Chris Impellitteri
American guitarist
title: "Chris Impellitteri" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1964-births", "living-people", "american-lead-guitarists", "american-heavy-metal-guitarists", "american-people-of-italian-descent", "american-male-guitarists", "impellitteri-members", "20th-century-american-guitarists", "20th-century-american-male-musicians", "animetal-usa-members"] description: "American guitarist" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Impellitteri" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary American guitarist ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox musical artist"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Chris Impellitteri |
| image | Chris IMPELLITTERI.jpg |
| caption | Chris Impellitteri, 2016 Busan Rock Festival |
| birth_date | |
| birth_place | Connecticut, U.S. |
| genre | Neo-classical metal, heavy metal, speed metal |
| occupation | Guitarist |
| years_active | 1983–present |
| label | Relativity Records, JVC |
| associated_acts | Impellitteri, Vice, Animetal USA, Graham Bonnet, House of Lords |
| :: |
| name = Chris Impellitteri | image = Chris IMPELLITTERI.jpg | caption = Chris Impellitteri, 2016 Busan Rock Festival | birth_name = | alias = | birth_date = | birth_place = Connecticut, U.S. | death_date = | genre = Neo-classical metal, heavy metal, speed metal | occupation = Guitarist | years_active = 1983–present | label = Relativity Records, JVC | associated_acts = Impellitteri, Vice, Animetal USA, Graham Bonnet, House of Lords | website =
Chris Impellitteri (born September 25, 1964) is an American guitarist and songwriter, who is the lead guitarist and founder of the heavy metal band Impellitteri.
In 2003, Guitar One Magazine voted Chris Impellitteri the second-fastest guitar shredder of all time. In 2008, Guitar World magazine named him as one of the fastest guitarists of all time. In 2023, Impellitteri was inducted into the Heavy Metal Hall of Fame.
Biography
On The Blairing Out Show, he said that both his parents died by suicide when he was nine years old, and that the guitar provided a path for him to express his anger and feelings. Impellitteri's first music release was a black EP titled Impellitteri. It was filled with music featuring shredding guitar solos, screaming vocals, and a fast rhythm section. The Impellitteri Black EP established the band's sound in the metal world and was well received by their fans, critics, and respected musicians. Chris Impellitteri was instantly branded a guitar hero after this recording was released. The following Impellitteri record was titled Stand in Line and propelled the band into stardom. The music video "Stand in Line" was played often on MTV and VH1. The Stand in Line album featured Graham Bonnet on lead vocals who formerly sang with the rock band Rainbow. Impellitteri has released two records titled Venom (2015) and The Nature of the Beast (2018). The band Impellitteri currently features Rob Rock on vocals, James Pulli on Bass and Jon Dette on drums. The band has become popular globally and has performed to over 30,000 people at a single show.
Equipment
Over the course of his career, Impelliterri has used a wide variety of different guitar brands and models, including Fender, Gibson, and Dean. He is currently endorsed by Charvel guitars with whom he has a custom model. In addition, he also used ENGL amplifiers and Seymour Duncan pickups. Chris Impellitteri is currently using Charvel and Gibson guitars and Vintage Marshall and Mesa Boogie amplification.
Discography
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4d/Chris_Impellitteri_(cropped).jpg" caption="Impellitteri performing in 2016"] ::
with Impellitteri
- Stand in Line (1988)
- Grin and Bear It (1992)
- Answer to the Master (1994)
- Screaming Symphony (1996)
- Eye of the Hurricane (1997)
- Crunch (2000)
- System X (2002)
- Pedal to the Metal (2004)
- Wicked Maiden (2009)
- Venom (2015)
- The Nature of the Beast (2018)
with Animetal USA
- Animetal USA (2011)
- Animetal USA W (2012)
Guest appearances
- House of Lords – Sahara (1990)
- Various artists – Dragon Attack: A Tribute to Queen (1997)
- Various artists – Randy Rhoads Tribute (2000)
- Damir Šimić-Shime - tOne Addict (2010)
- Mari Hamada - Gracia (2018)
- Alcatrazz - Born Innocent (2020)
References
References
- "Fastest Guitar Shredders". Phil Brodie Band.
- "50 Fastest Guitarists of All Time". GuitarWorld Magazine.
- (31 January 2023). "Lift Up Your Hands in Praise: The 2023 Metal Hall of Fame Gala".
- (April 12, 2020). "CHRIS IMPELLITTERI Says He Was Approached By SHARON OSBOURNE About Joining OZZY's Band".
- (1995). "[[Encyclopedia of Popular Music". [[Guinness Publishing]].
- "Impellitteri – Eternal Rock".
- "Chris Impellitteri's Equipboard".
- Andy Aledort November 30, 2018. (November 30, 2018). "Chris Impellitteri Breaks Down His Latest Pyrotechnical Workout, 'The Nature of the Beast'".
::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::