PanterA Rawks's blog: "HELLYEAH INFO"

http://www.tv3.co.nz/VideoBrowseAll/EntertainmentVideo/tabid/312/articleID/29768/Default.aspx#video Follow the video link, then select either "DIAL UP" or "BROADBAND". This is a great news story with Vinnie and Chad in Melbounre. Awesome!!!

By Andrew Depedro Having listened to this CD on almost a daily basis over the past couple of weeks I decided to ask myself this question for no other real reason than to come up with at least something remotely introspective as an intro to this review: What did Pantera, Nothingface and Mudvayne mean to me? Well, for starters, Pantera, to me, were clearly the better band of the three and were undoubtedly one of the most important heavy metal bands to emerge in the last 20 years or so, having weathered as many musical fads as they had thrown at them before internal strife and Dimebag’s still-incomprehensible murder effectively ended them as a solid touring and recording band. Nothingface were one of the few bands in the early stages of the nu-metal genre with some potential in the form of some of their songs like “Bleeder” and “Here Come The Butchers” and I used to confuse their guitarist with KNAC.COM DJ Spyder back in the day (I think it was the cowboy hats that did it; then again, I once assumed that Diana DeVille sang backup for Bruce Springsteen so shows how much I know). Mudvayne in contrast did nothing for me musically although they did provide me with my first full-fledged flame war on the KNAC.COM rant boards (back when people actually discussed music on them) when I dismissed them as another lame angst-ridden Slipknot cover band big on gimmicks and short on talent to the ire of a few very dedicated fans who reminded me in a couple of blunt paragraphs about face paint and clown suits being gimmicks while ignoring Eddie, Vic Rattlehead and Angus Young’s schoolboy outfit, to which they had a point but I’d be damned if I could find more than one Mudvayne song I actually liked since then anyway. With the resurgence of assorted members from all three bands in Hellyeah, there’s a lot to get into in their debut CD regardless of which of these previous bands you’re into. For starters, Chad Gray sounds like he’s outgrown his usual growling vocals in favor of a wider range of melodic singing, such as in songs like “Star” and the band’s message of thanks to its supporters titled, well, “Thank You” among others. Even the acoustic-laden slow groove drinking rocker with the silly yet catchy title “Alcohaulin’ Ass” showcases Gray’s hidden talent as an outlaw country & western-type crooner in the intro. For that matter, the acoustic performances of Greg Tribbett and Maxwell in “Alcohaulin’ Ass” as well as the electric dual guitar solo work in “You Wouldn’t Know” and “Matter Of Time” makes one wonder why Mudvayne or Nothingface never experimented further with guitar solos in more of their songs. Lyricwise, the only fault with Hellyeah is its repetitiveness in that while the CD and band name’s title track is solid I’m not sure if it needed to be rewritten and retitled again as “Goddamn” especially seeing as the former’s catchy chorus alone makes the latter sound a bit hollow and overwrought in comparison. And no matter how often you can squeeze “use me motherfucker” into the chorus of “Waging War” the anger and rage just doesn’t seem fully genuine when it’s a follow-up to “Matter Of Time” which to my view showcased both with more depth. The rest of the CD features a 50-second instrumental “In The Mood” and at least three or four other songs that at the very least could’ve saved nu-metal from descending into mall rock hell had they come out 5 years earlier even though at that time many of us were eagerly waiting for Pantera to follow up Reinventing The Steel anyway. So, to sum it up about both the band and the album, don’t just purchase Hellyeah simply because it’s a relief to hear Vinnie Paul making music again after the loss of his brother. Or just because you’re of the opinion that Greg Tribbett and Maxwell may just be the greatest dueling guitarists since Glenn Tipton and KK Downing. Or just because you’re of the opinion that it’s the best CD Mudvayne never recorded. Purchase it simply because it’s a set of good songs recorded by 5 accomplished musicians from diverse backgrounds not letting their pasts define them and those songs in one form or another speak to you in different ways. That alone merits a hell yeah. http://www.myspace.com/hellyeah http://www.hellyeahrocks.com http://www.hellyeah.com

HELLYEAH's touring partner Bloodsimple has announced plans to release its sophomore album this July. Word has it the album is entitled, 'Red Harvest' and will hit stores while the band is touring throughout Europe with fellow metal group, Slayer. 'Red Harvest' was produced by Machine (Lamb of God & White Zombie). Bloodsimple's debut album was released on Bullygoat, HELLYEAH singer, Chad Gray's record label.

HELLYEAH drummer Vinnie Paul Abbott (ex-PANTERA, DAMAGEPLAN) has issued the following report from the band's current tour: "Well, finally the HELLYEAH tour has begun. Baltimore was the lucky first spot — and Tom's [Maxwell, guitar] hometown — so it was the perfect choice to bust our cherry! The venue, Ram's Head Live, was one of the most kick-ass live venues I have ever been too... state of the art. "We all came in for sound check at 3 PM. and, as usual, when we started it sounded like shit and I could tell that everyone was nervous. We hung with it and nearly did the whole set, but got it done and everyone felt really good about it. "Then it was show time. The venue filled nicely and early chants of 'HELLYEAH' could be heard from the crowd. This was a great sign and I knew we were gonna have a great show. The evening was kicked off by Jagermeister's Baltimore band, BEYOND THE SCAR. They did a nice job and had some cool grooves. "Next up was BLOODSIMPLE, this band on Chad Gray's label Bullygoat Records, and we got a kick outta hearing their new stuff. It killed. We started our backstage warm-up, which included hitting some shots and brews, listening to some cool old-school metal and just going over the song endings that we worked up from rehearsals. "The security man Krusher comes in and says, 'It's time to hit the deck fellas.' The crowd was chanting 'HELLYEAH! HELLYEAH! HELLYEAH!' and the venue was packed to the rafters. I gotta say, for the first time in my life I had butterflies. "We kicked into our title track and theme song 'Hellyeah' and the room was full of energy and singing along, which was a surprise since the record had only been out a month... We grinded through 'Matter of Time' and 'Goddamn'. Then we got to the only cover we do, QUEEN's classic 'Stone Cold Crazy' — which we appropriately changed to 'Stone Cold Wasted' — and it went down great. "We only have one record, so we played all 12 tracks, ending with 'Alcohaulin' Ass' and 'You Wouldn't Know'. Once again, the 'HELLYEAH' chant went up as we left the stage. It was truly an amazing night and I will never forget it. THANK YOU BALTIMORE! "We also offered to autograph our CDs for our fans if they bought it at the venue. We didn't know we would sell all 120 CDs and would stick around for another hour and half signing, meeting and greeting, but it was worth it, as our new found friends made us feel right at home." Remaining HELLYEAH tour dates: May 27 - Madison, WI - Barrymore Theater May 29 - Denver, CO - Fillmore Auditorium May 30 - Omaha, NE - Sokel Auditorium Jun. 01 - Wichita, KS - Cotillion Jun. 02 - Tulsa, OK - Cains Ballroom Jun. 03 - Lubbock, TX - Southbeach Jun. 05 - Corpus Christi, TX - Pavilion

FIRE IT UP! May 22, 2007 JÄGERMEISTER PRESENTS HELLYEAH! (Louisville, KY) – HELLYEAH’s Vinnie Paul, Chad Gray, Tom Maxwell, Greg Tribbett and Bob Zilla have hit the road in support of their self-titled CD. Presented by Jägermeister Liqueur, the “Fire It Up!” tour is the first chance to see this highly anticipated creative collision of sonic proportions. Bloodsimple supports HELLYEAH on the tour which kicked off Sunday evening, May 20th in Baltimore, Maryland to great reviews and overwhelming audience response. The band's self-titled CD, HELLYEAH, had the highest debut chart position for a new hard rock artist. HELLYEAH entered Billboard’s Top 200 charts at #9 and Billboard’s Rock Chart at #3. The CD has been complemented by covers, lead features and reviews in magazines such as Revolver, DRUM, Crave, Guitar World, Ruin, Billboard and the OC Register who called it 'one of the best metal discs, so far, of 2007.” With their bold disregard for genre constraints and an incendiary live show, Bloodsimple will rock the opening spot. The band is celebrating the 2007 release of their second album, Red Harvest (Bullygoat Records). Following their “Fire It Up!” Tour, HELLYEAH heads to the UK for the Download Festival at Castle Donington and will then join the Family Values Tour with Korn, Evanescence and Atreyu. Jägermeister is excited about the “Fire It Up!” Tour and about being the Presenting Sponsor. “The formation of HELLYEAH is really a milestone in metal history,” says Rick Zeiler, Director of Marketing and Brand Development for Jägermeister. “We wouldn’t miss it for the world!” Local Jägermeister sponsored bands will open, and look for great Jägermeister swag at shows, where legal. For more information, visit hellyeahband.com

As we all know December the 8th 2004 was a vary sad day indeed for the world of metal with the tragic passing of one of it’s greatest artists, ever since we have wondered what Dime’s brother Vinnie was going to do next in terms or music. In late 2006 those questions were answered with the announcement of a project involving Vinnie, Mudvayne’s Chad Gray and Greg Tribbett, and with Nothingface sadly calling it a day on their career Tom Maxwell and Jerry Montano also had climbed on board to create something that can only be described by one phrase, HellYeah. So what does it sound like when you create a machine powered by Pantera and fuelled by Nothingface piloted by Mudvayne? Well exactly how’d you expect actually, there is a perfect balance between the influence of all three bands, the guitar lines sound distinctly Nothingface, the Melody and vocal lines sound distinctly Mudvayne and with out a doubt Vinnie Paul brings the alcohol soaked southern metal beats to the party. The low riffs and generally the rythem guitar parts are distinctly Nothingface, with those low slung riffs and clean guitar sections, a formula that was seen a lot on their final album ‘Skeletons’ in 2002, and it is safe to assume that lead guitar has as mostly been taken by Mudvayne’s Greg Tribbett as it retains the same sound that your familiar with from him. The title track which has been available on the bands MySpace for sometime more or less sums up the concept and general feel of the band, at least on the heavier end of things. ‘You Wouldn’t Know’ again sounds more Nothingface and any of the other bands with a clean slightly Lacuna Coil like riff for the intro before unleashing the power with distorted bass and powerful drum beats. ‘Matter Of Time’ has a classic Pantera feel to it sounding like something that would of sat well on ‘Vulgar Display Of Power’ minus the patented Dime lead squeals. ‘Waging War’ returns to Nothingface territory sounding familiar to the opening riff of ‘Incarnadine’. One of the highlights of the album is the track that has possibly the best title your likely to hear this year, ‘Alcohaulin’Ass’ has a thick southern country feel, almost Puddle Of Mud like and I sense that it is Vinnie’s ode to his brother and will most definitely become a fan favourite, if there was to be a single taken from this album it will certainly be this track. If you are a big fan of Mudvayne and looking for something with more of their hand on the track you’d do well to check out ‘Star’ which is the most Chad and Co sounding track on the album. Of course nothing needs to be said about musicianship as we already know everyone is on top of their game, and HellYeah is no exception everyone is on top form, with Chad and the Nothingface boys producing probably some of the best work of their careers with the careful guidance of metal veteran Vinnie. Stripped down there isn’t anything new here that we haven’t heard from Pantera, Damageplan or Nothingface, but who the hell cares it fucking rocks. HellYeah keeps to the same ideals that fuelled Damageplan and Pantera, hard drinking hard riffs along with kicking back with a smoke and writing some lighter jams. Stepping away from who is actually in the band, if it were just 5 average Joes putting music of this quality we would have some new metal heroes on our hands, luckily for the rest of the music world they already have that status so it’s not like there is any extra competition

Hellyeah! The Supergroup comprised of members of Mudvayne, Nothingface, Damage Plan and one Mr. Vinnie Paul of Pantera, Rebel meets Rebel and Damageplan defies genre definition with their self-titled album. A little bit metal, a little southern rock and a whole lot of attitude comprise the 12 song offering. The album debuted at # 9 on the Billboard Charts, a feat that the band is really proud of considering the amount of work they put in to it in a small amount of time. The band started out as a project that Jerry Montano, Tom Maxwell (both of Nothingface), Chad Grey and Greg Tribbett (Mudvayne) wanted to do. After struggling to find a drummer the guys finally decided to call up Vinnie Paul. After a bit of hesitation Vinnie decided to give it a go. What happened could be one of the greatest musical collaborations of our time. The album was written and recorded in Chasin Jason studios in Dimebag Darell's house in Texas in a matter of a few short weeks. According to Greg Tribbett the writing process differed greatly from that of Mudvayne. Since they all vibed together really well it was basically just the guys playing and having a good time. The album that came out of this collaboration could be one of the best hard rock/metal albums of 2007. Starting out with the aptly titled Hellyeah. The album kicks into hyper drive right off the bat with lyrics like "throwing fists in the pit hellyeah, think your fucking with this well hell no". A heck of a way to start out a album. It sets the standard for the rest of the tracks to follow. It’s also the track that guitarist Tribbett says sets the vibe of the band. The second track You wouldn't’t Know is a homage to the pressures of being in the spotlight. At first listen it sounds like a Mudvayne track but when you delve a little deeper it has a sound all it’s own. Each song on the album has a voice. The tracks Matter of Time and Waging War convey the heavier side of the album while tracks like "Star and Thank You" bring out the mellow side of the band. The later thanking everyone for being so supportive in all of the guys time of need. Than there’s the track "Alchohaulin Ass". The track was created as kind of a bet between Tribbett and Chad Grey. Tribbett bet Grey that he couldn't help him write a country song. The track that came out of it is one of the best drinking songs of our time. It’s a little bit of me a little bit of you, a little bit of whiskey and part bad attitude. All the makings of an outlaw country song. All in all the album takes an interesting approach to metal. Making the listener believe that metal can be not only brutal and heavy but also melodic, fun and even healing at times. This album is truly a treat for the ears. It has something for everybody. The big question is what comes next? The group is following up the album with the Fire It Up tour along with a trip on the Family Values tour this summer. We are told to expect a rocking, drinking party on wheels. A show that’s full of energy. The plans after that are uncertain. While the Mudvayne and Nothingface guys go do their thing with their main bands hellyeah will take a short hiatus. Not to fear though their will be a second album according to guitarist Greg Tribbett. Check out the tour when it comes to a city near you. I’m sure it will be an alcohol infused good time. If any of these guys histories teach us anything it’s that live music is meant to be enjoyed by both the performer as well as the audience. So getcha pull, grab your whiskey and weed and head out to one of the greatest traveling parties on wheels.....HELLYEAH! TOUR SCHEDULE: Sun. May 20 Baltimore MD Rams Head Live Tues. May 22 Louisville KY Expo 5 Wed. May 23 Peoria IL East Peoria Convention Center Fri. May 25 Cleveland OH House of Blues Sat. May 26 Grand Rapids MI Orbit Room Sun. May 27 Madison WI Barrymore Theater Tues. May 29 Denver CO Fillmore Auditorium Wed. May 30 Omaha NE Sokol Auditorium Fri. June 1 Wichita KS The Cotillion Sat. June 2 Tulsa OK Cains Ballroom Sun. June 3 Lubbock TX Southbeach Tues. June 5 Corpus Christi TX Pavilion hellyeahband.com myspace.com/hellyeah hellyeahrocks.com EDITOR'S NOTE: Bob "Zilla" Kakaha, formerly with Damageplan, has replaced Jerry Montono on bass guitar.

Launch Radio Networks reports: HELLYEAH, featuring members of MUDVAYNE, PANTERA and NOTHINGFACE, begins its first headlining tour on Sunday (May 20) in Baltimore. The group is touring in support of its self-titled debut album, which came out last month. While the members of HELLYEAH aren't sure if they'll play songs from their other bands, singer Chad Gray — who also fronts MUDVAYNE — said they may pull out some other surprises. "We might do some covers, I don't know," he said. "You never know, like, kind of the vibe of this thing. I mean, you never know, we might break out a GUNS N' ROSES cover, we might break out a SKYNYRD, or hell, you never know, maybe some SLAYER. So, I mean, there's a lot of different things that this band represents, you know. It's just really all about having a good time. This is about giving people something to move to." Earlier this week, HELLYEAH announced former DAMAGEPLAN bassist Bob "Zilla" Kakaha as the replacement for Jerry Montano, who exited the group in April. HELLYEAH's debut disc landed at No. 9 on the Billboard album chart in its first week of release. The band also features PANTERA and DAMAGEPLAN drummer Vinnie Paul, MUDVAYNE guitarist Greg Tribbett and NOTHINGFACE guitarist Tom Maxwell. HELLYEAH will also head out this summer on the Family Values tour. Meanwhile, MUDVAYNE recently completed recording its fourth studio album in New Orleans and Greg Tribbett told the Peoria Journal Star that the disc is going to be "different," adding, "It's definitely another step for MUDVAYNE...it's definitely in a different direction. There's a lot of singing on this record, a lot of big choruses. It's cool, man. We're all excited about it." I'm adding in the Hellyeah tour map!

This just in, HELLYEAH vocalist Chad Gray, guitarists Greg Tribbett and Tom Maxwell and drummer Vinnie Paul have added Bob Zilla for bass duties on the band's upcoming tour dates. HELLYEAH begins a summer-long tour schedule this Sunday, May 20, 2007 in Baltimore. Dates, cities and venues for the band’s headline “FIRE IT UP” tour follow below. HELLYEAH will be featured on the main stage at the Download Festival in Donington Park in North West Leicestershire, U.K. on June 9, followed by the 30-city Family Values Tour back in the States. The band's self-titled CD is out now, having had the highest debut chart position for a new hard rock artist, entering Billboard's Top 200 charts at #9 and Billboard's Rock Chart at #3.