For all of the crazy guitar shredding from Chris Impellitteri and being the name sake for the band, he looks rather unassuming. I find this curious as the attitude from his guitar and from Rob Rock on the mic is everything of this exploding battleship scene on the album cover. Add to that some nice technical displays from the bassist James Pulli and pounding from the veteran drummer Paul Bostaph and you have a truly bombastic blast of heavy metal that would have been the wildest ride for every shred-crazy metalhead back in the 80s. That is “War Machine.”
Dating back to 1986, Impellitteri as a band has stood for all that is shred worthy with Chris leading the charge on guitar. His speed and technique is so prodigious that he has been routinely named as one of the fastest guitarists ever. In 2023, he was inducted into the Heavy Metal Hall of Fame where his humility in light of his incredible skill was noted. Humble and unassuming. Joining him on this outing is the original and current vocalist, Rob Rock (Solo), long-running bassist for the band James Pulli, and the highly acclaimed Paul Bostaph (Slayer, Exodus, Kerry King) on drums.
For these well-seasoned musicians, they show us how its done, outgunning in speed, power, and style the vast majority of bands in the speed, thrash, or traditional metal scenes. Although they show their age compared to earlier efforts, this is a strong outing in their usual speedy style. Chris is as swift as ever, Rob is powerfully pitch perfect, James pulls some cool bass fills, and Paul directs the band from the drum kit. Great riffs, insane solos, and powerful singing that stylistically pull from yesteryear runs full steam from the first to the last tracks. With all these superlatives, however, there is a level of obstinance in well-trodden paths that make the album more or less ear candy for the nostalgic.
I am not one for music videos, but I just had to watch the shredding. How one can do that so precisely and consistently is beyond me. It looks so easy! Chris’s solos retain a neoclassical style with insanely fast runs, scales, and arpeggios through chord cycles not unlike a Mozart concerto. I enjoyed that this is not strictly diatonic scale flamboyancy, but throws in some harmonic minor and mixture chords as well. That said, the ultra-fast playing becomes mundane over the course of the album where I then turn my attention to the meat of the offering.
Rob’s melodic vocals are the other prominent characteristic. I have had some misgivings about Rob’s performances in the past due to my heavy vibrato pet peeve, but for this release, his voice is the reason to stay after the solos have faded: very powerful melodic metal vocals that capture the spirit of the early metal scene. Some reviews speak of him getting on in age, but to my ears, his delivery is just as good as Dio. The hooks aren’t as sweet as other bands as it leans more in a traditional style, but there are some nice melodies that get in your head especially on “Out of My Mind” and “Powergrab.”
Without a rock solid rhythm section to support, neither Rob nor Chris would be able to shine, especially with some of the odd rhythms and multitudinous syncopated rhythms. The riffs are quite entertaining, complementing Rob’s vocals. Although James’ bass stays in the background most of the time, there are some great solo moments on “Superkingdom,” and “Power Grab” as well as counterpoint with the guitar in “Gone Insane.”
The lyrics on “War Machine” are, as you could imagine, about war and disaster, but also praise to the greatest musical genre of all, heavy metal. There are some positive lines in light of the pessimistic subjects to have no fear and stand firm against the powers of the world. I don’t see the lyrics making a profound statement, being rather bombastic muscly themes to fuel fast and explosive melodic metal.
Which I think is the whole point: legendary musicians having a lot of fun doing what they do well. Don’t expect profound philosophy or genre-bending songwriting. Do expect an album to pump up a rowdy crowd, exactly how good metal should. I recommend for those that love the crazy flying guitar solos of the wildest sort within a modern take on the heavy metal genre.
Rating: 8.5/10
Written by Sean Bailey
Tracklist
1 – War Machine
2 – Out Of My Mind (Heavy Metal)
3 – Superkingdom
4 – Wrath Child
5 – What Lies Beneath
6 – Hell on Earth
7 – Power Grab
8 – Beware the Hunter
9 – Light It Up
10 – Gone Insane
11 – Just Another Day
Impellitteri is:
Chris Impellitteri – guitars
Rob Rock – vocals
James Pulli – bass
Paul Bostaph – drums
Release Date: November 8, 2024
Record Label: Frontiers Records
Discography:
1987: Impellitteri – EP
1988: Stand in Line
1992: Grin and Bear It
1993: Victim of the System – EP
1994: Answer to the Master
1996: Screaming Symphony
1997: Fuel for the Fire – EP
1997: Eye of the Hurricane
2000: Crunch
2002: System X
2004: Pedal to the Metal
2009: Wicked Maiden
2015: Venom (review)
2018: The Nature of the Beast (review)
2024: War Machine
Social Media: Website | Instagram | Spotify
Video for Out Of My Mind
Video for Wrath Child
Video for Hell on Earth