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IMPELLITTERI
The Nature Of The Beast
2018 Frontiers Records

Heavy Metal veterans IMPELLITTERI are back in 2018 with their new album The Nature of The Beast. It’s the band’s 11th album, and the follow-up to their 2015 release, Venom. The lineup is the same as Venom, with Rob Rock (Vocals), James Pulli (Bass), Jon Dette (Drums) and of course the master of shred, Chris Impellitteri on guitar.

“Hypocrisy” is an outstanding opening track, motivated by Chris’ lightning fast riffing and leads, and Jon Dette’s double bass drumming. Vocalist Rob Rock sings of Lucifer’s deception; this is just a perfect opener in my opinion. “Masquerade” is a really fun track. Any song that excoriates Hollywood liberals is a winner in my book. “Run For Your Life” imagines the failure of today’s politics leading to nuclear fallout; that’s something not quite so far-fetched anymore. These first three songs are a fantastic trio of tracks that are around the three to four minute mark each. Next up is “Gates Of Hell”, a killer speed metal anthem and “Wonder World”, which describes a world taken over by artificial intelligence.

As you get into the second half of the album, there are some longer songs, which are great to hear. There are three that eclipse the five-minute mark and one over the six-minute mark. “Man Of War” slows things down a little and features some groove; love the lyrics and chorus here. The Jekyll and Hyde tale recounted by “Do You Think I’m Mad” is really cool. This monster track is probably my favorite song on the album. The opening riff in “Fire It Up” sounds like the riff from “Venom” repurposed here. Yet this is an enjoyable song with a lot of soul. “Kill The Beast” is the longest song on the album, and probably the most traditional metal song to be found here. The album ends with the anthemic “Shine On”, which is pretty nice. I can always use a little positive encouragement!

There are two incredible cover songs on TNOTB. “The Phantom Of The Opera” has been covered by bands before, but I don’t think quite so convincingly. Organ accents from the original are about the only similarities to the original musical theme. Otherwise, the tempo and speed are taken to the next level. James Pulli plays some impressive bass lines on this song as well. BLACK SABBATH’S “Symptom Of The Universe” is arguably one of the greatest heavy metal songs ever written. IMPELLITTERI offer a new take the master’s formula, once again intensifying the power and speed. This is an impressive version of the song! The band released a video for the song that you can view on KNAC.COM HERE.

Chris Impellitteri’s guitar playing on this album is absolutely mind-boggling, fast, technical and brutal! He continues to be among the fastest and impressive guitarists in heavy music. His riffs and solos on TNOTB are as on-fire as anything else he has ever done. Rob Rock’s voice never seems to lose its power, and he proves once again he is one of the greatest singers alive. The increase in aggression is appreciated. This is really a speed metal album with no ballads!

If you were a fan of the band’s 2015 album Venom, you are going to love The Nature of The Beast as well. I think that this is a better album than Venom, in fact. Venom featured numerous classic IMPELLITTERI tracks, but only held short songs in the three to four minute range, with an overall length of about 35 minutes. TNOTB has 12 songs, with the overall length around 51 minutes.

I also love the cover artwork by Stan W. Decker, who is one of the most popular artists working today. TNOTB definitely adds to the IMPELLITTERI legacy, and is a contender for my album of the year. It is available now in CD and vinyl formats.

5.0 Out Of 5.0