At one point Chris Impellitteri was considered one of the hottest guitar players in the country. He had the licks and the speed, and wrote melodic tunes. He was completely in sync with what was going on, but for some reason he didn’t become a superstar in America. He did manage a very strong following in Japan, and a cult artist status just about anywhere else. Impellitteri consistently made good records, and this 6 CD set combines majority of his albums.
Starting with Stand In Line, which is probably his most know album. It included Graham Bonnet on vocals, and the songs were great. It was very surprising that things didn’t happen statewide. Later the scene changed completely, but Impelitteri continued to write and release albums abroad. He was very active throughout the 90s, putting out albums every two years or so.
The Complete Beast is a great collection. It covers just about everything Impellitteri ever did. It definitely touches upon his golden period. Many of these records were a great listen back at the time when they came out. Here, they are available with all sorts of bonus tracks. The coolest aspect of this box is the inclusion of the first EP from 1987. It is a very rare EP, originally released as cassette, not sure if it ever reached the CD stage before.
Traditional heavy metal fans will find this music very impressive and attractive, especially the fans who are discovering this artist for the first time. Chris Impellitteri is a guitar wizard, but he’s written some very catchy songs over the years, and he definitely deserves your attention. He’s still very much an active performer who still releases albums, but not at the rate as documented here.
22 years of music is very representative of who Chris Impelliteri was, is, and always will be. It’s a beautifully packaged box with some hard rock treasures inside. If you own many of the originals, this box is great for the bonus material, but if you’re new to the world of Chris Impellitteri, by all means indulge yourself whole-heartily. You certainly won’t regret it either way. Also, It would be great to be finally able to see this man perform more throughout the U.S.
Mark Kadzielawa
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