| CD REVIEW Hellyeah |
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Band : Hellyeah The formation of this band apparently goes back to the year 2000, when during the Tattoo The Earth Tour (featuring Mudvayne, Nothingface, Slayer, Slipknot, and Sevendust) where Nothingface guitarist Tom Maxwell got befriended with Mudvayne singer Chad Gray, and the two talked about the possibility of forming a supergroup. Talks which continued the next year when Nothingface again toured with Mudvayne, but the actual execution of their planning (the two had already brainstormed the quartet which was to become the line-up) had to be continuously postponed due to conflicting schedules. Mudvayne guitarist Greg Tribbett approached Maxwell out of the blue, stating he wanted to join...and since there was already a good connection... For their drummer, the guys had thought of Nothingface's Tommy Sickles first, and he even played on some demos the band made, but eventually things just didn't work out, and the search for another drummer began. The band new former Pantera, Rebel Meets Rebel and Damageplan drummer Vinnie Paul, and persuaded him (at first he didn't feel comfortable about returning to music after his brother's murder, and the 18-month break that ensued from it) into joining. Eventually everything came together in Summer/ Fall of 2006. Mudvayne was in between tours, and Nothingface were preparing to record their next album, so Gray flew over to Nothingface's home studio in Baltimore, and the guys started to write a couple of songs, recording 'em as demos. They then reconvened at Paul's backyard recording facility (which had served to record the albums for Damageplan, Rebel Meets Rebel, and even the last Pantera) where they recorded and mixed the album in several sessions (with breaks in between “to recharge the batteries”). During the recordings the guys would write down ideas for the band's name, and someone wrote down “Hellyeah” (the story goes that back down there in Texas, when a friend asks you whether you want a drink, you don't just answer “Yes!”, but say “Hell yeah!”), and when that came up it was unanimously accepted. The self-titled album was released in April 2007, getting positive reviews globally. It debuted at #9 on the Billboard 200 charts (with 45,000 copies sold in the first week). Original bassist Jerry Montano left the band a week after the album's release due to “personal reasons on both sides”, to be replaced by former Damageplan man Bob Zilla. The band started touring the US in May, went through Australia in July, and continued to tour the US (with 30 cities to go through) on The Family Values Tour (also featuring Korn and Evanescence) later the same month. November 2007 saw the release of the DVD Below the Belt, featuring a documentary, music videos, studio footage, coverage of their world tour, and personal interviews. During Summer2009 the band reconvened at Paul's studio to record their sophomore album, of which they made the opening song “Cowboy Way” available as a free download in April of last on the band's website (www.) hellyeahband.com. Second single “Stampede” followed on July 13, same day as the album's release! The band preceded the album's release with a couple of tours in the Spring of 2010, and possibly that's why the album did slightly better than the debut (went up to #8 on the Billboard 200; gained 7 points in the Australian charts at #42, made the Greek charts at #8, and even went to #24 on the Canadian charts). Well, those among not having come in contact with the band's music yet must be eager to know what it sounds like, so let's not tally! Paul himself described the band's sound as “a familiar groove, with a new sound”, and that's not really surprising. In spite of the fact that this is a 2-guitar band (something which none of the band members has done before), and keeping in mind the guys wanted to keep the “cowboy thing” a prominent feature in their lyrics, the music is rather straight-forward, with little of Mudvayne's complexity or Nothingface's angularity...and more geared towards the kind of music of Paul's previous work, with Gray singing his usual aggro type of vocals. If you've already heard the two songs mentioned above, you'll understand what it's all about. But there's also an occasionally...calmer...side to the guys, as can be heard in the opening of 3rd single “Hell Of A Time” [similar calmer passages can be heard in “Better Man” (which even has a keyboard passage I overlooked somehow...read it the credits of the album, you know) and in the overall vocally calmer “Stand Or Walk Away”]. Hey, funny...at myspace.com/hellyeah, you'll only find the singles (off both albums) posted (alongside some videos, of course). Check it out! 93/100 Tony. |