've got a built-in audience right there.
  
  Cristian Pena's drumming is tribal and propulsive, his style supported by the dense bass figures of Daniel Estrella. While guitarist Omar Rodriguez (who shares vocals with Estrella) relies on heavy complex riffs to carry some of these songs, M-16 know when to take the action down to a slow, intense groove and make their point through restraint rather than a full-on lambaste. In this way, "Dale Pueblo" is a departure from the other songs, with its progressive feel, punctuated with a few tight jams thrown in amid the juggernaut of creeping dread. On the political front, "Raza" is a direct indictment of the early European domination over the South American Natives.
  
  The last two tracks were recorded live at New York City's CBGB, and fully capture the raw sound of NYC hardcore. The lyrically minimal "Ripped" (no translation necessary) deals with a kind of general disillusionment, while "Lloviendo" (Crying) speaks poignantly of a lost love with the lyrics "Estoy cansada de pensar en ti (I'm tired of thinking about you)." Far from being a towering monstrosity of pain and misery, M-16 seek to gain strength by coming to terms with these obstacles through their music. In the meantime, they plan to rock you on your ass. Who can't relate to that?
  
  Mother West Records, 132 West 26th Street, New York, NY Mother West Records; http://www.motherwest.com
  
  Gail Worley
  
  http://www.ink19.com/issues/july2000/wetInk/musicM/m16.html

Setlist

Typical set time: 40 mins.

Songs from "Canciones Escritas En El Exilio":
1_Sentimientos Rotos
2_¿Por Qué No Morir?
3_La Sangre Que Corre En Mis Venas
4_Febrero
5_Raza
6_Strange Days

From the upcoming album:

7_Garras
8_Puño al Aire
9_Feeding the War Machine
10_Instinto
11_Maleficio
12_El Ojo de la Aguja
13_La Furia del Cielo
14_Profeta
15_Abismo
16_El Camino

Basic Requirements

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