{{short description|American heavy metal band}} {{for|the mayor of New York City|Vincent R. Impellitteri}} {{Use mdy dates|date=May 2022}} {{More citations needed|date=September 2020}} {{Infobox musical artist |name = Impellitteri |image = IMPELLITTERI live.jpg |caption = Impellitteri performing in 2016 |landscape = yes |origin = [[Los Angeles, California]], U.S. |genre = {{hlist|[[Heavy metal music|Heavy metal]]|[[speed metal]]|[[neoclassical metal]]}} |years_active = 1987–1990, 1992–present |label = [[Relativity Records|Relativity|Sony]], [[Victor Entertainment|JVC]], Frontiers |associated_acts = |website = {{URL|impellitteri.net}} |current_members = [[Chris Impellitteri]]<br />[[Rob Rock]]<br />James Amelio Pulli<br />[[Paul Bostaph]] }}
'''Impellitteri''' is an American [[Heavy metal music|heavy metal]] band from Los Angeles formed and led by guitarist [[Chris Impellitteri]], singer [[Rob Rock]], and bassist James Amelio Pulli. The band has sold over two million albums worldwide.{{citation needed|date=January 2024}}
== History == [[Chris Impellitteri]] formed Impellitteri together with vocalist Rob Rock in Los Angeles, California.{{when|date=January 2011}} They first released an [[Extended play|EP]] simply titled ''Impellitteri'' in 1987. The EP features heavy metal with classically influenced shredding [[guitar solos]], screaming vocals, [[speed metal]] drumming and aggressive bass. It features songs like "Lost in the Rain" and "Burning" of which quickly gained the attention of heavy metal fans and musicians around the world. During the release of the EP, many major media outlets began to cover Impellitteri in their magazines including ''[[Kerrang!]]'', ''[[Guitar World]]'', ''[[Circus (magazine)|Circus]]'', and ''[[Burrn!]]''.
After the release of the EP, Impellitteri regrouped, this time with British vocalist [[Graham Bonnet]] as lead singer, and released an album titled ''[[Stand in Line]]'' in 1988. [[MTV]] played Impellitteri's music video for "Stand in Line" in its rotation, and Chris Impellitteri was a guest host on MTV's ''[[Headbangers Ball]]''. Fans voted Impellitteri a "Smash" on MTV's ''Smash or Trash'' show. The album charted in [[Billboard 200|Billboards]] Top 100 and remained there for over five months. To date, the song "Stand in Line" has become a fan favorite globally.
After touring in support of the ''Impellitteri'' EP and "Stand in Line", the band returned to the studio and reunited with original vocalist Rob Rock. They then recorded and released their first full-length album with Rob Rock titled “Grin And Bear It” (1992) which was quickly followed up by another EP titled ''Victim of the System'' (1993), which was produced by Mike Tacci who was the assistant engineer on [[Metallica]]'s [[Metallica (album)|Black Album]] (1991). ''Victim of the System'' was highly influenced by the band [[Queen (band)|Queen]]. Following ''Victim of the System'', they released ''[[Answer to the Master]]'' in late 1994. To date, this album features many fan-favorite songs like "Warrior", "Fly Away", and the album title track "Answer to the Master".
In 1996, Impellitteri released ''Screaming Symphony'', with Chris Impellitteri winning the ''[[Burrn!]]'' magazine Readers Poll Award for "Best Rock Guitarist". The record was mixed by [[Michael Wagener]] who had produced Metallica and [[Ozzy Osbourne]] before. The ''Screaming Symphony'' features songs such as "Rat Race" and "17th Century Chicken Pickin", which are played frequently during live concerts.
In 2000, Impellitteri released the album ''Crunch''. ''Crunch'' was the first record where the band started to occasionally use [[drop tunings]] in combination with their brand of shred metal. The album featured songs like "Beware of the Devil", "Slay the Dragon", and "Speed Demon". In addition, the band recorded a ballad titled "Forever Yours".
Shortly after ''Crunch'', Rob Rock decided to pursue a solo career. Impellitteri again recruited [[Graham Bonnet]] and began working on their next album titled ''System X'', released in 2002. The album was mixed by [[Andrew Murdock]]. That year they also released a compilation of hits called ''The Very Best of Impellitteri: Faster Than the Speed of Light'' (2002).
In May 2008, it was announced that Rob Rock was, once again, back with Impellitteri. They collaborated on a new album called ''[[Wicked Maiden]]'' (2009) with a working title of ''Good and Evil''. ''Wicked Maiden'' was released in Japan and Europe on February 24, 2009, with the intent of releasing the new album in the United States in 2011, followed by the Impellitteri Shredfest tour.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.impellitterifanclub.info| title=Impellitteri's official fansite |website=Impellitterifanclub.info|access-date=December 9, 2008|date=December 9, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111221003648/http://www.impellitterifanclub.info/|archive-date=December 21, 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[File:Impellitteri.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|Impellitteri performing in 2016]] In 2015, Impellitteri recorded, released, and toured behind their next album ''[[Venom (Impellitteri album)|Venom]]''. They performed on the headlining stage at Rock Fest Barcelona alongside bands such as [[Iron Maiden]]. They also headlined shows such as the Busan Rock Festival in South Korea.
In 2018/2019, Impellitteri released ''The Nature of the Beast''. The album features songs like "Run for Your Life", "Masquerade", and "Wonderworld", as well as two cover songs ([[Black Sabbath]]'s "Symptom of the Universe" and [[Andrew Lloyd Webber]]'s "[[The Phantom of the Opera (song)|The Phantom of the Opera]]").
In 2024, the band released a new full-length album, ''War Machine''.
== Beliefs == As far as [[Christian metal]] ties, Impellitteri (the band) does not consider themselves to be a [[Christianity|Christian]] band. Rob Rock said the following in an interview:
{{cquote|"Chris and I and Ken Mary are all Christians, but James and Ed and Glen, our touring drummer, don't necessarily proclaim themselves as Christians, so it's not a Christian band."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rapture.net/impellitteri/takit.htm|title=ROB ROCK-1999 interview w/ "Take It" web-zine|last=Stöver|first=Frank|access-date=May 13, 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071113100452/http://www.rapture.net/impellitteri/takit.htm|archive-date=November 13, 2007}}</ref>|||Rob Rock}}
== Band members == '''Current''' *[[Chris Impellitteri]] – guitars (1987–90, 1992–present), bass (1987) *James Amelio Pulli – bass (1992–present) *[[Rob Rock]] – lead vocals (1987–1988, 1992–2000, 2008–present) *[[Paul Bostaph]] – drums (2024–present)
'''Former''' {{Div col}} *[[Graham Bonnet]] – lead vocals (1988–1990, 2000–2002) *Mark Weitz – lead vocals (1990) *Curtis Skelton – lead vocals (2003–2008) *Ted Days – bass (1987–1988) *[[Chuck Wright]] – bass (1988, 1992) *[[Dave Spitz]] – bass (1988–1990) *Loni Silva – drums (1987–1988) *[[Pat Torpey]] – drums (1988) (died 2018) *[[Stet Howland]] – drums (1988–1990) *[[Ken Mary]] – drums (1992, 1994–1999) *Mark Bistany – drums (1992–1994) *Phil Wolfe – keyboards (1988–1990) *[[Claude Schnell]] – keyboards (1990, 1993) *Ed Roth – keyboards (1995–2007) *[[Glen Sobel]] – drums (1999–2009) *Brandon Wild – drums (2009–2012) *[[Jon Dette]] – drums (2012–2018) *Patrick Johansson – drums (2018–2024; touring 2016) {{Div col end}}
'''Timeline''' {{#tag:timeline| ImageSize = width:800 height:auto barincrement:18 PlotArea = left:100 bottom:60 top:0 right:0 Alignbars = justify DateFormat = mm/dd/yyyy Period = from:01/01/1987 till:{{#time:m/d/Y}} TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy Legend = orientation:horizontal position:bottom ScaleMajor = increment:2 start:1987 ScaleMinor = increment:1 start:1987
Colors = id:Vocals value:red legend:Vocals id:Guitars value:green legend:Guitars id:Keyboards value:purple legend:Keyboards id:Bass value:blue legend:Bass id:Drums value:orange legend:Drums id:studio value:black legend:Studio_album id:ep value:gray(0.7) legend:EP
LineData = layer:back color:ep at:01/21/1987 at:11/21/1993 at:11/01/1997 #>Yes it's November 21, 1997, but this makes it visible<#
color:studio at:06/22/1988 at:09/23/1992 at:09/07/1994 at:05/22/1996 at:12/05/1997 at:01/21/2000 at:03/01/2002 at:03/24/2004 at:02/25/2009 at:03/04/2015 at:10/12/2018 at:11/08/2024
BarData = bar:Rock text:"Rob Rock" bar:Bonnet text:"Graham Bonnet" bar:Weitz text:"Mark Weitz" bar:Skelton text:"Curtis Skelton" bar:Impellitteri text:"Chris Impellitteri" bar:Wolfe text:"Phil Wolfe" bar:Schnell text:"Claude Schnell" bar:Roth text:"Ed Roth" bar:Days text:"Ted Days" bar:Wright text:"Chuck Wright" bar:Spitz text:"Dave Spitz" bar:Pulli text:"James Amelio Pulli" bar:Silva text:"Loni Silva" bar:Torpey text:"Pat Torpey" bar:Howland text:"Stet Howland" bar:Mary text:"Ken Mary" bar:Bistany text:"Mark Bistany" bar:Sobel text:"Glen Sobel" bar:Dette text:"Jon Dette" bar:Johansson text:"Patrick Johansson" bar:Bostaph text:"Paul Bostaph"
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width:11
bar:Impellitteri from:01/01/1987 till:12/31/1990 color:Guitars bar:Impellitteri from:01/01/1992 till:end color:Guitars
bar:Rock from:01/01/1987 till:01/01/1988 color:Vocals bar:Bonnet from:01/01/1988 till:01/01/1990 color:Vocals bar:Weitz from:01/01/1990 till:01/01/1991 color:Vocals bar:Rock from:01/01/1992 till:12/01/2000 color:Vocals bar:Bonnet from:12/01/2000 till:06/01/2002 color:Vocals bar:Skelton from:06/01/2002 till:06/01/2008 color:Vocals bar:Rock from:06/01/2008 till:end color:Vocals
bar:Days from:03/01/1987 till:01/01/1988 color:Bass bar:Wright from:01/02/1988 till:07/01/1988 color:Bass bar:Spitz from:07/02/1988 till:01/01/1991 color:Bass bar:Wright from:01/01/1992 till:09/30/1992 color:Bass bar:Pulli from:10/01/1992 till:end color:Bass
bar:Wolfe from:01/01/1987 till:01/01/1990 color:Keyboards bar:Schnell from:01/01/1990 till:01/01/1991 color:Keyboards bar:Roth from:01/01/1995 till:01/01/2007 color:Keyboards
bar:Silva from:01/01/1987 till:01/01/1988 color:Drums bar:Torpey from:01/01/1988 till:07/01/1988 color:Drums bar:Howland from:07/01/1988 till:01/01/1991 color:Drums bar:Mary from:01/01/1992 till:10/01/1992 color:Drums bar:Bistany from:10/01/1992 till:01/01/1994 color:Drums bar:Mary from:01/01/1994 till:01/01/1999 color:Drums bar:Sobel from:01/01/1999 till:01/01/2015 color:Drums bar:Dette from:01/01/2015 till:01/01/2018 color:Drums bar:Johansson from:01/01/2018 till:09/06/2024 color:Drums bar:Bostaph from:09/06/2024 till:end color:Drums }}
== Discography == {| class="wikitable" !Year !Title !Type |- |1987 |''Impellitteri'' |EP |- |1988 |''[[Stand in Line]]'' |Studio |- |1992 |''Grin and Bear It'' |Studio |- |1993 |''Victim of the System'' |EP |- |1994 |''Answer to the Master'' |Studio |- |1996 |''Screaming Symphony'' |Studio |- |1997 |''Fuel for the Fire'' |EP |- |1997 |''Eye of the Hurricane'' |Studio |- |1998 |''Live! Fast! Loud!'' |Live |- |2000 |''Crunch'' |Studio |- |2002 |''System X'' |Studio |- |2002 |''The Very Best of Impellitteri: Faster Than the Speed of Light'' |Compilation |- |2004 |''Pedal to the Metal'' |Studio |- |2009 |''Wicked Maiden'' |Studio |- |2015 |''Venom'' |Studio |- |2018 |''The Nature of the Beast'' |Studio |- |2022 |''Wake the Beast'' |Compilation |- |2023 |''The Complete Beast 1987-2009'' |Compilation |- |2024 |''War Machine'' |Studio |- |}
== References == *{{cite book|last=Hale|first=Mark|title=Headbangers|year=1993|publisher=Popular Culture, Ink.|location=[[Ann Arbor, Michigan|Ann Arbor]], [[Michigan]]|edition=First edition, second printing|isbn=1-56075-029-4|chapter=1409 |page=160}} *{{cite book|last=Powell|first=Mark Allan|title=Encyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Music|year=2002|publisher=Hendrickson Publishers|location=[[Peabody, Massachusetts|Peabody]], [[Massachusetts]]|isbn=1-56563-679-1 |edition=First printing|chapter=Impellitteri|page=431|chapter-url-access=registration|chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofco00mark/page/431}}
== Footnotes == {{Reflist}}
== External links == * [{{AllMusic|class=artist|id=impellitteri-p13267|pure_url=yes}} Impellitteri biography by Steve Huey, discography, album reviews, credits & releases] at [[AllMusic.com]] * [https://www.discogs.com/artist/1822209-Impellitteri Impellitteri discography, album releases & credits] at [[Discogs.com]] * [https://play.spotify.com/artist/5z1vzTURV3bwwXqxkjy47W Impellitteri albums to be listened] as stream at [[Spotify|Play.Spotify.com]]
{{Impellitteri}}
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[[Category:American musical quintets]] [[Category:Heavy metal musical groups from California]] [[Category:Musical groups established in 1987]] [[Category:Musical groups disestablished in 1990]] [[Category:Musical groups reestablished in 1992]] [[Category:Musical groups from Los Angeles]] [[Category:Frontiers Records artists]]