Customer Reviews

System X

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

To be honest I didn't know or even care about guitarist Impellitteri before I heard that he hired Graham Bonnet on vocals for this album.I've always loved that guy's voice, rough powerful but also melodic and bluesy.A good original voice is so rare lately on HEAVY METAL albums that I had to get it!
System X is a HM pearl!All songs are classic Heavy tracks but extremely well played and produced.Impellitteri has nothing to envy from most guitar heroes and is conscient he's not alone on this album.Every musician fully contributes to the greatness of this cd, and of course Bonnet is louder than ever,much more impressive than on any of his solo albums.
To me System X is Bonnet's best release since MSG's Assault Attack and best band or line up since then too.
If you only want to get one HEAVY METAL album this year, this should be the one!

This is not Stand in Line part 2. This is much better!! Graham Bonnets voice does not seem to lose a beat. This is a much tighter group and a much better sound. This album is with the times. Very good metal. Grahams 3rd best release. Assault Attack #1, No Parole #2, System X #3. Even includes a Rainbow sounding song. Is it just me or does Falling in love with a stranger sound like All night long. Purchase this release, you will NOT be disappointed. Enjoy!!!

Graham bonnet takes this album on his hands and with his supreme voice makes it the hard rock album of the year.
Just listen that voice,is one of the best.
BRAVO BONNET!

I was excited to finally get System X and then I put it in the player and was optimistic at the start. I soon heard my optimism was misplaced somewhat. Graham Bonnet sounds great as always. The songs are mostly fairly weak though. They are all very heavy, speed metal almost. Very heavy guitar and bass. Most of the lyrics are somewhat juvenile and lame. Impellitteri's guitar work is technically proficient as always, but fairly unimaginative. He still plays fast, but doesn't have the same style as back in the days when he just tried to sound like Malmsteen. I can't say the album isn't worth a listen, but if you really want great Impellitteri you still have to go back to "Stand In Line" for greatness. For great Graham Bonnet you can check out "Impellitteri- Stand In Line", "Graham Bonnet - The Day I Went Mad", "MSG - Assault Attack", and of course all the albums by "Alcatraz" (No Parole from Rock and Roll, Dangerous Games, and Disturbing the Peace). I really, really, wanted this disc to be great, but no such luck. If you are a big Impellitteri fan(of more than just the old stuff), then you will probably like this one, but if you are expecting anything like "Stand In Line", just hold on to the great memories and stay away from this one.

When Bonnet croons out a chorus with dubbed octaves your dealing with superior musical abilities. The album has its weak tunes but there are a number of good ones that make it worth buying.

If intense guitars and powerful vocals are a turn off then you better go back to playing with dolls. Graham Bonnet and Chris Impelliteri delivery a monster with this CD. I had never heard anything by Impelliteri and I purchased this CD for the fact that Bonnet was the singer. This is one of the best purchases I have made in a while.

Evergy track just CRANKS!!! Good stuff!...radio stations nationwide should be playin more of this kinda music - cuz it ROCKS!

I have never been much of a fan of Impellitteri's guitar playing, I lump him in with the other shredders who were heavily influenced by Yngwie Malmsteen. I know that might seem unfair, but the only thing distiguishing Chris from Yngwie is the fact that he plays faster (I'm not sure what that ability has to do with making music, but young guitar players go crazy over it).

That said, I liked a couple of songs off of the first full length Impellitteri album, "Stand In Line"... mostly because Graham Bonnet was on it. The old credo "everything's better with Graham Bonnet on it" most definitely applies.

Since that time I've grown to at least respect Impellitteri's "Other" vocalist, Rob Rock, though I can't say I in any way prefer him to the Rainbow man.

But, I'm biased, not only for having grown up listening to Graham Bonnet but for...well you can probably figure it out.

This album was influenced heavily by the more scathing forms of metal: thrash and death. In fact, this album features a pleasingly updated heavy metal sound for the most part. Not even a bit of it seems forced. Bonnet sounds inspired in a big way, his voice proves to be entirely capable of handling the extremity.

A sidebar about Bonnet: It's interesting (at least to me) that Graham Bonnet was hired as the replacement for Ronnie James Dio in Rainbow, back in 1979, yet he rarely never SOUNDED like Ronnie (besides his using the "belting" vocal technique). That changes for portions of System X. Not that he goes overboard sounding like Dio on this record, but the influence can be heard on "United We Stand" and "Rock And Roll Heroes", to EXCELLENT effect.

Although this is a far cry from such dominating classics like Down To Earth and Asault Attack, there are plenty of worthwhile highlights on this album, and I would reccomend this as a first purchase for anyone interested in Impellitteri as both songwriter and guitarist.

Obviously Graham Bonnet fans will eat this right up, and overall it's a really good, invigorating listen.

This album is a non-stop storm of speedy riffs, wild solos and top-notch screaming vocals -- oh boy, you bet Graham Bonnet CAN sing! Well, the album is not very ambitious musically, but still very enjoyable and fun, mostly if you are a fan of classic, high-quality metal. Impellitteri himself goes straight the neoclassic way, deploying his Yngwie-influenced bag of tricks together with his harsher, wilder tone and his typical guitar pyrotechnics. No doubt the guy masters his craft!

Mention apart deserves Graham Bonnet, whose raspy voice and high-pitched notes sound as young as ever. The man is one of the most original vocalists in the history of rock! Thank you Mr. Bonnet for your wonderful vocal lines... You totally rock!

On the downside though, there's absolutely nothing new here. It could have been just another album from early Alcatrazz, as the songwriting heavily borrows from Yngwie mannerisms. The arrangements are quite predictable then, although the melodies are catchy and stuck in your head for hours.

The lyrics are also kind of lame. Particularly "United We Stand" is a chauvinist hymn openly targeting the average American about what happened 9/11/2001. It's just their point of view, fine, but please don't try to wash my brain once again with that cheesily patriotic speech. Don't get me wrong, there are some few smart lines in that song, but those cries for patriotism "pledging allegiance to the flag" are just an open door for political opportunists. Also, the song doesn't even sport a solo! Can you believe Impellitteri not soloing!? Come on! So, to me it is evident they were looking for some radio exposure by taking advantage of the natural rage we all felt when the Twin Towers were attacked. Not the kind of attitude I love, really.

In any case, this album is very listenable, well produced and extremely well played and sung. My preferred songs are "Slow Kill", "She's a Nightime Lover" and "Falling in Love with a Stranger", but there's no filler in this album, believe me, even if Impellitteri is not breaking any ground anymore. Now I can't help but wondering what would have happened if Impellitteri would have got the job the day he auditioned for Alcatrazz to replace Yngwie. Would Alcatrazz be still around and sounding like this? Maybe yes -- ok, dreaming costs me nothing... ;-)

Ultimately, this is a solid effort that will please to metal and rock fans alike, as it goes from start to end without saying anything original, but delivering the goods generously. Three and a half well-done, shiny stars! (ok, officially four, because I do like it! ;-))

Graham Bonnet singing , Chris Impellitteri playing guitar ... Enough said ! It's a great cd. Bonnet and Impellitteri go perfect together . I just wish they would do another cd . Check it out , you won't be disappointed .