Crunch

OMG what a fucking METAL album. And lots of classical influence as well. This band is such an underrated band and is sad that most metalheads do not know about these guys. Chris Impellitteri is one of the crazitest shredders out there. Great vocals here, without a doubt.

Beware the Devil is fast and frantic and has a beautiful chorus. The vocals are done rather nicely. This is a great song.

Turn of the Century has some nice neo-classical parts with another fast paced song.

Speed Demon has some power metal riffs here, the chorus is very catchy with a little bit of screaming. This has Priest written all over it. More of that great soloing. It still amazes me so many people don't know about these guys.

Wake Me Up is very classical sounding with some heavy ass riffs mixed in. Weird noises come out around 0:54 and kinda take away from the song. This is still a headbanger.

Spanish Fire is an all out fucking shredder! Yngwie would be damn proud, if it weren't for his ego.

Slay the Dragon is a little cheesy, but not bad. That weird noise is back for some reason...

Wasted Earth is a speed metal fest but is a little inconsisten on that. It's heavy but kinda annoying with the guitar fiddling around too much. When it's fast, you definitly MUST headband. Vocals are top notch and screams a bit in the Priest vein.

Forever Yours sounds like something on a Sonic the Hedgehog game, but with vocals. This is the ballad of the album, and could have not been included, it may make you want to skip it, as it's also a bit cheesy.

Texas Nucear Boogie is a bluesy type of rocker, with lots of solos and comes off pretty heavy. This song should have came after Wasted Earth instead of that dumb ballad.

Fear No Evil is one of the top tracks here, and closes the album nicely, and 'crunches'. The singer seems to be trying to sound like James Hetfield at times. Heavy fucking song though. The chorus is among the best here. Should've been put in the beginning of the album though. It wouldve fit better there.

Great album. Highly underrated band. Definitly buy this. You will get your money's worth.

This is top notch heavy metal. I heard about this band for a while, and recently saw the 2 CD bundle of Crunch/Screaming Symphony for only $14 on Amazon.com, so I went ahead and picked it up. Without doubt, it was certainly worth the purchase price.

Memorable crunchy riffs are all over this album and the guitar work by the namesake of the band, Chris Impellitteri, is excellent. Rob Rock provides some beautiful vocals and the chorus melodies are very varied and stick in your mind, far after the disc stops spinning. All the songs are total rockers, although several stick out. I absolutely love the chorus in Freak Show. "LIVING IN A FREAK SHOW!!!" Great stuff. The instrumental Spanish Fire absolutely rips. Listen to to that guitar!! That's talent. Speed Demon finishes off the album in style. The title is a bit of a misnomer. It's not much "speedier" than any of the tracks, but damn, it still rocks. Great vocal work on the track with another catchy chorus. The album does have some weak points. There are some pointless noises and random sound bits placed before a few songs and in Wasted Earth's case, in the song. What the hell are the point of these? Also, the disc runs a bit on the short side, coming in just under 40 minutes.

Still, this album is highly recommended, and with it being bundled with Screaming Symphony, you can't go wrong. About as good as you can get in the modern heavy/power metal scene.