Although an awful lot of garbage has been spoken of in respect of this new-age guitar playing fad, you can bet your bottom (tooth?) pick that whatever you hear about American Chris Impellitteri will certainly be true. Peer down his axe and into his soul and you'll spot licks bringing to mind everyone from Ritchie Blackmore to Yngwie J. Malmsteen, Al Di Meola to Vivian Campbell, Jake E. Lee to, etc. That at a mere 22 he can draw upon so many historical and technical sources fuels the feeling of his utter invincibility in the face of severe competition. That he jokes pensively, recounting grand but vague schemes of 'purpose' and 'projects', leaves one with a sense of wonder and intrigue.
There's not much incorrect about Chris Impellitteri. A fine player, he auditioned for Alcatrazz after Yngwie took flight in a dust- cloud of temper and has jammed with Rudy Sarzo/Tommy Aldrige's new outfit, NRG. He looks and sounds right at a time when his type of ability is most definitely in vogue. He's ready to go. But where?
"When I first got into this," says Chris, referring of course to his trusty guitar. "I was looking for something individual to do. I used to practice eight hours a day wondering what all this would lead to..."
School and dance-hall combos traditionally keep the guitar in check so Impellitteri, born 'n' raised in Connecticut, turned away from pop/rock to the melee of Metal. Inevitably, he harbors a religious atti- tude towards musicianship--it's well-nigh impossible to become a serious guitar player without having a sence of wonderment at what can ultimately be achieved.
He started pushing to the extremes both in terms of speed and technique, quickly gathering up a following...most noticeably whilst in a band called Vice. Says Chris:
"We played some big clubs and cut a three-song demo. We sounded a lot like, oh, I guess Night Ranger, but I hated playing commercial material so I left. We made some money, though..."

By this time Chris had become a busy, compulsive player as 'Impellitteri', debut mini-album release, shows quite clearly. He plays several guitars but prefers to use a sunburst finish Fender Stratocaster modified with an ebony fingerboard and Di Marzio HS3 playing, he's practicing--often for over six hours a day. He talks about 'expression', but seems more concerned with speed--like Yngwie, in fact, a man simply needs to play, as if he continuously has to impress himself.
Bored and out on a limb, the Connecticut scene exploding around him like a damp firework, Impellietteri took himself and his guitar across the country to Los Angeles in search of opportunity. His hot-shot reputation meant sod all to those who hadn't heard the man and his axe in person. A scenario that made him fight even harder and with more anger. But was this 'anger' fueled by plain, simple injustice or was he late on a fast developing scene and not been given a proper namecheck? "If I do feel angry, it's only out of frustration, trying to reach a certain clique, or not being treated with the respect that my playing deserves. It's hard not to feel that way when you see respect... sometimes money."
These days, though, playing not necessarily be a passport to international acclaim. Trouble is, the latest breed of guitar player has to have a charisma of some sort, the whiff of a real past to grace a present, where the facial grimace means more than the absent key change or the lack of tonal resolve. I wonder how Chris is going to cope; what are his plans for the future?
"I've been told," he says with some degree of amusement, "that I'm the fastest player around. I'm a bit more technical than the average Metal musician...er, I mean I play mainly in minor scales. It makes me sound very evil, yet with incredible beauty. I suppose it's the sort of tone that Blackmore goes for--but I'm much faster than him. Really, expanding, growing guitarist whose playing gets better every day... I can see areas where I've got to go, and I've started to explore them..."
Impellitteri's mini LP (released on the amusingly title Polytour label and produced by Mike Davies who has engineered records for Keel and Yngwie Malmsteen) is the result of a four-day studio blowout originally intended for demo purposes. Vocalist Rob Rock (until recently a member of Driver--the band who had the mostest but delivered the leastest!) teamed up with Chris on a temporary basis to help record the album and is now a member of Joshua (see NGM interview issue 139); the drums were played by Loni Silva, chap pinched from an LA band called Black Sheep (no, not the band Black Sheep that once featured Lou Gramm); and bass guitar was handled by Mr I himself.
The current version version of Impellitteri's band features Chris on guitar, drummer Loni Silva, bassist Ted Days and a new vocalist whose name I can't quite remember (bonehead!) but who played some groups that at one time featured Jake E. Lee and Dio guitarist Craig Goldy.
The self-titled album (reviewed in issue 142) reflects enormous potential! Here is not only a fledging, but a prodigy too. Not a great deal more happens on the vinyl, it's true--this is Metal, intense loud and brash--but my mouth is already watering for the needs to learn many more technical lessons, and all that one experience to ignite or intensify his proven ability.
"I'm going out on the road soon," he told me, "and it's going to give me the chance to prove myself to people who won't know what to expect."
With a total of 22 amplifiers crowding the stage, I wouldn't attempt to argue the point!
"The next record will blow the old stuff away. The songs are better and I'm bringing in a keyboard player to help compliment the guitar parts. There's even been a few offers from major labels."