HELLYEAH

Every night is a Friday night for HELLYEAH and their fans. No matter what the situation, HELLYEAH's mission is singular: to provide fans with good time, spirit-lifting hard rock. When you are at a HELLYEAH show or listening to their music, everything else takes a backseat to feeling good and focusing on living in the 'here and now.' Because that’s what real life is all about.

Despite not-so-humble beginnings as an enjoyable side project for members of Pantera, Mudvayne and Nothingface, one thing is certain about HELLYEAH in 2011: this is a real band that speaks to real people with their latest album 'Stampede'. Guitarist Tom Maxwell believes that through their first album's activities, HELLYEAH is now even stronger as a unit, and that bleeds into the music on 'Stampede', saying "It’s a true brotherhood. It's middle finger in the air, wave the flag and mow everyone over with who we are and what we are. Like Vinnie says, 'Let the stampede begin.'" Maxwell adds, "Our first album was in the moment, with pure fire, piss and vinegar, but 'Stampede' is more song-oriented, with a lot of personality, and a lot of personal stuff, too."

The power of the band's music aside, HELLYEAH are also noteworthy because they're the project that brought Vinnie Paul back to playing, after losing his brother and metal icon Dimebag Darrell to a tragic onstage shooting in 2004. “It was a humongous step in my life, for the longest period, I didn’t know if I wanted to do it again,” Paul said. “My brother meant the world to me and we did everything together. We were inseparable and it took me a year before I decided to do this. One thing that struck a chord was when Dave Grohl sent me an email, saying, ‘Bro, I went through something similar with Kurt Cobain. I never thought I’d play music again, but music will heal you eventually.’ That meant a lot to me and that allowed me to open my heart and realize it was worth taking a shot.” The drummer wasn’t well-acquainted with Gray or guitarist Greg Tribbett (also of Mudvayne) when the seeds of HELLYEAH were being sown, but they all hit it off and destiny took over.

Frontman Chad Gray adds, "The band is called HELLYEAH, come on! It's like 'Hell yeah, let’s do it!'" HELLYEAH's goal is to bring their music to the people, like a port in the storm, the lifeline to save them from drowning in the harsh realities of life. And really, isn't that why people turn to music in their bleakest hours, for something to connect with?” Get on board and get run over with HELLYEAH.