In 2001, when Strapping Young Lad was done touring, Jed and Byron got Devin Townsend to produce their second album Legion of Flames, released on his label Hevy Devy Records. It was a big step-up from their previous album, with song parodies such as Gender of The Beast" (Number of The Beast, Iron Maiden), "Sodomanaz" (Go For a Soda, Kim Mitchell), and spoofing Metallica's "Master of Puppets" in the song "Evil Robots" with the line "Napster, Napster, where's the cash that I've been after?". The album also contained a straight-out cover of Joni Mitchell's "This Flight Tonight" with humorously altered lyrics.
In August 2007, Zimmers Hole signed with Century Media Records for the release of their third studio album. Byron and Jed had this to say:
“Now with Zimmers Hole signing a fresh, new deal with Century Media, we have decided to give this band our full and undivided attention. No more 'side-project' status here; the men of the HOLE are fired up like a city on fire and we entered Vancouver's famed Armoury Studios today to begin tracking the new release. [...] As you can see, it's all about having a good time with the HOLE. Make no mistake though, we are very serious about our love of metal; it made us who we are, and we wear our influences on our sleeves proudly. We are now more focused than ever before and are so excited about the new album. So excited in fact, that the combined length of our erections may just reach out and touch ya!”
Shortly after, drummer Steve left the band and in December 2007 was replaced by Gene Hoglan, another former Strapping Young Lad member. Gene joined in time to start the recordings for the new album. With this roster, Zimmers Hole now has 3 of 4 former SYL members, with Devin Townsend as vocal producer. The band entered Vancouver's Armoury Studios in the same month to record the album, entitled When You Were Shouting at the Devil... We Were in League with Satan released on March 11, 2008 through Century Media Records.
In an interview with MTV on April 2008, vocalist Chris Valagao explained the origin of the album's name:
“I believe David Vincent of Morbid Angel was having a conversation with one of the guys from Forbidden," he recalled. "They were drinking and fucking around, and they got into this argument over who's more metal. The dude from Forbidden, at one point, turned to Dave and said, "Dude, when you were shouting at the devil [a reference to Mötley Crüe], I was in league with Satan [a reference to Venom]," and Jed was in the room and picked up on that. So we started saying it as a joke. That little statement applies to a whole bunch of shit. Basically, "When you were a poseur, I was the real deal".
When You Were Shouting at the Devil... We Were in League With Satan
Zimmers Hole Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Glam rock can suck a cock, it's strictly for the closet gay
Burning bright, my wheels ignite, burning to the other side
Exodus was fucking right, ALL THE POSEURS MUST DIE!
When you were Shouting at the Devil
We were In League...
Embrace the dark and leave your mark, you know there's hell to pay
We live proud and love it loud, you wish you were one of the 'Crue'
Worship your transvestite gods, my sword will run you through!
When you were Shouting at the Devil
We were In League...
When you were Shouting at the Devil
We were In League...
With Satan
In the pit of shadows blows the wind of stench
Familiar to those who know...
The lyrics to Zimmers Hole's song "When You Were Shouting At The Devil...We Were In League With Satan" are all about rebelling against mainstream forms of music and embracing pure heavy metal. The singer, who is likely the vocalist, expresses his distaste for glam rock and claims that it is only enjoyed by closeted individuals. He also references the Exodus song "All the Poosers Must Die," suggesting that those who are not "true" metalheads should be ostracized.
The song's chorus, "When you were shouting at the devil, we were in league with Satan," is a celebratory ode to devil worship, which has long been associated with heavy metal. In the verses, the singer discusses the debauchery and rebellion that can come with embracing heavy metal, from fighting and drinking to taking women away. The song seems to be a statement of pride and solidarity among those who truly appreciate heavy metal culture and reject mainstream trends.
Line by Line Meaning
In my youth, I learned the Truth, PURE METAL was the only way
I discovered early on that the only true genre of music was pure metal
Glam rock can suck a cock, it's strictly for the closet gay
I believe that glam rock is inferior and only enjoyed by secret homosexuals
Burning bright, my wheels ignite, burning to the other side
My passion for metal burns brightly and I am driving full speed towards my goals
Exodus was fucking right, ALL THE POSEURS MUST DIE!
I agree with Exodus that all posers who pretend to like metal should be eliminated
Drink and fight, every night, take your women away
I enjoy drinking, fighting, and stealing other people's women
Embrace the dark and leave your mark, you know there's hell to pay
I embrace the darkness and understand that there may be consequences for my actions
We live proud and love it loud, you wish you were one of the 'Crue'
I am proud to live a loud, metal lifestyle and believe others envy the lifestyle of Motley Crue
Worship your transvestite gods, my sword will run you through!
I have no respect for those who worship androgynous gods and am willing to fight them with my sword
In the pit of shadows blows the wind of stench, Familiar to those who know...
The dark side of life has a certain familiar stench for those of us who embrace it
When you were Shouting at the Devil, We were In League...
While others were merely pretending to worship Satan, we were truly aligned with him
With Satan
Our allegiance is with Satan
Contributed by Sadie R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Tim Watson
i honestly don't think it's physically possible within this realm of time/space for anything to be any more metal than this video
Danny Grayce
You might say it's:..'Far Beyond Metal!'?......HUH...Ya get what I did there? Hahah
FirstDragonSlayer
eeeh, i'd say that toxic holocaust's acid fuzz video is quite metal, perhaps even more than this
Al Nieds
This entire song is so beyond ridiculousness .....and then it gets harder.....
metal
dream evil the book of heavy metal
Christian Allinson Fischer
I dunno, I mean “Nothin’ But A Good Time” is a choice contender.
Ioannis Savvidis
One of the best metal-tribute songs ever!! That Bonded By Blood tribute is like saying "Here's a riff all of you guys know, thanks a lot Exodus for writing this \m/" FUCK YEAH!
Cataclysmic Nihilism
Gene Hoglan is a sick drummer. Also, the song is hilarious. Great stuff.
Danitos
The only dude on earth that can(and has for those that don't know) sing group vocals with Devin Townsend. So impressive.
juiceyju
you can't get much more metal than this... members of Fear Factory, Strapping Young Lad, Tenet, Dethklok, Testament... awesome!