Originally written by Harley Carlson.
I admittedly have very little knowledge in regards to the history of Impellitteri. The few releases that I have actually heard, 1992’s Grin And Bear It and 1994’s Answer To The Master (both with the mighty Rob Rock on vocals), had strong cock-rock leanings but they were fairly decent albums, even for third-string melodic metal. It’s been a long time coming to reacquaint myself with the Los Angeles based quartet, and I must confess, that their latest effort Pedal To The Metal is not a very warm or welcome homecoming. I will cut straight to the chase; this is not the Impellitteri that I knew from back in the day. Pedal To The Metal is a sad joke that really isn’t all that funny.
What the band has referred to as a sort of tribute to some of their favorite groups, is actually nothing more than the utter bastardization of some of metal’s most memorable moments, with a few other not so great moments thrown in for good measure. Exhibit A: On “The Kingdom Of Titus” Impellitteri go up in flames by attempting to revisit the bulk of the riffs from “Pinball Map”. Next up, the boys clown around with some Slipknot (sic)ness on “Crushing Daze” and even go so far as to shoot down Pantera’s “Cowboys From Hell”. “Destruction” is a very suitable description for what is done to the main riff from Yngwie Malmsteen’s “I’ll See The Light Tonight”. I have news for you, Mr. Impellitteri – Yngwie still owns your ass. “Propaganda Mind” catches a glimpse of the band getting “Stupefied” as they recycle a certain disturbing hook from a certain American nu-metal act. The final and most ironic tribute on Pedal To The Metal that I am able to pinpoint is to all the white kids who wish they were just a little darker. On the rap-metal anthem “P.U.N.K.”, Impellitteri proclaim ‘heavy metal’s back’ as they let their rhymes flow. Hasn’t anyone learned from Anthrax’s mistake yet? And where did metal go that it has returned from? Was it on vacation or something? I didn’t even notice it was away.
The ‘what the fuck were they thinking’ thought comes to mind far too often on Pedal To The Metal, and therefore makes for quite an uncomfortable listen. While I do admire the fact that Impellitteri doesn’t take themselves too seriously, they really crossed the line here and ruined an album with the possibility of potential enjoyment. They appear to be very capable musicians on all fronts as some impressive moments surface on occasion, however, the bullshit overshadows the brilliance of Pedal To The Metal. I think Rob Rock would be turning in his grave, if he were actually dead. One thing is for certain – This album has killed any chance of me investing any more of my time and energy in Impellitteri.
