I am the Intimidator – I am the Intimidator
March 8th, 2024
Speed / Thrash Metal / NWOTHM
Miserable Pyre
Portland, Oregon, USA
Never in a million years did I ever suspect myself of getting really into a NASCAR-themed heavy metal band, and yet here we are. Described as a fantastical reimagination of the life of famed NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt, I am the Intimidator is here to rip you in half and make you eat their smoke. The solo project of former Poison Idea guitarist Andrew Stromstad, this album is an unrepentant ode to both Earnhardt’s life and accomplishments as well as the type of kickass, dueling guitar badassery of the heavy metal of the 80’s.
Though the first track on this album, “No Regrets”, is an instrumental cut featuring samples of Earnhardt speaking during interviews, it does a decent job of preparing you for what’s to come next. “Gasoline”, the first song to feature vocals on this thing, holds absolutely nothing back. Its repetition of one line “Better pump the gasoline, motherfucker” over and over as the chorus will worm its way inside your skull upon your first listen and you’ll find yourself completely unable to thing of anything for the rest of the day.
Interestingly enough this album provides a hell of a lot of variety to the listener. More than you’d expect. While “Gasoline” is a thrashy ripper that holds nothing back, the following track, “Eat My Smoke”, is a borderline epic doom metal song with slight shades of both Dio and Candlemass. The vocals get deep and guttural on occasion, while the guitars are backed by subtle flourishes of synths across a slow tempo that plods along like a colossal giant striding through a mountainous landscape.
The vocals here are shockingly great given the concept. Stromstad is an impeccable vocalist with a hell of a range and great control over his performance. He really digs deep into the raw, unvarnished power of classic heavy metal, though I find the aforementioned Dio comparison to be the most apt. There are shades of Iron Maiden and Judas Priest in the vocal performance as well, but I really think Stromstad’s range and tone remind me more of Ronnie James Dio than anyone else from that era. His gutturals feel like they could easily belong on a song by a group like Crypt Sermon, and in fact, in spite of the difference in lyrical theme both bands could easily share a stage together if Stromstad was to take this thing into the live setting.
The guitars shine through on this record as well, featuring some truly memorable guitar lines that bring everything that was great about 80’s heavy metal to the forefront. The riffs are glorious, heavy, punchy, and non-stop. Whether they’re speedy and thrashy or slower and doomy they do a perfect job of slipping into that sound and inducing a wave of nostalgia. That’s to say nothing of the leads which are positively epic and sweeping, screaming out over the rest of the instrumental like an eagle soaring through a cloudless sky. Even the bass gets more than a few moments to stand out in the mix, having several instances where the guitars cut out to allow the bass to transition one part of a song into the other.
The drums, while I’m pretty sure they’re programmed, don’t do much to distract me. They have a bit of a rougher quality to them than I would like, and I wish they didn’t sound so filtered and electronic. There are parts during the rolls in “No Regrets” that sometimes jump out at me, but overall it doesn’t bother me too much. What matters more is that the composition of the drums makes for a hell of a rip-roarin’ ride across the asphalt. The percussion carries everything with heaviness and speed. The production does a lot of the heavy lifting, ensuring that the drums bleed into the mixture enough so as to add to the raw sound of the whole thing.
While I wasn’t expecting to love this thing as much as I did I’m glad I gave it a shot because it goes hard as fuck. The lyrics and concept are silly, sure, but the music contained within is as real and badass as anything that came out in the golden era of classic metal. This album would’ve fit in right alongside Judas Priest’s Screaming for Vengeance and Black Sabbath’s Heaven and Hell back in the day. If you’re keeping a close eye on the NWOTHM movement, don’t let this one pass you by.
Final Verdict: 8/10
Great
Favourite Tracks:
“Gasoline”
“Eat My Smoke”
“I am Here… Now”
“Crying from the Abyss”
~ Akhenaten
Where Strides The Behemoth? 