Personnel: Chad Gray (vocals); Greg Tribbett (guitar); Vinnie Paul (drums).
Audio Mixers: Sterling Winfield; Vinnie Paul.
Recording information: Chasin Jason Studios, Dalworthington Gardens, TX.
Photographer: Chad Lee.
In the aftermath of the on-stage murder of Pantera/Damageplan guitarist Darryl "Dimebag" Abbott, fans were hard-pressed to predict if and when Dime's brother and musical partner, drummer Vinny Paul, would reemerge. In fitting tribute, the late Dime's studio eventually became the womb for the birth of a new supergroup, Hellyeah. Chad Gray, Greg Tribbett (both of Mudvayne), and former Nothingface members Maxwell and Jerry Montano join Paul on a powerful self-titled debut. "You Wouldn't Know" speaks to the soul-crushing pressures of the major-label music world, while "Matter Of Time" and "Hellyeah" are bona fide fist-pumping metal anthems. "Thank You" pays homage to loved ones lost (including, naturally, Dime himself). All in all, HELLYEAH serves up the kind of infectious groove-metal that the Abbott brothers helped invent in the late 1990s and early '00s, and will please fans of all involved.
