Hard rock supergroup HELLYEAH is back with their third album, entitled Band of Brothers. The album, the band’s first effort for their new label home, Eleven Seven Music, was recorded in Dallas at drummer Vinnie Paul’s home studio, VP’s Upstairs Studio, and was produced by the band and Jeremy Parker (Godsmack, Evanessence), who also served as engineer.
Having produced track after track of heavy-hitting, in-your-face, feel good rock and roll on their previous two albums (2010’s STAMPEDE and 2007’s self-titled debut), Band of Brothers sees Hellyeah taking a slightly different musical direction. Drawing on their former bands’ collective metal roots for inspiration, the influences and style of Mudvayne, Pantera, Damageplan and Nothingface are immediately recognizable in tracks such as “Band of Brothers,” “War In Me” and “Rage Burn,” while the party anthem “Drink, Drank, Drunk” retains the essence of earlier Hellyeah.
Atlanta Music Guide spoke to Hellyeah drummer, Vinnie Paul, about his relationship with his band mates, the band’s newest album, Band of Brothers, and the band’s plans for 2013. Check out what he had to say below!
How did you and your band mates come together?
After the horrible loss of my brother it took me a year and a half to collect myself. I knew I still loved music but told myself if I became involved in it again that it would have to fall in my lap and that’s what happened. Chad and Tom had been talking about putting a band together for years outside of Mudvayne and Nothingface. They finally got a window of time where both bands were off and they brought Greg on-board and needed a drummer. Tom had toured with Pantera in ’99 and wanted to get me so they started contacting me. I was hesitant at first because I didn’t know if I was ready yet, but they kept calling and after two weeks they caught me after a bottle of red wine. Listening to KISS, it just hit me…I want to give this a shot. They came to Texas about a week later and we hit it off great, started writing music and Hellyeah was born!
How did you come up with your band name, Hellyeah?
There was a box outside the studio and we just started writing band names on it. A few days in, Chad was looking at it and ‘Hellyeah’ was on there. He brought us all in the studio and said let’s be ‘Hellyeah’ and we all looked at each other and said ‘Hellyeah’. To this day, no one knows who wrote it on there by we all feel like Dime had something to do with it.
How does your third album, Band of Brothers, differ from your first two albums?
The first two records were very diverse and a way for us to step outside of the box and do some things musically that were new and different from our previous bands. On this record we wanted to get back to our metal roots and bring all the elements we brought to our previous bands into Hellyeah. It made for a much heavier-focused sound and probably the record people expected from Hellyeah from the start!
How has the use of social media affected your band’s presence in the music industry?
You can touch thousands of people with the touch of a computer key! It didn’t work that way back in the day… can you say ‘word of mouth’?
If you could play a show with any musician / band, dead or alive, who would it be?
Everyone knows I’m a huge Van Halen fan and I know we will hit the stage together someday!
What artists / bands have you been listening to lately?
All my old school favorites! Judas Priest, Slayer, Metallica, KISS, Van Halen, Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden… I love the sound of analog recordings as opposed to digital!
If you were to buy music today, what would you buy: A CD, a record, or an MP3?
I would just buy! Stealing is stealing whether it’s a car or music, period!
What are your plans for the remainder of 2013?
We are on a co-headline tour right now with All That Remains and every night has been sold out and it’s been a great bill. We do a few shows with KISS which I’m overly excited about, then we go to Europe for June and we are part of the heaviest tour of the summer. I wish I could tell you but it will be announced soon! Stay hard and see you soon! Big love, VP!
See Hellyeah LIVE at The Masquerade THIS Friday, April 12!
