https://iamtheintimidator.bandcamp.com/ ... ntimidator

Wanted to make a post about a record I've been spinning a LOT lately! This band is Dale Earnhardt themed heavy metal from the mind of Andrew from Atriarch/Poison Idea and it absolutely rips. Don't be fooled by the gimmick- this might be fun and silly but the music itself is 100% serious and would absolutely stand on its own without the playfulness. They opened for us on tour the other weekend and I went in almost blind, having only skimmed the music online a bit without giving it a real listen, and was just completely and totally blown away- since then I've had lines from the album stuck in my head almost constantly. Well worth a listen! For fans of Raven, Metal Church, Anvil.

I saw them open for Cirith Ungol a few months back. It was before they had released any music and I knew next to nothing about the band. I was incredibly confused when the singer came on stage wielding a sword and wearing a racing helmet.

They really "get" what heavy metal is about. There's just a real fierceness and ruggedness to their sound, and everything is played explosively - it's great. They even get in some pretty atmospheric, epic stuff in between all the face-melting, so it's well-rounded. Outstanding vocals too, perfect for this style. Hope they keep going.

Doin it for Dale

"Strangest Lyrical Themes You've Found in the Archives." Probably this would be up there.

I mean, if the music's good then more power to em but I dunno, gimmicks like this tend to have a short shelf life.
Both Earnhardt and Earnhardt Jr. are no longer racing anyway. Why not contemporise; how about a Kyle Larson-themed metal band?

Earnhardt became a defacto hipster icon a long time ago.

I have a local restaurant that's very famous for its hipster kitsche image, menu, etc. Like baloney sandwiches on old Disney plates.

They have had a giant Earnhardt "3" flag behind the bar forever.

I saw this album posted a couple times and thought it was good, but not very memorable besides all the Dale Earnhardt and NASCAR gimmick.

The video was funny, i doubt the album holds though.

Absolutely love the album. Been listening to it off and on since release, I just keep coming back to it. It's rough and tough, has great riffs and vocals. Love the tempo too.

Is there any video of the band playing live on YT? If there is, can you send me a link?

I think the whole thing with the motors, racing and NASCAR is very cool.

The demo he released almost one month ago was kickass metal!

Pump up the gasoline MOTHERFUCKER!!

Doesn't look like it, and I'm guessing that was their only show thus far.

They opened for us (Serpent Rider) on tour a couple weeks ago in Portland and that was their second show ever.

The subtle references throughout the album/demo/whatwver you wanna call it are too much to just be by some hipster being ironic.

Never underestimate the devotion of the #3 faithful. Its eternal.

A while ago I saw a pretty cool biography video about Dale, hope you guys enjoy it.

Yeah, don't know what Evil Entity meant with that comment, but the music feels really sincere and the lyrics are way more interesting than you'd think with this kind of a gimmick - they made some race car stuff into like, epic life and death, tribal warrior shit; it's very good. Don't see an issue.

It's just like when 3 Inches of Blood did hipster power metal 20 years ago. This is just the next level up, more obscure.

Remember the Ned Flanders band?

I just don't think you get it. Like Empyreal said it's the sincerity, earnestness and true effort put into it that puts it far past some embarrassing joke thing like what Okilly Dokilly does. If you feel nothing when the song "Gasoline" revs up and gets going, then I feel sorry for you.

As a motorsport fan I'm very biased in saying this, but in this regard (life and death etc) there really is very little that compares. I'm fascinated by the mindset and psychology behind it, especially in the earlier, more dangerous years. Having death be a very real possibility, and accepting this....to be able to drive around very fast. It defies logic and doesn't make sense, but I understand it.

Since I started following racing in the early 2000's, I've experienced over 25 deaths of drivers, riders, fans, and officials. Many of them I've watched happen live. I sometimes still struggle to reconcile how this is able to be, and why I still watch it. It's not for fascination of death, or the desire to see carnage. But perhaps rather being compelled by people pushing limits and doing extreme things.

I guess there's your connection to metal.

I would say the 'sincerity and earnestness' is the joke. Let's make a dead serious metal epic about a racecar driver.

Theme aside (which I consider to be very well depicted in the lyrics, it’s not a tiresome gimmick), this thing just fucking rules. All bangers filled with memorable hooks, and an explosive delivery, what more could you want from a heavy metal album?


Because Earnhardt Sr’s dramatic death if more befitting to a heavy metal ode?

More songs. It's closer to an EP.

The amount of songs is a terrible metric for whether something is an EP or album. Would you call Bell Witch's Mirror Reaper an EP because it only has two songs even though it's over an hour in length?

Meh...

30-40 minutes is fine for me, more than that and I tend to switch it off before I finish. Two of my favorite albums are under 30 so its cool.

Sure, but the music is good and the lyrics are good. Don't really see the problem! I couldn't give less of a fuck about "hipsters," what a trivial mid-aughts nothing of a thing to worry about.

So far its not a bad listen at all, some good guitars and vocals.

And again, The Intimidator was serious bidness.



That stache had zero fucks to give.

This is way better than it has any right to be.

Yeah - listening to it again now and I think this is probably a good summary of what inspired this guy to make the music. I've never been deep into sports but I've been covering them for work for a year. There really is something so primal and exciting about it, and those are themes that should be cool to mine. Good post...

Also - the lead guitar on this is just mouthwatering good. So sleek and bad-ass.

That's word for word what I posted in the first thread about this lol.

I've been listening to it since I heard of it on another thread here. I think it is fantastic. I really love the vocals. They really are perfect for heavy metal.