Side projects often arise when a main band pauses between tours, album sessions, or other breaks, and it is hardly unusual for metal musicians to channel their energies into more irreverent or mocking outlets. Zimmer’s Hole emerged as precisely such a venture, a sharply satirical outfit assembled by Byron Stroud and Jed Simon, both of whom also performed in Strapping Young Lad, Fear Factory, and Tenet. Although the group did not originate during an official hiatus, it repeatedly gained momentum whenever the Devin Townsend-led Strapping Young Lad stepped away for a day or two. First conceived in 1991 in Vancouver, British Columbia, the project issued its debut album, Bound by Fire, in 1997. At that point the lineup was completed by vocalist Chris Valagao, a longtime Townsend collaborator, and drummer Steve Wheeler, known for his work with both Strapping Young Lad and Dethklok. Touring demands from Strapping Young Lad kept Stroud and Simon from giving the side project sustained focus. A brief respite in 2001 finally allowed them to record the follow-up, Legion of Flames; Townsend produced the sessions and released the album on his own Hevy Devy label. The record, a satirical sendup of metal greats, raised the band’s profile modestly, prompting Century Media to reissue Bound by Fire in 2003. When Zimmer’s Hole returned with When You Were Shouting at the Devil...We Were in League with Satan in 2008, Gene Hoglan had replaced Steve Wheeler on drums.
