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IMPELLITTER! GESUNDHEIT...

Ludicrous speed. Mel Brooks hit on it in Spaceballs without ever realizing that he had summed up a whole generation of heavy metal. Songs, melody, stuff like that—can a band really function successfully at. . . ludicrous speed? Or, more to the point here, can a guitarist really say anything more than “look at me” whilst frantically diddling away?

November 2, 1988
Paul Suter

IMPELLITTER! GESUNDHEIT...

FEATURES

Paul Suter

Ludicrous speed. Mel Brooks hit on it in Spaceballs without ever realizing that he had summed up a whole generation of heavy metal. Songs, melody, stuff like that—can a band really function successfully at. . . ludicrous speed? Or, more to the point here, can a guitarist really say anything more than “look at me” whilst frantically diddling away?

As perhaps befits the guitarist with the most letters in his name, Chris Impellitteri is setting his sights on being the guitarist with the most notes in his solos, even declaring on the inner sleeve of his first full album “I promise that my guitar solos will only get faster.” The theme must be having its effect, for at the time of writing the album has sold over 75,000 units in its first three weeks and zipped up to #116 on the Billboard charts—no mean achievement for a virtual unknown with only a limited-edition independent EP to his prior credit.

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