Zimmer's Hole may be a humorous thrash outfit, but don't let that fool you. This isn't Green Jello, Psychostick or Crotchduster in that, the humor outweighs the music. Far from it. Yes, the lyrical aspects and songwriting is meant to be a parody, but that say very little about the bands musical ability. First, being a side project of Jed Simon (Devin Townsend and Strapping Young Lad) it's no surprise that he brought along Byron Stroud (also SYL and Fear Factory) and the legend himself, Gene Hogaln (SYL and many others). Musically, I knew there would be no concerns with such a lineup. Put them together and you get a fast paced thrash album that easily hooks the listener and entertains them with their shtick. The guitar melodies are consistently present throughout the album accompanied by numerous catchy riffs. The drums, well it's Hoglan, so yeah they are front and center and quickly become on the anchors of the album's sound. Now, for the vocals, Simon brought in, Chris Valagao, who at the time, I'd never heard. My first impression of his voice was good. His highs were excellent and his harsh vocals didn't seemed forced at all. But, that description immediately reminded me of the description of one Devin Townsend. I'm not saying that he is a clone of Townsend, nor am I insinuating that Simon was simply trying to recreate Strapping Young Lad. However, one can't help wonder if he had envisioned Townsend's sound as the voice of this album. I see it as a compliment really, I mean to have a sound similar to the great Devin Townsend cannot be a bad thing.
So, with being said, this is a fun, catchy album that will have you head banging for sure. Is it perfect? No. There are some lowlights on here and there, but all in all fans of thrash should certainly give this a listen.
Highlights: "When You Were Shouting at the Devil...We Were in League with Satan" "We Rule the Fucking Land" "Anonymous Esophagus"
Rating: 3.5
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