Attention all Strapping Young Lad fans! Tired of mourning the demise or extended hiatus of your favorite extreme metal band (no word from Devin Townsend yet on what the final result is) and looking for something to scratch that all too familiar itch? Well, you've come to the right place. Zimmers Hole is basically 3/4 of Strapping Young Lad, the long time side project of SYL's Jed Simon (guitar) and Byron Stroud (bass), who have brought along pal Gene Hoglan (drums) for the ride here, along with recurring vocalist Stan AKA The Heathen (real name Chris Valagao). Basically, if you like the formula on SYL's Alien, or The New Black, chances are you will fall right in love with this 'out of control' third release from Zimmers Hole. Musically, not much is different here, as the band combine death metal, industrial, thrash, and grindcore styles, throw in some over-the-top vocals from The Heathen, as well as some rather silly lyrics, for a formula that is pure aggression & testosterone filled from start to finish. Old mate Devin produced the vocals here, and his influence is all over The Heathen's wild mix of screams, growls, and maniacal reverberations. He does a good job trying to outdo King Diamond on the heavy "Flight of the Knight Bat", covers all of Townsend's tricks on "We Rule the Fucking Land", and lets it all hang loose on the catchy yet violent title track (come on, you just gotta love the title "When You Were Shouting at the Devill... We Were in League with Satan"!). Musically, this thing is absolutely top-notch, with Simon's riffs razor sharp and brutal (and there's a hell of a lot more solos on this record, something we don't get enough of on SYL releases), Stroud's bass grooves massive, and the always entertaining drum clinic from the legend Hoglan.
Other highlights include the Southern stomp of "The Devils Mouth", the Dethklok tribute on "Vowel Song", the grinding mix of death metal with vintage Skid Row on "Fista Corps", the hilarious homage to power metal (Manowar, you listening?) that is " Hair Doesn't Grow on Steel" , and the crusing extreme metal epic "What's My Name...Evil!". As intense as this release is, ultimately When You Were Shouting At the Devil...We Were in League With Satan is a freakin' riot, a CD that you can listen to over and over again and enjoy it more and more each time. No doubt the band had a blast making this pummeling slice 'o' metal, so crank it up, crack open a beer, do some headbanging, but most importantly have some fun with it.
Track Listing
1. When You Were Shouting at the Devill... We Were in League with Satan
2. We Rule the Fucking Land
3. Flight of the Knight Bat
4. 1312
5. Devil's Mouth
6. Vowel Song
7. Fista Corps
8. Anonymous Esophagus
9. Alright
10. Hair Doesn't Grow on Steel
11. What's My Name...Evil!
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