Band: Impellitteri
Album title: Wicked Maiden
Label: Metal Heaven
Distributor: Rough Trade Benelux
Release date: 24/04/2009
Release: CD

Five years to get a new studio album out? Yeah man, it doés happen sometimes, and in the case of Impellitteri, it is indeed since March 2004’s Pedal To The Metal that fans had a sign of life (through the release of albums, at least) of this band fronted by respected Speed/ Shred guitarist Chris Impellitteri.

Since then, the line-up has yet again changed. Not a new thing, as new members have come and gone in this band since it’s very beginnings! Originally co-founded by singer  Rob Rock with the addition of a rhythm section, the band released an initial self-titled EP in 1987, which immediatelly propelled the guitarist into stardom (he’s won the Best Rock Guitarist Award for his guitar solos and today, depending on whom you ask, you’ll find Chris listed either fastest or second-fastest shred guitarist in the world). After the EP, the line-up shifted with Chris as only remaining founding member, Graham Bonnet doin’ the vocals, Pat Torpey (of Mr. Big) on drums, Chuck Wright (Quiet Riot, Giuffria) on bass, and even the addition of a keyboard player! A line-up which made the 1988 debut album Stand In Line. But Rock was back for 1992’s follow-up Grin And Bear It, that album also seeing Ken Mary (TKO, Fifth Angel, Alice Cooper, later also House Of Lords) installed on the drum stool. 1994’s Answer To The Master saw the induction of mainstay bassist James Amelio Pulli, and 1996’s Screaming Symphony saw keyboardist Edward Harris Roth enter the fold for a couple of years! The now “steady” line-up of Rock/ Impellitteri/ Roth/ Pulli/ Mary also made the 1997 album Eye Of the Hurricane, but on 2000’s Crunch Mary was replaced by current skinsman Glen Sobel. After that album, Rock again left to concentrate on his solo career, and as a result Graham Bonnet returned, recording the 2002 album System X with the band! A venture which didn’t last that long, as 2004’s Pedal To the Metal was done with Curtis Skelton.

The new album has been three years in the making, and in the process of creating it, Chris already implied a new change of vocalist, at one moment being quoted to announce, “…there is a BIG SURPRIZE as to who’s singing on the album…”! Well (read with touch of cynicism), surprize, surprize, Rob Rock is back (the news made official in May 2008), that’s all! Let’s hope that “third time” is a charm, and not an “out”! He also announced, “…we are recording 13 fast riff crazy tunes with all of the Impellitteri signature shredding guitar solos, screaming vocals, pounding drums, brutal bass, with a lot of melody thrown in…in addition, I am really proud of the way each band member contributed to Wicked Maiden. I think there was an interesting chemistry between myself, Rock, Pulli, and Sobel in the recording studio. We pushed each other to the point of insanity when recording Wicked Maiden. There was a lot of fighting over the musical parts recorded, tempos, etc… Creating Wicked Maiden was a team effort and not a one man show…”

Well, eventually only 10 tracks made it to the album (possibly some were held back for special editions of the album, Japanese bonus tracks, etc…you know), and growing towards the release of the album the band already recorded a video for the track “Last Of A Dying Breed”, which you should be able to view at myspace.com/impellitteriofficialsite (at least, if you’re lucky – on my Network PC I couldn’t). Also, the guys have posted the album’s title track for you to listen to, giving you a perfect of all the band’s trademarks and at the same time some of the crazy-but-melodic high tempos of some of the songs! Some, I say, because there’s also a couple of less “speedy” tracks, which are more remeniscent of the Impellitteri of old! Nice album, and great for a casual listening…but I wouldn’t wanna listen to it all of the time! In spite of several songs incorporating the use of piano play, there’s no one mentioned in the credits responsible for that! Also, although Sobel DID participate in the recording of the album and above mentioned video, it now seems like one Brandon Wild is occupying his stool!

87/100

Tony.