IMPELLITTERI - Crunch
(2000 Victor VICP-60948)

Tracklist:
Beware Of The Devil, Turn Of The Century, Speed Demon, Wake Me Up, Spanish Fire, Slay The Dragon, Wasted Earth, Forever Yours, Texas Nuclear Boogie, Fear No Evil

Impellitteri is:
Chris Impellitteri (guitars), Rob Rock (vocals), Glen Sobel (drums), 
Edward Harris Roth (keyboards) and James Amelio Pulli (bass)

"And for the first 30 seconds of Crunch I thought I was in real trouble. A sonic blast through my speakers had me thinking I was about to lose all hearing permanently! 
But fear not - the great Rob Rock to the rescue. 
Rob sings his ass off on Crunch. Not to say Chris Impellitteri doesn't play his ass off - he does - but it's Rob's vocals that bring a lot of the melody to the music. Chris adds the power and Rob the melody. 
Add to that some impressive production by Chris with Michael Wagener and the album mixes the best of speed metal with a more melodic hard rock base. 
On the surface this is maybe one of Impellitteri's fastest and more furious releases. The shredding on here supreme. Underneath however, there is plenty of melody. 
The songs are all worthy and somewhat different - which is sometimes hard to achieve when the whole album is roughly the same pace. But the added harmony vocals and extra hooks add a much needed dimension that albums like Yngwie's last record was missing. 
That's where I might add my only complaint. I don't see that a whole album has to be flat out for every minute. But regardless of the speed, there is variety and Crunch is second to none for musicianship. The rhythm section is wonderful. This really is a great outfit of musicians. 
Forever Yours is the only track short of metal - it's a great acoustic ballad. 
BOTTOM LINE: An album that will be loved by fans of the genre, pity there aren't more like it. The band's best album since Answer To The Master, but it still doesn't top that one. 
PRODUCTION: 90% SONGS: 84% VIBE: 85% ATTITUDE: 88% 
ESSENTIAL FOR: Every Impellitteri & Rob Rock fan, melodic heavy metal fans, guitar shred fans."  - Reviewed by MelodicRock.
 
 

"IT's CRUNCH Time! IMPELLITTERI is back with new release, CRUNCH! The new album features some classic Impellitteri tunes as well as a departure into a new musical territory for the band. This area consists of D-tuning the instruments to create an even heavier and darker sound. Infusing the modern sounds of Rob Zombie and Pantera, the band has forged ahead to produce an exciting sonic adventure. Incorporating loops, percussion, samples and sound effects, Impellitteri is expanding their creative output and songwriting talent. This recording also includes an "MTV Unplugged" style ballad, two blistering instrumentals, and a couple of "concept" songs which experiment both lyrically and musically. Also new to an Impellitteri album is the phenomenal drumming of Glen Sobel, who has been touring "live" with the band and now has the opportunity to show his incredible talent in the recording studio. Chris Impellitteri is also venturing into new "soloing" areas and Rob Rock has expanded his range into the baritone depths of his voice. A message to the diehard Impellitteri fans, "Don't worry. Be excited! This is classic Impellitteri with a fresh new flavor." - Reviewed by The Atomic Chaser's Rockers and Rollers.
 
 

"IMPELLITTERI feature two of my favorite musicians. Guitar wizard Chris Impellitteri, whose razor-riffs and solos are simply marvelous, and singer Rob Rock who already worked for M.A.R.S., DRIVER, JOSHUA and AXEL RUDI PELL. The band´s new album “Crunch” is another great Melodic Power Metal CD, that features everything, for what we love the band for. “Beware Of The Devil” is a lighspeed opener, that´s made for headbanging! “Turn Of The Century” is a powerful Heavy Metal hymn, while “Speed Demon” is another great up-tempo track. You must take a listen to Chris´ lead guitar on this track - he pushes Yngwie Malmsteen under. Yes!!! “Wake Me Up” is dominated by a real heavy riff and Rob Rock shows the whole range of his voice - from deep dark to staggering high. Before you listen to track #5 you must sit down. Turn up the volume of your stereo system and concentrate on Chris´ guitar. It´s unbelievable what he plays on the instrumental “Spanish Fire” -  I never heard such a riff and solo attack!! Everyone who thinks about his self, that he can play guitar should try to play this - you WILL fail!! “Slay The Dragon” features some brutal riffs & vocals, which are a unusual for IMPELLITTERI. Nevertheless it´s a fantastic song! “Wasted earth” is another ultra-high-speed killer, that features some Hardcore vocals and scratching effects. I know, that this sounds a little worrying, but believe me - it fits brilliant! The pomp ballad “Forever yours” is the only weak point of “Crunch” and it doesn´t fit to the rest of the album. “Texas Nuclear Boogie” is another instrumental track and Chris plays the hell out of his fingers. The final “Fear No Evil” is Rob Rock´s masterpiece. I never heard him singing so deep and aggressive - cool! The song also features a brutal heavy guitar riff and you can definitely hear, that the albums was engineered by Michael Wagener. I know noone else, who is able to makes guitars sound so heavy! “Crunch” is essential for all fans for Melodic Power Metal. RATING:  91 %." - Reviewed by On The Rocks.