Hell Yeah delivers a rollicking 21-drum salute
By NIYAZ PIRANI
The Orange County Register
"Hell Yeah"
The recent spate of rock supergroups – Audioslave, Velvet Revolver and Army of Anyone, among others – certainly isn't a new trend. But when a supergroup, specifically the aptly titled Hell Yeah, is the reason for Pantera/Damageplan drummer Vinnie Paul's triumphant return to the kit after his brother "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott's onstage murder in 2004, there's certainly cause to cheer.
Hell Yeah, rounded out by Mudvayne's Chad Gray (vocals) and Greg Tribbett (guitar) plus guitarist Tom Maxwell and bassist Jerry Montano from Nothingface, has taken a few pages out of Pantera's songbook, crafting hard-hitting "cowboy metal" that begs to be cranked to maximum volume. The self-titled opening track showcases what the band is all about – mainly furious drumming fused to whiplash licks and infectious scream-along choruses. The frenzied attack only gets heavier as the disc wears on, especially during the machine-gun fills of "Matter of Time" and "Rotten to the Core."
The fun the band had making the record is especially evident in Gray's vocals. Fans will immediately notice the difference in tone, how his voice carries this effort in comparison to how he wails as the somber, brooding mouthpiece of his own math-metal unit. Prime twist: the rocking-chair-and-a-Bud-light vibe of "Alcohaulin' Ass," which, along with "Thank You," adds nice contrast to the album's resolute heaviness.
Classic thrash and metal riffs soar on nearly every track, in what seems to be a throwback to "Dimebag" – and it all comes together as one the best metal discs, so far, of 2007. If anything, at 44 minutes, it's too short.
Grade: A-
Contact the writer: 714-445-6689 or npirani@ocregister.com
********A- HUH????? A++ MOTHERFUCKER!!!!*******
