MERENDINE ATOMICHE – Walk Across Fire

“My name is Luca, and I live on the second floor,” now has to be changed to, “my name is Luca, and his name is Luca, and that other guy’s name is Luca, and we all play in Merendine Atomiche.” OK, it doesn’t quite have the same panache as the original, but it’s true. Merendine Atomiche has three Lucas — Zandarin (vocals), Securo (rhythm guitar) and Cerardi (drums). This isn’t really the interesting thing about them, though. The interesting part is the band originally honed their chops as Italy’s number one Metallica cover band, but now are writing their own music. More on that later …

If you are expecting a Metallica sound-alike, you’ll be let down. In fact, when the CD, called Walk Across Fire, begins with a bluesy, almost country-ish acoustic guitar, you’ll wonder if they are going to play metal of any kind. And they sure as hell do. After the acoustic piece, the song “Blood for Glory,” begins, and if you can compare them to any band, it’d be Slayer. This is heavy duty, as Spinal Tap would say, and a fine introduction to their sound.

You can feel some Metallica riffing sometimes, like at the beginning of “Walk Across Fire.” After the guitars, it’s all about the rhythm section, a heavy pulsing intro, and then a speed metal frenzy explodes. The coolest part of the song is when Zandarin yells, “We are walking across the fire, the fire of death of storming ends … walk across the fire!” while he is accompanied only by thundering drums.

The third song, “Game Over,” begins with brilliant drumming again, and then Jeff Waters throws his guitar in the ring and takes over the solos. Looks like Merendine Atomiche is “in the know.” This is the closest to a Metallica song you’ll find on the CD, but the vocals are never even reminiscent of Hetfield. Which is a good thing, all things considered …

One song that you’ll find annoying is called, “The Cheat of the Cross.” Again, you’ll hear a Slayer tinge to the song, but once the chorus hits, the repetition of, “Devil kills God ‘cause God is Devil, Devil kills God ‘cause God is Devil,” is a little much. The lyrics could use a little work too, as the song ends with the offering, “God don’t cry ‘cause is the lord … The lord of hell!”

Probably the best song on the CD is “The Sprit of the Wolf.” Zandarin sings (instead of his usual shouting) parts of this song, it starts out slower, melodic yet still heavy, and you’ll start to realize how good their musicianship is across the board. The song really slows down in sections, highlighting their versatility, and again, you’ll hear some vocals that have been OK suddenly improve by leaps and bounds. Yeah, this is by far their best song.

Say what you want about Metallica’s new CD, but one thing is for sure: if you become a Metallica cover band, you are going to be a strong musician. You can’t play Metallica tunes and just “get by.” Merendine Atomiche have forged their own sound, shown some intense musicianship, and overall, have released a quality CD.