History
Combat Records
Impaler recorded demo tapes which attracted the attention of Important Record Distributors and lead to the band being signed to the in-house labels IRD Records and Combat Records. They released two records with these labels, the EP Rise of the Mutants in (1985), which caused much controversy with Tipper Gore and her Parents Music Resource Center organization, [1] [2] [3] [4] and their debut LP If We Had Brains... We'd Be Dangerous in 1986, produced by Bob Mould of Hüsker Dü. Not continuing their relationship with Combat Records, the band went on to release many more albums with various labels.
1990s
The 1990s was a prolific decade for Impaler, seeing the band release four albums. Wake Up Screaming! on Channel 83 Records with second guitarist John Stradinger, followed by a demo tape Sonic Freak Show in 1995 and a self-financed release on the band's own Vlad Productions titled Undead Things (1996). It Won't Die came out in 1998 after Impaler signed with Root of All Evil Records. That label also released One Nation Under Ground. The Gruesome Years featured the two Combat releases and additional bonus tracks, plus the Black Leather Monster 7-inch vinyl and a 7-inch EP titled The Mutants Rise Again for Danish label Horror Records. At this point, the band appeared at high-profile metal festivals like Milwaukee Metal Fest, New Jersey March Metal Meltdown, Classic Metal Fest and Expo of the Extreme, exposing fans to their raw punk/metal sound and energetic, theatrical stage show.
2000s
Impaler continued with a high rate of output during the first decade of the 2000s, releasing four albums, including Old School Ghouls and Habeas Corpus, their last for Root of All Evil Records. Habeas Corpus marked the return of original bassist Court Hawley. The band signed with MVD Audio for the band's first official live recording, Alive Beyond the Grave, their first concept album, Cryptozoology (Creatures of God?), which marked the return of original guitarist Michael James Torok, the DVDs 20 Years Undead and House Band at the Funeral Parlor and two split 7-inch singles, one featuring fellow Minnesota band Ripsnorter and the other backed with two tracks by Iowa grind/crust band Black Market Fetus. In 2009, Lindsay contributed his recipe for Bloody Intestines and Worms to Hellbent for Cooking: The Heavy Metal Cookbook ; however, the recipe clarifies that the ingredients are actually Italian sausage and onions. [5] The following year Impaler released Chronicles of Terror (2010), an album containing old demos of their unreleased songs, as well as cover songs, a live show, and a twenty-page booklet that contained an interview with band members and rare photos of the group. [6] Also released during the decade was the EP, 30 Year and Rising on Old Cemetery Records in 2012, the singles "Krampus" (2014) and "Cass Lake Christmas Massacre" (2017) along with their cover of "Go Away" on the compilation, Tribute to Eric Moore and The Godz, Vol. 3 Gotta Keep A Runnin, in 2017, in 2019 there were two new releases from the band “Live At First Ave” and the split EP with Ripsnorter “If Death Were A Horse”.
The band has been honored with a star on the outside mural of the Minneapolis nightclub First Avenue, [7] recognizing performers that have played sold-out shows or have otherwise demonstrated a major contribution to the culture at the iconic venue. [8] Receiving a star "might be the most prestigious public honor an artist can receive in Minneapolis," according to journalist Steve Marsh. [9]
