Chris Impellitteri

Last updated

Chris Impellitteri
Chris IMPELLITTERI.jpg
Chris Impellitteri, 2016 Busan Rock Festival
Background information
Born (1964-09-25) September 25, 1964 (age 59)
Connecticut, U.S.
Genres Neo-classical metal, heavy metal, speed metal
Occupation(s)Guitarist
Years active1983–present
Labels Relativity Records, JVC

Chris Impellitteri (born September 25, 1964) is an American guitarist and songwriter, who is the lead guitarist and founder of the heavy metal band Impellitteri.

Contents

In 2003, Guitar One Magazine voted Chris Impellitteri the second-fastest guitar shredder of all time. [1] In 2008, Guitar World magazine named him as one of the fastest guitarists of all time. [2] In 2023, Impellitteri was inducted into the Heavy Metal Hall of Fame. [3]

Biography

On The Blairing Out Show, he said that both his parents committed suicide when he was nine years old, and that the guitar provided a path for him to express his anger and feelings. Impellitteri's first music release was a black EP titled Impellitteri. [4] It was filled with music featuring shredding guitar solos, screaming vocals, and a fast rhythm section. [5] The Impellitteri Black EP established the band's sound in the metal world and was well received by their fans, critics, and respected musicians. Chris Impellitteri was instantly branded a guitar hero after this recording was released. [6] The following IMPELLITTERI record was titled Stand in Line and propelled the band into stardom. The music video Stand in Line was played often on MTV and VH1. The Stand in Line album featured Lead vocalist Graham Bonnet who formerly sang with the legendary rock band Rainbow. IMPELLITTERI has recently released two new critically acclaimed records titled Venom and The Nature of the Beast. The band IMPELLITTERI currently features Rob Rock on vocals, James Pulli on Bass and Jon Dette on drums. The band has become very popular globally and has performed to over 30,000:people at a single show.

Equipment

Over the course of his career, Impelliterri has used a wide variety of different guitar brands and models, including Fender, Gibson, and Dean. He is currently endorsed by Charvel guitars with whom he has a custom model. In addition, he also used ENGL amplifiers and Seymour Duncan pickups. [7] Chris Impellitteri is currently using Charvel and Gibson guitars and Vintage Marshall and Mesa Boogie amplification.

Discography

Impellitteri performing in 2016 Chris Impellitteri (cropped).jpg
Impellitteri performing in 2016

with Impellitteri

See: Impellitteri Discography

with Animetal USA

Guest appearances

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jake E. Lee</span> American guitarist (born 1957)

Jake E. Lee is an American musician best known as lead guitarist for Ozzy Osbourne between 1982 and 1987 and later as a member of the heavy metal band Badlands with Ray Gillen. He formed the band Red Dragon Cartel in 2013, and their debut album released in January 2014 entered the Billboard Album Chart at number 69. He has also recorded solo works under his own name—examples being the instrumental album A Fine Pink Mist (1996) and cover album Retraced (2005).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Possessed (band)</span> American death metal band

Possessed is an American death metal band, originally formed in 1983. Noted for their fast style of playing and Jeff Becerra's growled vocals, they are often called the first band in the death metal genre, and paved the way for the 1980s Bay Area thrash metal scene, along with Metallica, Exodus, Testament and Death Angel. The band is also notable for featuring future Primus member Larry LaLonde, who was the guitarist for Possessed from 1984 to 1987.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sodom (band)</span> German thrash metal band

Sodom is a German thrash metal band from Gelsenkirchen, formed in 1981. They have gone through many lineup changes, leaving bassist/vocalist Tom Angelripper as the only constant member. The band is currently composed of Angelripper, guitarists Frank "Blackfire" Gosdzik and Yorck Segatz, and drummer Toni Merkel. Along with Kreator, Destruction and Tankard, Sodom has been referred to as one of the "Big Four" of Teutonic thrash metal. Sodom heavily influenced the German black metal scene. In addition, the band is regarded as a pioneer of early death metal. Mike McPadden wrote that the most Venom-blackened of German "Three Kings", Sodom further merged thrash and death metal into a wicked and decadent sound.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alexi Laiho</span> Finnish guitarist, composer, and vocalist (1979–2020)

Alexi Laiho was a Finnish guitarist, composer, and vocalist. He was best known as the lead guitarist, lead vocalist and founding member of the melodic death metal band Children of Bodom, and was also the guitarist for Sinergy, the Local Band, Kylähullut, and Bodom After Midnight, which formed just prior to his death. Laiho had previously played with Thy Serpent and Impaled Nazarene on occasion, as well as Warmen and Hypocrisy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Angelo Batio</span> American heavy metal guitarist and columnist

Michael Angelo Batio, also known as Michael Angelo, Mike Batio or MAB, is an American heavy metal guitarist and columnist. He was the lead guitarist for the glam metal band Nitro in the late 1980s and early 1990s. He is currently serving as the touring guitarist for the band Manowar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Sykes</span> British guitarist

John James Sykes is an English guitarist, best known as a member of Whitesnake, Thin Lizzy and Tygers of Pan Tang. He has also fronted the hard rock group Blue Murder and released several solo albums.

Alcatrazz is a heavy metal band formed in 1983 by Graham Bonnet, Jimmy Waldo, and Gary Shea. They are best known for their songs "Island in the Sun", "Hiroshima Mon Amour", and "God Blessed Video". They are also notable for featuring a previously-unknown Yngwie Malmsteen as their lead guitarist for a year, who was then replaced by Steve Vai, with whom they recorded one album.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Graham Bonnet</span> English singer

Graham Bonnet is an English rock singer. He has recorded and performed as a solo artist and as a member of several hard rock and heavy metal bands including Rainbow, Michael Schenker Group, Alcatrazz, and Impellitteri. He is known for his powerful singing voice but is capable of also singing soft melodies. His singing has been noted as "very loud" by both his contemporaries and himself, and he claims to be a self-taught singer with "no discipline for lessons". Bonnet's visual style, considered uncharacteristic of hard rock musicians, has been described as being a cross between Don Johnson in Miami Vice and James Dean.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jim Root</span> American guitarist

James Donald Root is an American guitarist. He is one of two guitarists for heavy metal band Slipknot, in which he is designated #4, as well as the former lead guitarist for rock band Stone Sour.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Impellitteri</span> American heavy metal band

Impellitteri is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles formed and led by guitarist Chris Impellitteri, vocalist Rob Rock, and bassist James Amelio Pulli. The band has sold millions of albums worldwide.

Animetal was a Japanese heavy metal band who specialized in metal covers of theme songs from classic and modern Japanese anime and tokusatsu television series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Holmes (musician)</span> American guitarist

Christopher John Holmes is an American heavy metal guitarist. He started his musical career in the Pasadena, California area in the late 1970s and early 1980s. He is best known as the lead guitarist of heavy metal band W.A.S.P. Together with Blackie Lawless and Randy Piper he was one of the founding members of the band. Holmes was a member of W.A.S.P. first from 1983 to 1990, and again from 1996 to 2001.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rob Rock</span> American heavy metal singer

RobertRock is an American heavy metal singer who is best known as the longtime frontman of Impellitteri, a position he has held from 1987 to 1988, 1992 to 2000, and now from 2008 to the present day. Rock has also released five albums as a solo artist, and performed with a number of other notable artists, including M.A.R.S., Joshua, Tobias Sammet, Axel Rudi Pell and Warrior.

Michael Vescera is an American heavy metal singer for various bands and projects like Loudness, Obsession (Marshall Law, Scarred for Life, Methods of Madness, Carnival of Lies, Order of Chaos), Yngwie Malmsteen, Dr. Sin, Roland Grapow (Kaleidoscope) or his own band MVP.

<i>Stand in Line</i> 1988 studio album by Impellitteri

Stand in Line is the first studio album by heavy metal band Impellitteri, released in 1988 through Relativity Records; a remastered edition was issued on May 19, 2009, through EMI Records, containing four bonus tracks which originally formed their 1987 EP Impellitteri. The album reached number 91 on the U.S. Billboard 200 and remained on that chart for twenty weeks.

Animetal USA are a Japan-based American heavy metal band formed as a tribute to Eizo Sakamoto's band Animetal. They made their world debut at the 2011 Loud Park Festival, where they performed on stage with Momoiro Clover Z.

<i>Animetal USA</i> (album) 2011 studio album by Animetal USA

Animetal USA is the debut album by Japan-based American heavy metal band Animetal USA, formed as a tribute to Eizo Sakamoto's band Animetal. Released through SME Records on October 12, 2011, the album consists of a series of English language covers of popular anime theme songs. It received an American release on June 26, 2012, containing four bonus tracks from their follow up album Animetal USA W.

<i>Animetal USA W</i> 2012 studio album by Animetal USA

Animetal USA W is the second studio album by Japan-based American heavy metal band Animetal USA, formed as a tribute to Eizo Sakamoto's band Animetal. Released through SME Records on June 6, 2012, the album consists of a series of English language covers of popular anime theme songs. Unlike the previous album, Animetal USA sought out the input from their Japanese and American fans for suggestions on tracks to include on their second album and it also includes an original track. "Give Lee Give Lee Rock Lee" is a collaboration with Hironobu Kageyama of LAZY and JAM Project. A limited edition release includes a bonus DVD

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jacky Vincent</span> British guitarist

Jacky Casey Vincent is a British guitarist. He was the lead guitarist of the post-hardcore/metalcore band Falling in Reverse from its formation in 2008 until his departure in 2015. After his departure, he founded power metal band Cry Venom. Since then, Vincent has concentrated on his solo career and teaching. He has two solo albums: Star X Speed Story, came third in the Guitar World 2013 readers poll for Best Shred album, and Life Imitating Art released in 2018. Vincent won the Alternative Press Guitarist of the Year award in 2012 and came third in the Guitar World "Best Shredder" readers pool awards in 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jon Dette</span> American drummer

Jon Dette is an American heavy metal drummer best known for his time in Slayer and Testament. Over the years, he has also been chosen to fill-in with Anthrax, Heathen, and Iced Earth. Dette also played with Evildead and Impellitteri for several years.

References

  1. "Fastest Guitar Shredders". Phil Brodie Band. Archived from the original on May 2, 2008. Retrieved May 29, 2008.
  2. "50 Fastest Guitarists of All Time". GuitarWorld Magazine. Archived from the original on January 10, 2010. Retrieved April 7, 2010.
  3. "Lift Up Your Hands in Praise: The 2023 Metal Hall of Fame Gala". Metal Hall of Fame. January 31, 2023.
  4. Blabbermouth (April 12, 2020). "CHRIS IMPELLITTERI Says He Was Approached By SHARON OSBOURNE About Joining OZZY's Band". BLABBERMOUTH.NET. Retrieved July 5, 2020.
  5. Colin Larkin, ed. (1995). The Guinness Who's Who of Heavy Metal (Second ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 176. ISBN   0-85112-656-1.
  6. "Impellitteri – Eternal Rock". www.eternalrock-musicagency.com. Retrieved March 12, 2021.
  7. "Chris Impellitteri's Equipboard". Equipboard. Retrieved July 5, 2020.
  8. Andy Aledort November 30, 2018 (November 30, 2018). "Chris Impellitteri Breaks Down His Latest Pyrotechnical Workout, 'The Nature of the Beast'". guitarworld. Retrieved July 5, 2020.

—-notes—- <references/v