Chris Valagao

Last updated

Chris Valagao
Also known asThe Heathen
Genres Heavy metal, speed metal, thrash metal
Occupation(s)Singer
Years active1992–present
Website legionofflames.com

Chris "The Heathen" Valagao is a Canadian singer, best known as the frontman for speed/thrash metal band Zimmers Hole. [1] Valagao is accomplished SPFX artist and pyrotechnician for film and television, director and producer of many music videos and a builder of custom motorcycles. He is of Portuguese and Norwegian heritage.

Contents

Background

Valagao is the founding frontman (along with Jed Simon and Byron Stroud from Strapping Young Lad and drummer Steve Wheeler) for Canadian speed/thrash metal band Zimmers Hole. [1] He has recorded 3 albums with the band. [2] During his career, Valagao has performed backing vocals on several of Devin Townsend's and Strapping Young Lad's albums. During that time he has built a strong friendship with Townsend. [1]

In 2012, Valagao joined traditional heavy metal group West of Hell and released the debut album Spiral Empire. West of Hell followed up with a headlining tour across Canada and New Zealand in support for the album. [1]

Nicknames

During his career, Valagao has adopted several "nicknames", most notably "The Heathen". Other nicknames include:

Discography

Valagao has performed on the following albums.

With Zimmers Hole

With Strapping Young Lad

With Devin Townsend

With Mechanism

With West of Hell

With Memorain

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Devin Townsend</span> Canadian musician (born 1972)

Devin Garrett Townsend is a Canadian singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. He founded extreme metal band Strapping Young Lad and was its primary songwriter, vocalist, and guitarist from 1994 to 2007. He has also had an extensive solo career and has released a total of 28 albums across all of his projects as of 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Strapping Young Lad</span> Canadian metal band

Strapping Young Lad was a Canadian extreme metal band formed by Devin Townsend in Vancouver in 1994. The band started as a one-man studio project; Townsend played most of the instruments on the 1995 debut album, Heavy as a Really Heavy Thing. By 1997, he had recruited permanent members; this line-up, which consisted of Townsend on vocals and guitar, Jed Simon on guitar, Byron Stroud on bass, and Gene Hoglan on drums, lasted until the band's dissolution.

Tenet is a heavy metal band formed as a side project by Jed Simon of Strapping Young Lad and Zimmers Hole.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gene Hoglan</span> American drummer

Eugene Victor Hoglan II is an American drummer, acclaimed for his creativity in drum arrangements, including use of abstract devices for percussion effects and his trademark lengthy double-kick drum rhythms. Though his playing style is very technically demanding, he retains high accuracy at extreme tempos, earning him the nicknames "The Atomic Clock" and "Human Drum Machine".

<i>Accelerated Evolution</i> 2003 studio album by The Devin Townsend Band

Accelerated Evolution is the sixth studio album by Canadian musician Devin Townsend, released in 2003. The album, written and produced by Townsend, was a mix of musical styles from alternative rock to hard rock to progressive metal. Townsend, the lead vocalist and guitarist, assembled a group of Vancouver musicians to perform with him on the album: guitarist Brian Waddell, drummer Ryan Van Poederooyen, bassist Mike Young, and keyboardist Dave Young. This lineup, the Devin Townsend Band, was Townsend's first dedicated lineup for his solo material, and was created as a counterpart to Townsend's extreme metal project Strapping Young Lad.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Byron Stroud</span> Canadian musician

Byron Stroud is a Canadian bassist. He is the former bassist for metal bands Fear Factory, Imonolith and Strapping Young Lad, current bassist for metal bands City of Fire and Zimmers Hole, and studio bassist for 3 Inches of Blood.

Zimmers Hole is a Canadian heavy metal band from Vancouver. The band formed in 1991, and features former Strapping Young Lad members Byron Stroud, Jed Simon and Gene Hoglan, along with vocalist Chris Valagao.

<i>Alien</i> (Strapping Young Lad album) 2005 studio album by Strapping Young Lad

Alien is the fourth studio album by Canadian extreme metal band Strapping Young Lad. It was released on March 22, 2005. The album was written by Devin Townsend and Gene Hoglan over a six-month time period. The album reached No. 32 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart and No. 35 on the Top Independent Albums chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steve Souza</span> American metal vocalist

Steve "Zetro" Souza is an American musician, best known for his work as lead vocalist with thrash metal band Exodus from 1986 to 1994, and again from 2002 to 2004. He rejoined Exodus for a third time in 2014. Souza is one of two singers, along with Chuck Billy, for the band Dublin Death Patrol. He also sings for the thrash metal band Tenet and was the lead singer for the thrash metal band Legacy. In 2011, Souza announced his new project, Hatriot. He stepped down as the frontman of the band in 2015, leaving the role of lead vocals to his son, Cody.

<i>Heavy as a Really Heavy Thing</i> 1995 studio album by Strapping Young Lad

Heavy as a Really Heavy Thing is the debut studio album by Canadian extreme metal band Strapping Young Lad. It was released on April 4, 1995. Century Media Europe released a remastered version of the album on June 12, 2006, which includes the video for "S.Y.L.", several bonus tracks, and a 12-page booklet containing extended liner notes.

<i>City</i> (Strapping Young Lad album) 1997 studio album by Strapping Young Lad

City is the second studio album by Canadian extreme metal band Strapping Young Lad, released on February 11, 1997. Frontman Devin Townsend assembled a permanent lineup of Strapping Young Lad to record the album, including prolific drummer Gene Hoglan, and Townsend's former bandmates Jed Simon on guitar and Byron Stroud on bass. The album was critically acclaimed, with Revolver naming it one of "the greatest metal albums of all time", and it is widely considered Strapping Young Lad's best work. The album was re-released in 2007 with several bonus tracks and altered cover art.

<i>Strapping Young Lad</i> (album) 2003 studio album by Strapping Young Lad

Strapping Young Lad is the eponymous third album by Canadian heavy metal band Strapping Young Lad. It was released on February 11, 2003.

<i>Physicist</i> (album) 2000 studio album by Devin Townsend

Physicist is the fourth solo album by Canadian musician Devin Townsend. The album was released on June 26, 2000, on Townsend's label, HevyDevy Records.

<i>Synchestra</i> 2006 studio album by The Devin Townsend Band

Synchestra is the eighth solo album by Canadian musician Devin Townsend, and the second and final album he recorded with The Devin Townsend Band. The album was released in January 2006 on Townsend's label, HevyDevy Records.

<i>The New Black</i> 2006 studio album by Strapping Young Lad

The New Black is the fifth and final studio album by Canadian heavy metal band Strapping Young Lad. It was released on July 11, 2006, debuting at No. 200 on the Billboard charts. A music video was shot for the album's sole single, "Wrong Side", and another video, done in CGI, was made for the non-single song "Almost Again".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jed Simon</span> Canadian musician

Jedson Louis Simon is a Canadian musician. He was a member of supergroup Scar the Martyr and has been a member of numerous metal bands, including Front Line Assembly, Strapping Young Lad, Zimmers Hole, and TENET. He is currently a member of VIMIC.

Devin Townsend is a Canadian musician, songwriter, and record producer.

<i>When You Were Shouting at the Devil... We Were in League with Satan</i> 2008 studio album by Zimmers Hole

When You Were Shouting at the Devil... We Were in League with Satan is the third album by Canadian metal band Zimmers Hole. The name is a reference to Mötley Crüe's album Shout at the Devil, as well as the band Venom's first album, Welcome to Hell, containing the song "In League with Satan".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ani Kyd</span> Canadian musician

Ani Kyd is a Canadian, Vancouver-based musician, actor, and life coach.

City of Fire is a Canadian metal band formed in 2008. Members include vocalist Burton C. Bell of Fear Factory, bassist Byron Stroud from Fear Factory, Strapping Young Lad and Zimmers Hole, and drummer Bob Wagner of Econoline Crush. So far, the band has released two studio albums.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Chris Valagao Interview". Guitarhoo!. Guitarhoo.com. January 19, 2014. Archived from the original on February 20, 2014. Retrieved February 22, 2014.
  2. "MTV article on Chris Valagao". MTV. April 11, 2008.