HELLYEAH - Dark Publications

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Editorial Reviews:

Amazon.com
On paper it looks like a headbanger's dream and in the imagination it sounds like no other band possibly could: Mudvayne's Chad Gray (vocals) and Greg Tribbett (guitar), Nothingface's Tom Maxwell (guitar), and Jerry Montano (bass) join Damageplan/Pantera drummer Vinnie Paul for a good ol' batch of brawny brewtality. On record, Hellyeah sounds like your run-of-the-mill post nue metal band as it serves up a batch of southern-inflected tunes that rock hard but unconvincingly over the course of the album's 44 minutes. A thoroughly bad album would inspire the listener to pipe up with a resounding "hell no," but instead, Hellyeah's mediocre debut forces one to issue a whimpering, lukewarm "well, maybe," a far more troubling sign.

The opening, titular track slams the listener's eardrums with precision guitar figures from Maxwell and Tribbett and some career-defining pummeling from Paul. Even Gray fires on all cylinders for the bulk of the tune's three-and-a-half minutes. But the record quickly sinks beneath the weight of Gray's unsophisticated and often sophomoric lyrics. His attack on critics, "Waging War," is little more than a profanity-laden temper tantrum that's as cliche as it is petulant; "Alchohaulin' Ass," a would-be southern rock anthem, fails to live up to the minimal promise of its title and instead of turning into triumph of the spirit and celebration of the party life serves to remind us that the bottle is far more capable of drowning creative impulses than it is drowning one's sorrows; "Thank You," alternately an ode to the departed and a way of making good with the living, confuses the numbing effects of drugs and drink with the powerful connectivity of intimacy and thus fails in its attempts at suggesting we all get a little closer. Others, such as "Nausea," "One Thing," and "Star" feature lyrics so poorly developed and derivative that it's hardly worth commenting on them.

Well worth avoiding.

--Jedd Beaudoin

Album Description
HELLYEAH. Five musicians, three bands = creative collision of sonic proportions. The highly anticipated debut release features MUDVAYNE lead singer Chad Gray and guitarist Gregg Tribbett, former PANTERA drummer Vinnie Paul and NOTHINGFACE guitarist Tom Maxwell and bassist Jerry Montano.

The quintet includes three of hard rock's most revered and valuable players, with careers highlighted by an astonishing run of chart-topping gold and platinum albums, major industry awards, critical acclaim, Grammy nominations and music of monolithic power. REVOLVER magazine hailed the band as "the ultimate metal super group."

Album Description
Japanese pressing of Hellya's self-titled album includes one bonus track, 'Alcohaulin' Ass' in acoustic version. 13 tracks total. Sony. 2007.

Customer Reviews: Read 39 more reviews...

3 out of 5 stars

Well, What Exactly Did You Expect? April 18, 2007
15 out of 21 found this review helpful

When this project, now known as Hellyeah, was unveiled in late 2006, the prospect of Vinne Paul (of Pantera/Damageplan fame) re-emerging with members of Mudvayne and Nothingface was an interesting one. For those not in the know, Hellyeah is comprised of vocalist Chad Grey and guitarist Greg Tribbett, of Mudvayne, and Nothingface guitarist Tom Maxwell and bassist Jerry Montano in tow with the legendary Vinnie Paul on drums. Hmmm, well, let's see. Mudvayne + Nothingface + Pantera. To put it bluntly, you're getting what you're expecting with this "supergroup." Nothing more, nothing less.

Let's start on the positive. It's great to see and hear Vinnie Paul in a new band after the tragic loss of his brother, Dimebag Darrell, who was murdered onstage in front of his brother in December of 2004. It's safe to say that no one expected him to recover, let alone get into music again without his partner and musical soulmate. Unfortunately for the remaining four members of Hellyeah, having Paul in the band has drastically rasied the stakes. More people are watching, listening and judging. It's only natural that people want something on the same level as Pantera and some riffs that live up to Dimebag's memory. Not to criticize co-guitarists Tribbett and and Maxwell, but this expectation is never delivered upon to the listener.

Granted, if you take Hellyeah at face value, and forget all about Pantera and Dimebag, you've got yourself a solid hard-rock/metal record that doesn't take itself to seriously. Tribbett and Maxwell combined don't equal Dimebag, but in their defense, they put in quite an effort. Fans of Mudvayne and/or Nothingface will be surprised to hear the tricks they pull out of their sleeves on songs like "Alcohaulin'" and "Thank You," which represent a small handful of songs that step out of the unexpected. For the most part, however, Hellyeah's debut sounds like Mudvayne b-sides with some unusually good drumwork. Grey pulls the same vocal tricks here as he does with Mudvayne, so your enjoyment of this album hinges mostly on whether or not you're a Mudvayne fan. But all Mudvayne and Pantera talk aside, let's just talk about the music. The opening track, "Hellyeah," combined with "Matter Of Time" and "Goddamn" deliver the perfect blend of Vinnie's southern groove metal with modern day hard-rock -- I hesitate to use the term nu-metal here -- while the aformentioned "Alchohaulin'" is a laid back, good times track that steps out of the predictable in a big way. Like it or not, at least they took a chance. "Thank You" serves it's purpose of showing gratitude for everyone who helped the members of the band along the way, and is one of two semi-ballads, with "Star" being the better of the two. Unfortunately for the album, one of the best moments, "One Thing" is saved for the end and leaves the listener wanting more than what they heard before. It's the closest the band gets to Pantera-greatness and with the rest of the album suffering from a muddy mix, it's a disappointment that there aren't more moments such as this.

A lot of people are going to be unhappy with Hellyeah and in all honesty, it's not fair. Dime surely can't be playing guitar anymore, so you'd be doing yourself a big favor listening to this album if you just kept that in mind. "Hellyeah" doesn't step out of the comfort zone of any of the original bands it was spawned from, so if you're a fan, it's going to sound good to you. But if you're expecting Vinnie to be playing with the elitist of the elite, the best of the best, you'll more than likely be disappointed with each song Hellyeah deliver. Just don't take it seriously, and you might actually enjoy it.

3 out of 5 stars

Fun yet forgettable August 28, 2007
9 out of 11 found this review helpful

Does the world really need another new "supergroup?" Well, the fact of the matter is your opinion is actually irrelevant, because the music industry thinks we can never have too many of them. So here we go yet again! This one is called Hellyeah, and consists of two members of Mudvayne (vocalist Chad Gray and guitarist Greg Tribbett), Nothingface's Jerry Montano on bass, and drummer Vinnie Paul Abbott, who used to play in a little band from the Nineties called Pantera. No matter how tired you may be of "supergroups," after considering the stature of the musicians involved in this project, there's no denying that this band definitely has a boatload of potential.

It sounds like the members of Hellyeah had an extremely good time making their eponymous debut. Throughout these twelve songs, the listener constantly gets the impression that these were five guys who wanted to take time away from their day jobs by getting together and just have a great time rockin' out without any rules, obligations, or cares in the world!

Unfortunately, much of the time it seems like everybody was having so much fun jamming with one another that nobody remembered to write a lot of the songs. This album is a really mixed bag of material. Several of the tunes -- including "Matter of Time," "Waging War," "Rotten to the Core" (which features an almost "Dimebag" Darrell-worthy solo), and "Nausea" -- rock really hard and powerfully, but ultimately go absolutely nowhere and don't leave much of an impression on the listener. And elsewhere, "Star" and the obligatory ballad "Thank You" come across as fillers which are dragged down by cliche, and sometimes even laughably bad lyrics.

"Hellyeah" isn't a complete throwaway though, because no matter how mediocre the songwriting usually is, the album earns a few points just because it's so fantastic to hear Vinnie Paul back in action again (he is in fine form here, too -- he slams away on his trapkit and creates a wealth of thunderous rhythms.) And there are a handful of good songs here. The titular opening track is a rousing, mosh-intensive statement of intent that pummels the listener's eardrums with a bludgeoning groove, excellent, slamming drums, strong, thrashy riffs, and a great, chant-along chorus. After this comes "You Wouldn't Know," which boasts a bit of impressive, Sevendust-style crooning, a fairly ripping solo, and a killer chorus hook. Later on, "Alcohaulin'" is a laid-back, Southern-tinged acoustic strummer highlighted by a small, bluesy solo; "Goddarn" storms back onto the scene with driving riffs, a pounding rhythm, and another irresistibly catchy chorus; and set closer "One Thing" marches to the album's finish line with a rumbling, crunching wall of guitar noise.

Ultimately, "Hellyeah" makes for an enjoyable listen which will satisfy all fans of Pantera and Mudvayne, but it does nothing to enhance any of the band members' legacies.

3 out of 5 stars

If you can hear me now, there's one thing I've got to say (3.5) April 12, 2007
8 out of 11 found this review helpful

PREDICTION: Every single person who hates Hellyeah will use a play on words to mess up their name (i.e., Hellno). Huge fans will cuss a lot whilst describing how "f*cking badda*s" they are. I think I'm gonna end up being right on this one too.

I like every member of Hellyeah to a certain degree, Vinnie Paul and Chad Grey are the two that piqued my interest the most however. Chad has a great voice in my opinion, whether he's screaming or singing, he uses his voice tastefully most of the time. As good as he is though, Hellyeah plays as more of Mudvayne throw-aways (except with a lot better drumming). Three songs, Alcohaulin' Ass, Star, and Thank You are the only departures from the Mudvayne-esque riffage the rest of the CD sports. I like Mudvayne a lot, I don't care about other people's opinions on them, but I was hoping for a lot more with Chad being paired with some highly influential musicians.

Hellyeah is a great opening track with a huge, sing-along chorus that I ask you not to be singing to yourself after you hear it. You Wouldn't Know and Waging War are the first signs of weakness. The vocals aren't great, the lyrics aren't great, and even the music is lacking. Matter Of Time rebounds nicely with a reminder as to why Vinnie Paul is so highly regarded. Alcohaulin' Ass is the first huge departure for Chad and he proves himself tenfold. Defintely reminescent of days gone by. Goddamn is extremely cheesey but is catchy enough to warrant a few listens thanks to the chorus. In The Mood, the only instrumental track featured, is a perfect lead-in to one of the CDs best tracks, Star. Star is just one of those all-around great songs. Thank You has all the potential in the world to be overly corny and unwanted but ends up being another standout. Rotten To The Core, Nausea, and One Thing are all songs that can be passed over. None have a really redeeming quality to them and none are particularly noteworthy.

My favorite songs are Hellyeah, Matter Of Time, Alcohaulin' Ass, Star, and Thank You. Supergroups seem to popping up every couple minutes and for the most part I tend to just not pay attention to them. With a lineup as good as Hellyeah's though, it's hard not to get sucked into the hype. I do recommend this CD, just know what you're getting yourself into. Even if you despise Hellyeah and all they stand for, one thing can be agreed upon without question, seeing Vinnie Paul making music again is a great thing to see.

2 out of 5 stars

piec of trash April 8, 2007
6 out of 22 found this review helpful

this cd sucks. it is worth about 1 dollar. if you can download do it... dont waste your money on this garbage. if you want a real cd buy the new DARK TRANQUILLITY in about a week. this cd sounds like boring metal riffs that have been done before....

2 out of 5 stars

R.I.P. Dime April 13, 2007
6 out of 13 found this review helpful

I have nothing but the upmost respect for Vinnie Paul. It eats me up that he chose this project as his comeback to music. I can't think of a musician that wouldn't have jumped at the chance to be in a band with him. (Zakk Wylde, Maynard James Keynan, hell even Matt Heafy are a few names that come to mind) I respect what Mudvanye does. They have a formula. Not exactly my cup of tea, but it works and it sells records. So why this collaboration? why now? I can't figure it out. Glen Tribot and (insert nothingface guitarist name here) are not even in Dimebag's shadow. Their riffing doesn't do Vin's playing any justice and it shows right off the bat. The only part of this album where I hear any real connection is when Vinnie is playing the snare and high hat in 4/4. Terrible waste of such an amazing talent. As for the vocals... some of the screaming works, nothing special, just kinda sounds like Mudvayne. But on the slower country influenced songs, I fight every urge to smash this cd into a million pieces.

Vinnie Paul, please find yourself musicians at your skill level and leave the amaeturs in your wake...

If you like Mudvayne and enjoyed Damageplan... you will still probably be disapointed with this cd.

If you are expecting Pantera, as some of these reviews will lead you to believe.. well go throw on Trendkill and feel privelaged that you were able to experience metal at its finest.

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