CURRENTLY RECOMMENDED METAL

Reviews by Dr. Metal

IMPELLITTERI – SYSTEM X

2002 Victor Entertainment

Graham Bonnet reprises his role as vocalist for Impellitteri on SYSTEM X, replacing the legendary Rob Rock. Filling Rob's shoes is not an easy task, as any fan of Impellitteri can tell you. But Graham has done it before (on the classic 1988 STAND IN LINE album) and here he does a great job again. Rob Rock left the band to pursue a solo career, releasing the awesome RAGE OF CREATION in 2000. He also sang lead vocals on Warrior's incredible album THE CODE OF LIFE and contributed vocals to the AVANTASIA project in 2001. I was disappointed when I heard that Rob and Chris could not come to terms and Rob had left the band. Chris should have just let Rob make his solo album, but egos got in the way and Rob ended up leaving Impellitteri. Thus, the return of Graham Bonnet behind the mic. Graham Bonnet has definitely turned up the power in his vocal delivery, no doubt realizing how great a singer Rob Rock was. He stretches his voice into a few areas I haven't heard from him before. He gives a truly blistering performance! He's always had a cool voice; in my opinion he is one of he best vocalists ever. Graham has been singing since the '70s! He's had a lengthy solo career and fronted bands like Rainbow, Michael Schenker Group, Alcatrazz and even the Japanese group Anthem! The guy is a living legend.

I believe Chris has probably evolved into the most technically proficient guitarist around. If you don't believe me, just pick this album up (or order it from over seas!) and take a listen. He shreds just as hard as he always has, the solos are still lightning fast and his style is unmatched. Most importantly, the guitar tone is what sets him apart from all the other guitarists out there. Other players on SYSTEM X include James Pulli on bass, Ed Roth on keyboards and the incredible Glen Sobel on drums.

Overall, the songs on SYSTEM X are very emotional, disgruntled and acerbic. Topics include racism, violence, frustration and September 11, 2001. It seems that September 11th has been the topic to write about. I don't have a problem with that. These guys have every right to vent their frustrations about what happened. Check out these lyrics, from the song "United We Stand":

"This prick on a power trip unleashed the dogs of war

You say you're a man of God

But you're just the devil's whore

You fool, I say to the eastern man

Your evil ain't gonna win

You better run you better hide

Cause you pissed off America"

How's that for wearing your heart on your sleeve? There's more great lyrics than just that part too!

One cool aspect that Graham brings back to the band is the ability to create a romantic song style like "Stand In Line." They come close to that style on the great songs "She's A Nighttime Lover" and "Falling In Love With A Stranger." Graham didn't write either song, but it's all in the delivery. Anoher thing Graham does so well is make lyrics that don't even come close to rhyming sound great together. Other great songs on SYSTEM X include "Perfect Crime," "United We Stand," "Why Do They Do That" and "Rock & Roll Heroes." In fact, the whole album is solid, there are really no filler songs.

Complaints: As with most Impellitteri releases, very few. The album cover is fairly lame. It's just a hand grenade covered with barbed wire. My only other complaint is that the band is still on the RCA-Victor label of Japan. I'm disappointed that Chris hasn't bothered to pursue a U.S. distribution deal for his band. This makes all their albums Japanese imports. It pretty much doubles the price for the American fans. All the band's material is nearly impossible to find, (except for a few re-releases on Dream Catcher Records) and that's a shame, because Impellitteri has released some of the best Metal records EVER. Bottom line, this album is really good. My advice is to not only buy SYSTEM X, but seek out all the Impellitteri albums. I own them all, and they are all great.

DISCOGRAPHY:

IMPELLITTERI - EP (1987) Polydor

STAND IN LINE (1988) Relativity

GRIN AND BEAR IT (1992) JVC

VICTIM OF THE SYSTEM - EP (1993) JVC

ANSWER TO THE MASTER (1994) JVC

SCREAMING SYMPHONY (1996) JVC

FUEL FOR THE FIRE - EP (1997) JVC

EYE OF THE HURRICANE (1997) JVC

CRUNCH (2000) JVC

SYSTEM X (2002) JVC

Click here for link to IMPELLITTERI Real Audio!