Chris Impellitteri

" Chris Impellitteri "




Chris Impellitteri (born 1964 in Connecticut) is a guitarist. According to Guitar One Magazine, he is the second greatest shredder in the world. [1]
His influences range from rockers such as Eddie Van Halen, Uli Jon Roth and Randy Rhoads, Yngwie Malmsteen to fusion players like Al Di Meola.
He has played in several tributes through his career, has led his own-band, Impellitteri since 1987. In 1988 he worked together with ex-The Marbles, ex-Rainbow, ex-Alcatrazz singer Graham Bonnet. He is now working in a project with a Los Angeles band.
One of his most famous songs is his cover of "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" on lead guitar.

In American English Impellitteri is almost a synonym for "greatly skilled guitar player." The man has earned the utmost respect among the greatest shred guitar players in the world, and became famous in the neo-classical metal scene.
In 1987 he recorded the Mike Davis-produced CD Impellitteri. Chris took care of the guitar and bass parts, but the CD flopped because of mediocre production and gained very little success for the band.
In 1988 Chris formed a new lineup with Graham Bonnet (singer), Chuck Wright (bass), Phil Wolfe (keyboards), and Pat Torpey (drums) still under the name "Impellitteri" and soon they became big in Japan with Stand in Line, produced by Cliff Cultreri with a guest appearance from bassist Randy Rand. Wright and Torpey left soon after their breakthrough and the band had to look for a new drummer and bassist, respectively Stet Howland and Dave Spitz. In 1990 Bonnet and Wolf also left the band and were replaced by singer Mark Weitz and the French keyboard player Claude Schnell. They tried to record a few tracks known as the Holy Grail but eventually the band fell apart.
In 1992, Rob Rock, Chris and Chuck Wright resurrected Impellitteri with drummer Ken Mary, they recorded Grin and Bear It with vocalists Michael Shotton and Mike Smith. This album also wasn't a great success because it was a bit too experimental at the time. Wright and Mary left the band immediately, so Impellitteri continued with bassist James Amelio Pulli and drummer Mark Bisteny. In 1994 they recorded Victim of the System with guest appearances from former band members like Claude Schnell. The music was finally developing its own identity yet seemed like a better version of their first production.
In 1995 Ken Mary returned and Bistany had to leave in his favor. They recorded Answer to the Master and this album finally became the great success they had yearned for so long. At this time the band got reinforcement from keyboard player Edward Harris Roth and Glen Sobel.
In 1996 they recorded Screaming Symphony and in 1997 they recorded Eye of the Hurricane. Both were quite successful, especially Eye of the Hurricane, which was the strongest release yet. Finally they were noticed by the European audience and they launched a European tour. In 2000 Impellitteri recorded Crunch, which was the most experimental record yet with drum loops and samples ricocheting between the shredding guitar sounds Chris is so famous for.
Although their success had never been greater, the band again fell apart when Rock left. Thus they had to cancel their upcoming tour and the return of singer Graham Bonnet. The album didn't sell well, partly because of a lack of promotion and the experimental hook. Between 2001 and 2002 they recorded System X, a definite fallback to their roots but without the neo-classical elements they were known for. This album had good critical response and sold much better than its predecessors.
In 2003 the band employed singer Curtis Skelton, and in 2004 they released Pedal to the Metal.