CHRIS IMPELLITTERI Slams 'Larger Metal Sites' For Not Promoting His Latest Video: 'They Either Hate Us Or We Do Not Conform To Their Standards'

October 9, 2019

**UPDATE** Chris Impellitteri has made a new Instagram post saying that the ImpellitteriTwitter account calling out BLABBERMOUTH.NET directly for not covering his band's latest video was fake (and it has since apparently been deleted). However, he did stand by the rest of the original message on the aforementioned Twitter account as it relates to expressing his frustration over "getting ignored by the bigger media outlets, including the larger metal sites."

Earlier tonight, Chris posted the following message on his official Instagram account: "Dear Blabbermouth, love you guys but you just posted an article about IMPELLITTERI slamming Blabbermouth 'Directly' for not playing our new music video 'HYPOCRISY', which is not correct. .......you stated my quote came from my Twitter account...which is wrong as I have never used Twitter! I do not even know how to use Twitter! However, we did post the statement (listed below) on our Instagram and Facebook page after many of our fans expressed frustration over IMPELLITTERI getting ignored by the bigger media outlets including the larger metal sites. None the less, I do stand by my comment regarding the ridiculous rules that metal artists have to conform to in order to be accepted and promoted.......oddly, when we first released the debut IMPELLITTERI Black EP with songs like 'Lost In The Rain' we were told we play too fast, scream to high, have too much hair, etc...and from that point on we were always a band of the people as the media always seemed to ignore us for not conforming to whatever the current trend was... I copied my earlier Instagram post and pasted below for clarity! Okay I will now shut up and get back to playing my guitar as that is what I should be doing!"

Chris's original message, which was referenced by the above-mentioned Twitter account and which also appears on the guitarist's official Instagram, reads as follows:

"IS HEAVY METAL DEAD? Perhaps a better question to ask is 'are there too many rules created by the metal community or industry as to what artists must sound like, dress like including hair style, and social group they must conform to in order to be promoted or accepted? Remember rock and roll was supposed to be free of fucking rules!' ...This week IMPELLITTERI released a new music video titled 'HYPOCRISY' and I am getting inundated with fans asking why the bigger media outlets do not promote us........my answer again is simple, they either hate us, or we do not conform to their standards! So f#ck em! Our music is for those that do not abide by rules! We make music like 'HYPOCRISY' because we love to play this style of metal! #impellitteri #thenatureofthebeast #breaktherules"

Impellitteri first made his mark in 1987 with the release of his debut EP, "Impellitteri". According to Guitar World, Chris has since issued 11 albums under his band name, IMPELLITTERI, including his latest, "The Nature Of The Beast", which features his longtime bandmates, vocalist Rob Rock and bassist James Amelio Pulli, plus ex-SLAYER and TESTAMENT drummer Jon Dette. The disc was recorded in Los Angeles with engineer/producer Mike Plotnikoff (VAN HALEN, AEROSMITH, IN FLAMES) and Canadian mix engineer Greg Reely (OVERKILL, FEAR FACTORY, MACHINE HEAD).

Impellitteri, whose various projects have been covered on BLABBERMOUTH.NET a number of times over the years, previously made headlines in January when he dismissed suggestions that he is an "Yngwie Malmsteen clone," saying that he views himself as "much more of a child of players like Al Di Meola blended with a [Eddie] Van Halen and [Randy] Rhoads."

In a 2018 interview with Guitar World, Chris claimed that he was unfairly "lumped in with all of the shredder guys" back in the 1980s. "I have nothing but the utmost respect for all of them, but I've never thought of myself as a 'solo' guy," he explained. "The concept of playing in a band — and playing guitar in a way that serves the overall band sound — is what I'm most interested in. My love of music is tied directly to the interaction between musicians because we communicate with each other through the instruments we play."

View this post on Instagram

IS HEAVY METAL DEAD? Perhaps a better question to ask is “are there too many rules created by the metal community or industry as to what artists must sound like, dress like including hair style, and social group they must conform to in order to be promoted or accepted? Remember rock and roll was supposed to be free of fucking rules! “.......This week IMPELLITTERI released a new music video titled ‘Hypocrisy’ and I am getting inundated with fans asking why the bigger media outlets do not promote us.......my answer again is simple, they either hate us, or we do not conform to their standards! So f#ck em! Our music is for those that do not abide by Rules! We make music like Hypocrisy because we love to play this style of metal!!!!! #impellitteri #thenatureofthebeast #breakthebrules #heavymetal

A post shared by Chris Impellitteri (@chrisimpellitteriofficial) on

View this post on Instagram

Dear Blabbermouth, love you guys but you just posted an article about IMPELLITTERI slamming Blabbermouth ‘Directly’ for not playing our new music video ‘HYPOCRISY’, which is not correct. https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/chris-impellitteri-slams-blabbermouth-net-for-not-promoting-his-latest-video-they-either-hate-us-or-we-do-not-conform-to-their-standards/ .......you stated my quote came from my twitter account...which is wrong as I have never used Twitter! I do not even know how to use twitter! However, we did post the statement (listed below) on our Instagram and Facebook page after many of our fans expressed frustration over IMPELLITTERI getting ignored by the bigger media outlets including the larger metal sites. None the less, I do stand by my comment regarding the ridiculous rules that metal artists have to conform to in order to be accepted and promoted.......oddly, when we first released the debut IMPELLITTERI Black EP with songs like “Lost in the Rain” we were told we play too fast, scream to high, have too much hair, etc...and from that point on we were always a band of the people as the media always seemed to ignore us for not conforming to whatever the current trend was... I copied my earlier Instagram post and pasted below for clarity! Okay I will now shut up and get back to playing my guitar as that is what I should be doing! https://youtu.be/wBaVrqHi0D0 IS HEAVY METAL DEAD? Perhaps a better question to ask is “are there too many rules created by the metal community or industry as to what artists must sound like, dress like including hair style, and social group they must conform to in order to be promoted or accepted? Remember rock and roll was supposed to be free of fucking rules!” ...This week IMPELLITTERI released a new music video titled ‘HYPOCRISY’ and I am getting inundated with fans asking why the bigger media outlets do not promote us........my answer again is simple, they either hate us, or we do not conform to their standards! So f#ck em! Our music is for those that do not abide by rules! We make music like ‘HYPOCRISY’ because we love to play this style of metal! #impellitteri #thenatureofthebeast #breaktherules

A post shared by Chris Impellitteri (@chrisimpellitteriofficial) on

Find more on
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • reddit
  • email

Comments Disclaimer And Information

BLABBERMOUTH.NET uses the Facebook Comments plugin to let people comment on content on the site using their Facebook account. The comments reside on Facebook servers and are not stored on BLABBERMOUTH.NET. To comment on a BLABBERMOUTH.NET story or review, you must be logged in to an active personal account on Facebook. Once you're logged in, you will be able to comment. User comments or postings do not reflect the viewpoint of BLABBERMOUTH.NET and BLABBERMOUTH.NET does not endorse, or guarantee the accuracy of, any user comment. To report spam or any abusive, obscene, defamatory, racist, homophobic or threatening comments, or anything that may violate any applicable laws, use the "Report to Facebook" and "Mark as spam" links that appear next to the comments themselves. To do so, click the downward arrow on the top-right corner of the Facebook comment (the arrow is invisible until you roll over it) and select the appropriate action. You can also send an e-mail to blabbermouthinbox(@)gmail.com with pertinent details. BLABBERMOUTH.NET reserves the right to "hide" comments that may be considered offensive, illegal or inappropriate and to "ban" users that violate the site's Terms Of Service. Hidden comments will still appear to the user and to the user's Facebook friends. If a new comment is published from a "banned" user or contains a blacklisted word, this comment will automatically have limited visibility (the "banned" user's comments will only be visible to the user and the user's Facebook friends).