Gli Atroci
Gli Atroci

When you're feeling in a bad mood, things aren't going well for you, you're tired, work is stressing you out, your girlfriend (or boyfriend) is getting on your nerves, and your mom calls you 15 times a day, do one thing: disconnect everything, turn off your phone, sit back, and put on a nice CD by Gli Atroci!

The album I'm trying to review today is one of a kind: undoubtedly there are many other bands in the genre that can make you laugh (or smile) a lot, but they have managed to carve out their own style, handling their instruments excellently. Undeniably, it's unusual for a genre like HM, with traditionally serious, anguished, introspective, angry, violent, dreamlike, or simply... tacky themes (pardon me if I oversimplify), to have this sarcastic or crazy dimension. Well, you have to take it all with a lot of lightheartedness... to truly appreciate this band, you need to know the genre and simultaneously escape the terrifying rhetoric of "false metal". In other words, be ready to be mocked without mercy by these 7 crazies. In fact, what Gli Atroci cheerfully make fun of are precisely the poses, the "real (fake) metalhead" attitudes typical of some well-known characters and bands. Try going to the website, and you'll understand who I'm talking about...
I doubt that hearing them mimic Gianluca Perotti of Extrema ("Arrivano gli untori"), or the power-ballad feel of "I tuoi amici atroci" will have an effect on those who don't know the genre; similarly, the rowdy and hilarious "I guerrieri del metallo" will only make those who know "Louder Than Hell" and "Sign Of The Hammer" by Manowar by heart die laughing. Not to mention the monolithic riff of "Alvaro il metallaro" (!), although I find the piece itself a bit lackluster. Clearly, we're not looking at an album like GemBoy's, where every excuse is good to spout nonsense: here there are solid songs, like "Curati la gotta", worthy of the best thrash bands. It's not just about telling musical jokes: here they play as they should.
However, the use of electronic effects didn't thrill me (otherwise, I would have given it a 4), as I noticed some overuse of them: but the album is well produced and played even better, which is unusual for an ITALIAN group playing METAL.
And for me, with the exception of very few (who have as much to do with them as parmesan for breakfast), ITALIAN METAL remains a good contradiction in terms... and our dear guys make this their strong point: the lyrics ARE IN Italian, an unusual language that doesn't quite fit the genre, and will make the aforementioned "true metal" enthusiasts shiver just at the thought.
One of the gems of the album remains "La mamma è importante", truly amusing: perhaps here our heroes remind a lot of GemBoy (the singer's irritating (but effective) Romagnolo accent is evidence: how about a diction course :P ?). Additionally, I highlight "Il muro", deliberately (?) copied from Jump by Van Halen, and the peculiar "Le malattie". Overall, a pleasant and well-played album (remember it's a comedic album), but sprinkled with flaws, poorly chosen exaggerations, and definitely avoidable ideas...

There, have you heard it? Good, now you can play "British steel" again!!!

We are the metal warriors
death to the false turners