Chris Valagao

Chris "The Heathen" Valagao Mina is a Canadian singer, guitarist best known as the frontman for speed/thrash metal band Zimmers Hole. Valagao Mina 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.

Background
Valagao Mina 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. He has recorded 3 albums with the band. During his career, Valagao Mina 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.

In 2012, Valagao Mina 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.

Valagao has worked on special effects for the films Monkey Beach and Detective Knight: Redemption.

Nicknames
During his career, Valagao Mina has adopted several "nicknames", most notably "The Heathen". Other nicknames include:
 * "Dr. Heathen Hooch"
 * "E.Val"
 * "Lorde of Ass-Fire"

Discography
Valagao has performed on the following albums.

With Zimmers Hole

 * Bound by Fire (1997)
 * Legion of Flames (2001)
 * When You Were Shouting at the Devil...We Were in League With Satan (2008)

With Strapping Young Lad

 * Heavy as a Really Heavy Thing (1994)
 * City (1997)
 * Strapping Young Lad (2003)
 * Alien (2005)
 * The New Black (2006)

With Devin Townsend

 * Ocean Machine: Biomech (1997)
 * Infinity (1998)
 * Physicist (2000)
 * Synchestra (2006)

With Mechanism

 * Inspired Horrific (2009)

With West of Hell
 With Memorain 
 * Spiral Empire (2012)
 * Evolution (2012)