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OK shred fans, Chris Impellitteri is back with his 11th full-length album from his eponymous band and like the last one, 2015's Venom, The Nature of the Beast kicks ass. Chris' fingers are all over the fret board, a sure way to get the guitar fan's attention but he knows it isn't enough to spout random riffs and pointless arpeggios. The Nature of the Beast has actual songs that are excellent slices of traditional heavy metal. It doesn't hurt that he's got the powerful voice of Rob Rock belting out the lyrics, either. Impellitteri must have a "heavy" pedal for his instrument because he really gets the thunder rolling with the guitar sound on cuts like "Masquerade" and "Do You Think I'm Mad", two of the more memorable songs. There's a traditional metal version of Black Sabbath's "Symptom of the Universe" that is so well done, it would be easy not to realize it is over 40 years old. The band never slows down, there are no sissified ballads on The Nature of the Beast, and it is a compliment to the songwriting that it never once gets boring. The songs all sound unified but distinct and that is no easy task. Impellitteri is on a roll with this album following the well-received Venom, so scoop them both up if you enjoy heavy-as-hell traditional metal or shred or a tasty combination of the two.