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by Dead the E-Zine and Rob Colwell (of FAITHBOMB) |
| 1. When I first started reading about Impellitteri's
new cd Crunch, I heard that fans of Korn and White Zombie could identify
with it! I was taken back by the thought of one of my all-time favorite
power metal bands selling out to the trend of "mall-metal" that has swept
the U.S. in recent years. Well, now with "Crunch" finally released the
question at hand is "Can fans of those type bands identify?" The answer
in my opinion is "I hardly think so!!!!" Thank God! Nothing against those
types of bands or their fans but Chris impellitteri and Rob Rock have long
set a standard that can really never be equaled. Ok... The music has changed
a bit but not that much. On all tracks Rob is still singing with all power
metal glory intact! He has however incorporated a few select lines and
sections (sometimes just a word at the end of a phrase) where he now utilizes
a lower range and it is done in a very tasteful way. Musically Chris is
playing with more "crunch" guitar style (thus the name of the cd I am assuming).
The guitar lines at times are a bit more choppy but just as fast as ever!!!!
The first 3 tracks really are not any different than the music Impellitteri
has always been know for, true classic metal. The biggest changes can first
be noted on the track "Wake me up" where the keyboards make an eerie appearance
droning out a Rackets and Drapes like background that sounds right at home
along side Rob's powerful voice and Chris's shredding. Yep, Chris is still
the fastest shredder I have ever heard with the possible exception of Malmsteen.
The buzz also had it that this would be Impellitteri's "heaviest" album.
That is probably pretty close to being the truth as you can hear in the
last track "Fear No Evil" which is obviously the track that is supposed
to appeal to White Zombie fans because Rob has a lower almost Zombie like
tone in his voice and it is Impellitteri's "heaviest" song to date. BUT
In my opinion "Fear no Evil" comes off sounding more like something off
of Testaments cd "Low"!!!!!!!! The lower tone of Rob's vocals reminds me
quite a bit of Chuck Billy from Testament on this particular track. Chris
absolutely crushes all boundaries with the heavy chugging guitar riffs
that slam you against the wall and kicks you in the head in this track
which is also musically similar to Testament. There are a couple other
odd surprises like the "turntable scratching" in the track "Wasted Earth"
and the reappearance of those creepy keyboards in "Slay the Dragon" which
also sports some Ken Tamplin like harmonies. (it's freakin amazing how
Impellitteri can put these sounds all together and actually make it work!).
There are two instrumentals and Chris's fluid guitar work shines like a
diamond as always. Lyrically they deal with a lot of different topics like
Y2K and how nothing happened (in the song "Turn of the Century") and the
lures of Satan (in "Beware of the Devil"). This is not one of their most
bold efforts but is in no way secular either.
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Let me start by saying I've always enjoyed the work of this band, and of course I've always respected Chris's ability to play leads at that break-neck speed. Still there was some element in their music that kept me holding at the statement of "They are a really good band" instead of "They are an amazing band." THis CD takes that away. For my money this is indeed their heaviest CD that I've heard (My catalog consists of Stand In Line, Grin and Bear It, and now Crunch.) Hands down this is a style alteration for the band, but not what you'd call a complete change. It's like the music is not quite as "polished" and that ever small bit of edge, and rawness is the PERFECT addition to their music. The vocals do indeed remain true to classic metal style but still Rob Rock seems to have more edge in his voice now. The name of the album tells you everything you need to know...CRUNCH. The music is thicker and not as polished, but don't get me wrong it's still got that extremely high quality sound that they have become known for. One area that they have MUCH improved (in my opinion) is the drumming. My take on this is they have a new drummer in Glen Sobel who simply lays down a much heavier low end and this just flows through to the rest of the music. I had not even heard of the comparison to White Zombie previously, but upon listening to the last track they did indeed instantly come to my mind. Not that this album sounds anything like a Zombie album, only this one track has some similarities. However if your going to compare the vocals during the verses of track 6 to Zombie I don't see how you can avoid comparing the vocal parts and song structure of track 3 "Speed Demon" to Europe. Yes everytime I hear this song I think of some song off the latter half of The Final Countdown, just without the keys. Get this CD and strap yourself in for the ride of your life! From the time it starts spinning until it finishes, you won't catch much of a break from these guys. CRUNCH review by Rob Colwell, better known as the vocals department for the band Faithbomb. He decided he wanted to contribute to Dead and is represented here as a guest reviewer. He did mention to Dead (me) that he would have given this a full on 10 rating, but that Impellitteri's CDs are a bit more difficult to get your hands on and usually that means more expensive as well. So keep that in mind. I just got the Newest Impellitteri CD in the mail!
It is so much better than the last CD. It is heavier, yet still Impellitteri.
The guitars are much crunchier than I've heard in a while. Still true to
the 80's metal banner, this disc updates the sound somewhat. Rob Rock even
has a very small distorted vocal part on one song. I'd swear I even heard
a little thrash influence on one song as well. Of course you get the usual
1000 MPH guitar solos in each song. The signature rock ballad appears as
Forever Yours. Highlights are Beware of the Devil and Wasted Earth. Impellitteri
fans will not be disappointed in this one. A great addition to your Narnia,
Seventh Avenue, and other similar styles. If you want the very best in
classic metal, this is worth the cash. You can order it at www.dreamdisc.com
If you get it somewhere else, you'll pay a lot more.
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