Chris Impellitteri has never been one to steer off course, so the contents of this disc should come as no surprise to fans, or to anyone for that matter.
Impellitteri is the Axel Rudi Pell of the shred metal world. Predictable but very talented, largely consistent and always enjoyable. Even better now that Rob Rock has rejoined for the last couple of albums. His voice and Chris’ manic riff-n-shred guitar playing go hand in and for me.
The only question is the songs – what kind of appeal will they have and what hold will they have over the listener.
The album starts with a flurry of screaming guitars, Rob Rock’s screaming voice and drummer Jon Dette hell bent on doing himself an injury; such is the tempo of the double kick drums.
In fact, his performance and the overall drum sound is a big plus on this album. James Pulli on bass ensures the speakers come within an inch of their life from the pounding they receive.
There’s 12 tracks here, but the album is still over faster than one of Chris’ solos. 40 minutes of music with only one song reaching the 4 minute mark, means there is no time for filler, no time for padding – just shredding, screaming and of course solos everywhere.
For me this is one of Impellitteri’s strongest albums. My favourite, the immense Answer To The Master will likely never be beaten, but this is solid for a veteran artist that continues to make new music.
The sound is immaculate and the songs, while similar in pace and tempo are memorable.
The particular standouts for me this time around is the opening Venom, the big groove of We Own The Night, the aggressive harmony backed Nightmare and the pounding intensity of Face The Enemy.
The rest – all good, if not similar, but that’s what we love about Chris.
No hesitation in recommending this to fans of Impellitteri and even casual fans if you are looking for some well-produced, hard hitting melodic metal.
