Hellyeah - Hellyeah Review
Posted by Dan Marsicano on 04.12.2007
Hell no?
The Band:
Chad Gray (Mudvayne)- Vocals
Greg Tribbett (Mudvayne)- Guitar
Tom Maxwell (Nothingface)- Guitar
Jerry Montano (Nothingface)- Bass
Vinnie Paul Abbott-Drums
The Review:
The day of December 8th, 2004 is a day that will be remembered in the minds of metal fans forever. On this tragic day, Dimebag Darrell (Darrell Lance Abbott) was playing a show in Columbus, Ohio with the band Damageplan. Darrell, the former guitarist for Pantera, was shot down by a deranged fan. Dimebag’s death had a major impact on the metal community, especially on his brother, Vinnie Paul. Vinnie Paul took a break from the music scene, which was understandable considering the events on December 8th, 2004. Two years later, news came out of Vinnie Paul joining forces with members of Nothingface and Mudvayne to create a new band. This band, called Hellyeah, has released their self titled debut. Is this album a welcoming return to the music scene for Vinnie Paul or will Hellyeah’s new album make metal fans go hell no?
The album starts off with the mid-paced anthem “Hellyeah.” The song is heavy, but has a catchy chorus made for chanting at live shows. However, the lyrics are a bit juvenile. Basically, the song is about “getting your whisky and weed” and going crazy and not giving a damn. The song is not too original, but is a decent way to start the album.
The single, “You Wouldn’t Know,” is the next track and starts out slow before picking up. The song is unremarkable and actually sounds like a Mudvayne track at times. A decent solo is the highlight of the song.
“Matter of Time” and “Waging War” are fast tracks that bring the album back from mediocrity. The drums, especially the double bass, fly fast and the guitars are able to keep up with the madness. “Matter of Time” has a good solo to boot as well.
However, the album takes an interesting turn at this point. All of a sudden, after these fast tracks, a country-sounding track by the name of “Alcoholin’ Ass” comes out of nowhere. Acoustic guitars and lyrics about more drinking are the name of the game here for the first half of the track. The electric guitars come in for the second half of the track, which finish off the song nicely, including a great solo.
The next couple of tracks range from good to unspectacular. “Goddamn” sounds like a Black Label Society song, only without a Zack Wlyde-like solo. “Star” is a slower track that thankfully has the best lyrics out of all the songs so far. Instead of a song about violence or drinking, this song sounds like it is about Dimebag Darrell. “I found my star….that star is you,” Chad Gray sings passionately over a chugging riff.
The rest of the album is structured by two types of songs. The faster songs (“Rotten To The Core,” “One Thing”) and the one slow and emotional song that is the basis of most modern rock albums today (“Thank You”).
Vocally, Chad Gray basically sounds like he does in Mudvayne, so screams and decent clean vocals is the name of the game. Greg Tribbett and Tom Maxwell have some good riffs here and there, but nothing too impressive. The few solos sprinkled throughout the album are respectable. Jerry Montano keeps up with Vinnie Paul, but stays in the background for the majority of the song. Vinnie Paul is the highlight of this album, with his fast double drums and beats keeping the songs from sounding too generic.
The lyrics of this album are a bit repetitive, but have some emotional moments. The main problem with the lyrics is how one-dimensioned they are. Personally, I do not mind songs about drinking and having fun. However, when half of the songs have lyrics like this, the songs can get repetitive. That is not to say that all the lyrics are terrible. “Thank You” has very emotional lyrics about the passing of Dimebag and all the people that helped Vinnie Paul through the tough time.
There was a lot of work put into this album and the listener can tell that this album was emotional for Vinnie Paul to make. It is commendable that Vinnie Paul picked himself up to make another album without his brother, who had been by his side for over 20 years, but it feels like the album could have been so much better. Hellyeah sounds like any modern hard rock album out there. The only songs that stand out are “Alcoholin’ Ass,” “Thank You,” and “Rotten To The Core.” Overall, the album is a decent return for Vinnie Paul, but the album needed some polish and something to make it stand out in the sea of generic hard rock and heavy metal music out there.
The 411: Vinnie Paul puts in an excellent performance on drums, but the other musicians do not stand out as well. The only track that stands out as different is "Alcoholin' Ass" for its country-tinged sound. The album has some decent tracks, but overall, Hellyeah sounds like any other mainstream rock/metal album out today.
