This release marks the return of Graham Bonnet to the band, as he last sang on 1988's 'Stand in Line'. When it was announced that Rob Rock had left the group,
there was quite a buzz about who may take over the vocal reins to one of metal's most melodic and crunching acts. However, Bonnet seems to be tabbed before a
search even began, leaving any other (and undoubtedly better) choices to the fans' imaginations.
Musically, this is very close to the sound displayed on 'Crunch',
while some of the rhythms are even circa the mid-90s for the band. Thematically the songwriting goes from Christian/Revelation themes to modern-world "issues" such
as prostitution, breaking-and-entering, car jacking, and so forth. While the past topics may have gotten a bit tedious, many of the lyrics here are simply awful.
I guess
the main beef I have, though, is with the choice of Bonnet. He yells and yelps more than he sings, and the music of Impellitteri (some of the best in metal) simply
deserves better. In numerous cases the riffs and rhythms by themselves are better than the songs as a whole--mainly because Bonnet screeches and scratches with
no abandon. He's not neccesarily a bad singer (in fact, he's fronted many classic bands over the years)... he just wasn't the right choice for Impellitteri.
"Perfect Crime" is a good example of a track where the music is stellar while the vocals are a bit detracting. Some of the solid tracks include "End of the World," "What
Kind of Sanity," and "Falling in Love With a Stranger".
A stalking rhythm makes "Why Do They Do That" a nasty piece, while some good pre-chorus grinding in "Slow
Kill" is tasty as well.
TRACK LIST: United We Stand/Perfect Crime/End of the World/She's a Nightime Lover/Slow Kill/Why Do They Do That/Rock and Roll Heroes/Gotta Get Home/
What Kind of Sanity/Falling in Love With a Stranger
Why Do They Do That--RealAudio