HELLYEAH Announces Third Disc, "Band of Brothers" Out in June on Eleven/Seven Music

Fingers crossed for this release as I found the band's 2007 self-titled debut such a snoozer that I didn't bother with their second disc.

Hard rock supergroup HELLYEAH is back with a 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.

Frontman Chad Gray comments, "I'm really excited about what we've done on this new album. I've always separated Mudvayne and HELLYEAH as much as I could, even though it was my voice. Melodies, lyrics and just the overall style of writing were different. With Band of Brothers, I just quit being afraid of who I am in relation to this band. I think we've all really gotten back to the original roots of what we've done individually and brought it together on this album. As an artist, as long as you’re painting with your own brush, no one can compare or challenge you. I just painted with a bigger, heavier brush than I had with HELLYEAH in the past. I think this is what fans have always expected to hear from us, and now were giving it to them."

Vinnie Paul echoed the sentiment in a recent interview for Loudwire.com: “On our first two records, we were a new band. We really wanted to branch out and expand and experiment with all different styles. We all come from traditional metal bands and backgrounds, so it was a great breath of fresh air to play in a band that was rock ‘n’ roll, blues and Southern rock. We got that out of our system and got really focused on going back to our metal roots. It’s heavy, focused, groove-oriented and I’m excited about it.”

Jeremy Parker said, “It's impossible not to have a good time jamming this record. It has the anger and violence of Pantera and Mudvayne, but a party vibe that can only be HELLYEAH!”

Band of Brothers is set for worldwide release in early June. HELLYEAH will be announcing North American tour plans soon. They are confirmed to tour Australia and Japan in the coming months. Dates are as follows:

Feb 25 -- Brisbane, AUS -- RNA Showgrounds
Feb 26 -- Sydney, AUS -- Showground
Feb 28 -- Melbourne, AUS -- The Forum
Mar 01 -- Sydney, AUS -- The Metro Theater
Mar 02 -- Melbourne, AUS -- Showgrounds
Mar 03 -- Adelaide, AUS -- Bonython Park
Mar 05 -- Perth, AUS -- Claremont Showgrounds
Mar 31 -- Jakarta, IND -- Carnaval Beach Ancol
Apr 02 -- Nayoga, JAP -- Diamond Hall
Apr 03 -- Osaka, JAP -- Big Cat
Apr 05 -- Tokyo, JAP -- O-East
Apr 06 -- Tokyo, JAP -- O-East

Links:
HELLYEAH

HELLYEAH - Self-titled CD Review

I don't think there is anything to be gained by pointing out the lineage of the band members -- everyone already knows this is sort of a super group. What you think of this band though will likely depend your opinion on the member's other bands as this release breaks no new ground. Musically, the band's sound is probably closest in style to Mudvayne. As you might gather with song titles like Hellyeah, Alcohaulin' Ass and Goddamn, the lyrics aren't deep. This is simply good-time macho rock n' roll that is played with a swagger.

I would exepect the band to look and sound great in a club setting but they are playing pretty big venues and then are on the Family Values Tour later this summer. I am afraid that the band may come across as fairly generic in these large auditoriums. Time will tell the band's future...

Vinnie just gave a great (and long) interview to Talking Metal where he discusses the 2007 Family Values Tour, HELLYEAH's setlist, recording in Dimebag's studio and many other topics. You can download a podcast of the interview here.

Tour Dates:
May 20 2007 Rams Head Live, Baltimore, Maryland
May 22 2007 Expo 5, Louisville, Kentucky
May 23 2007 East Peoria Convention Center, Peoria, Illinois
May 25 2007 House of Blues, Cleveland, Ohio
May 26 2007 Orbit Room, Grand Rapids, Michigan
May 27 2007 Barrymore Theater, Madison, Wisconsin
May 29 2007 Fillmore Auditorium, Denver, Colorado
May 30 2007 Sokel, Omaha, Nebraska
June 1 2007 Cotillion, Wichita, Kansas
June 2 2007 Cains Ballroom, Tulsa, Oklahoma
June 3 2007 Southbeach, Lubbock, Texas
June 5 2007 Pavilion, Corpus Christi, Texas
June 9 2007 DOWNLOAD FESTIVAL Donington

Links:
HELLYEAH Main Website (Link)
Photo montage from the band's record release party (link)