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

**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."