Cristian Machado (born July 23, 1974) is a Brazilian-American musician, who is the current vocalist of the American heavy metal musical ensemble

Lions at the Gate Lions at the Gate is an American heavy metal band consisting of former Ill Niño members Diego Verduzco (guitar), Cristian Machado (vocals), and Ahrue Luster (guitar), together with Stephen Brewer (bass), and Fern Lemus (drums). Since their f ...

, is the former vocalist for the

nu metal Nu metal (sometimes stylized as nü-metal, sometimes called aggro-metal) is a subgenre of that combines elements of heavy metal music with elements of other music genres such as hip hop, alternative rock, funk, industrial, and grunge. Nu met ...

band

Ill Niño Ill Niño (stylized as ill niño) is an American metal band formed in Union City, New Jersey, in 1998 by drummer and percussionist Dave Chavarri. They have released seven studio albums, two EPs and one compilation album, totaling in over 1.3 mi ...

as well as a featured vocalist in the

Roadrunner United ''Roadrunner United'' was a project organized by American heavy metal record label Roadrunner Records to celebrate its 25th anniversary. It culminated in an album released worldwide on October 11, 2005, entitled ''The All-Star Sessions''. Four ...

project."Another Roadrunner United DVD Clip Posted Online" Metal Underground Obtained March 9, 2012
/ref> He has also played in Headclamp and

La Familia ''La familia'', (English: ''The Family'') is a 1969 Mexican telenovela produced by Televisa and originally transmitted by Telesistema Mexicano. Cast *Virginia Gutiérrez *Jorge Lavat *Irma Lozano *Enrique Aguilar Enrique Aguilar Zermeño ( ...

, in addition to making numerous guest appearances on albums such as

Sepultura Sepultura (, "grave")Barcinski & Gomes 1999, page 17. is a Brazilian heavy metal band from Belo Horizonte. Formed in 1984 by brothers Max and Igor Cavalera,Barcinski & Gomes 1999, page 16. the band was a major force in the groove metal, thra ...

's ''

Nation A nation is a community of people formed on the basis of a combination of shared features such as language, history, ethnicity, culture and/or society. A nation is thus the collective identity of a group of people understood as defined by those ...

'',

Soulfly Soulfly is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1997, and later based out of Phoenix, Arizona. Soulfly is led by former Sepultura frontman Max Cavalera, who formed the band after he left the Brazilian group in 199 ...

's '' 3'' and

40 Below Summer 40 Below Summer is an American nu metal band from New Jersey. Forming in 1998, the band broke up seven years later in 2005. After two small reunions in 2006 and 2010, they permanently reformed in 2011. Their latest album, ''Transmission Infrare ...

's ''

The Mourning After ''The Mourning After'' is the third studio album by the American nu metal band 40 Below Summer. The album was released on October 28, 2003 via Razor & Tie Records. Two singles were released from the album in "Self Medicate" and "Taxi Cab Confess ...

''.

Early life

Cristian Emerson Machado was born in

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...

, the son of a musician, but soon moved to

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

with his mother. In 1986, they moved to

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

where he spent the rest of his teens. He only knew his father, Marcello Machado, halfway through his teenage years. His mother told him his stepfather was his father, and he found out only when his father called him and told him he was his real father. Machado told his father he did not want to see him. Today, however, he communicates with his father through e-mail and phone. Machado is divorced and has a daughter. The two live near his former wife in rural California.

Music

Most of Cristian Machado's music influence is from his childhood without a father and growing up realizing that. Even when touring he would meet people that he felt left an impact on his life and he would show in his music how that person helped or ruined his life. The songs "Unframed" and "How Can I Live" are both about his father. Cristian Machado used Dave Williams of

Drowning Pool Drowning Pool is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Dallas, Texas, in 1996. The band was named after the 1975 film ''The Drowning Pool (film), The Drowning Pool''. Since its formation, the band has consisted of guitarist C.J. Pierce, ...

's microphone and stand for several years after Williams' death. They were good friends and both bands created a bond and friendship while doing the

Jägermeister ( , ; stylized Jägermeiſter) is a German digestif made with 56 herbs and spices. Developed in 1934 by Wilhelm and Curt Mast, it has an alcohol by volume of 35% ( 61 degrees proof, or US 70 proof). The recipe has not changed since its creation ...

tour. After Williams' death during Ozzfest 2002, Drowning Pool and Dave's family gave Machado the mic and stand in respect. In a recent interview, Machado stated "No, I am not using Dave William's microphone stand anymore. I did use it for many years but I am now playing acoustic guitar. He was a beautiful soul and I will always honor him in my heart." Machado left Ill Niño in 2019. On May 11, 2020, he appeared on Doc Coyle's (

Bad Wolves Bad Wolves is an American Heavy metal music, heavy metal band formed in 2017. Initially finding fame from their first single, a cover of the Cranberries' 1994 hit "Zombie (The Cranberries song)#Bad Wolves cover, Zombie", the band proceeded to fi ...

, formerly of

God Forbid God Forbid is an American heavy metal band formed in East Brunswick, New Jersey in 1996. History Early career (1999-2004) Building up a following in the late 1990s by touring with bands such as GWAR, Nile, Cradle of Filth and Candiria, God Fo ...

) podcast, where he spoke about his new solo project which is under his name. In May 2021, Machado made his return to a band as the vocalist of

, joined on guitars by former Ill Niño bandmates Ahrue Luster and Diego Verduzco, as well as Stephen Brewer on bass and Fern Lemus on drums.

Discography

Solo

* ''Hollywood Y Sycamore'' (2020)

Lions At The Gate

* ''Not Even Human'' (2021, single)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Machado, Cristian 1974 births Living people 21st-century Brazilian male singers 21st-century Brazilian singers Brazilian heavy metal singers Ill Niño members Alternative metal musicians Nu metal singers Musicians from Rio de Janeiro (city) Alternative metal bass guitarists Male bass guitarists 21st-century bass guitarists