Zimmers Hole - When You Were Shouting At The Devil...

With songs poking at the eccentricities of Metal, “When You Were Shouting At The Devil...We Were In League With Satan” demonstrates that Zimmer’s Hole lyrically, possess an hilarious sense of humour with absolutely no parallel in the music scene where bands often take themselves too serious. (Well Tenacious D had their moments, but on a different level.) “The Vowel Song”, featuring a dyslexic Nathan Explosion from Dethklok and “Anonymous Esophagus” screaming “My dick just wrote this song …now SHALLOW IT!” are songs that will surely make you laugh out loud.
Musically however, things are way more serious as these Canadians spawned a record as brutal as the All Blacks tackle, bound to inflict some serious damage. Opening title-track has such immeasurably muscle and strength, pounding with full steam ahead speed a blend of the symphonic grandeur reminiscent of Strapping Young Lad with the feral Death Metal attack of old Deicide. The fact that Zimmer’s Hole consists of Strapping Young Lad members minus its mastermind Devin Townsend makes this experience sound a bit familiar in style and the near perfect production from Townsend only increases the similarities between the two, but beyond the more SYL moments Zimmer’s Hole pound with a furiously and refreshingly genuine intent that warrants no detraction to its worth. “When You Were Shouting At The Devil...” musically, has its own value and with the prospect of Strapping Young Lad not issuing any more releases, thanks to the abusive music industry, somehow it attenuates the loss of one greatest and most underrated bands of recent times.
Let’s leave that matter behind our back for the moment and focus on “When You Were Shouting At The Devil...” Musically it lays somewhere between Slayer, Judas Priest and complete dementia and if only most Power Metal bands could sound as good as Zimmer’s Hole does on the second theme “We Rule The Fucking Land” I would be wearing nothing but t-shirts from Helloween, Hammerfall et all. It has one of those truly mesmerizing and anthemic chorus that most Power Metal can’t nail down even if their lives depended on it, that is without descending to levels of cheesiness.
Vocalist Chris Valagao known as The Heathen is one formidable and talented individual, I’m not sure if like Faust he made a pact with the Devil, but the man has been graced with a very powerful and eclectic voice. On the third theme “The Flight Of The Knight Bat”, his incredible voice bounces from a menacing Glen Benton growl to a deep wail characteristic of Warrel Dane, while on “1312” he does some impressive Rob Halford falsettos.
With a godly musicianship tight as Bush Junior is to oil fields, “When You Were Shouting At The Devil...” is a killer release that recaptures the fun and vibe Metal once had. (7/10)

Band info: www.legionofflames.com
Label info: www.centurymedia.com