ALBUM-REVIEW: HELLYEAH – Welcome Home


I believe that it is human nature to want to find a lasting way to immortalize a loved one that has passed away. History has proven that the custom of creating a tangible or abstract method paying homage to the deceased has been a mainstay in almost every culture bringing comfort and solace for centuries. Humans that possess the soul of an artist seem to process loss and grief on a completely different level, most of the time creating something ethereal from their pain. Case in point, the sixth studio album from Heavy Metal badasses HELLYEAH, Welcome Home (Eleven Seven Music) is a fitting and spine-tingling tribute to their dearly departed drummer, Vinnie Paul Abbott. The album as a whole possesses some very tasty stand out tracks.Continue reading


HELLYEAH Shares New Album Cover and Backstory in Behind The Scenes Video


HELLYEAH has revealed their new album cover for their album Welcome Home, due out on September 27th, via Eleven Seven Music Group. The news comes in a behind the scenes video with singer Chad Gray. HELLYEAH has just canceled their upcoming tour dates following Tom Maxwell worsening “Trigger Finger” condition that calls for surgery soon. Continue reading


Hellyeah Releases New Single and Video for “333”


As we reported yesterday at this time, Hellyeah has released their new single ‘333’, a blistering new track and a heartfelt tribute to their late drummer Vinnie Paul Abbott, his brother Dimebag Darrell, and really a call to arms of their fans. The track comes off of their upcoming new album, the final recordings Vinnie has made with the band. The band has now released a video for ‘333’, shot a few weeks back at Duff’s Alcohol Abuse Center in Brooklyn, New York. The band is also performing a tribute concert Celebrating The Life Of Vinnie Paul Abbott Sat, May 11th 2019 at House Of Blues, Las Vegas. Tickets are selling out fast. A portion of each ticket will be donated to the American Heart Association.Continue reading


Invidia – As The Sun Sleeps


Invidia (the brainchild of In This Moment’s Travis Johnson and former Skinlab guitarist Brian Jackson) aims to be the sonic version of Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky, and makes no bones about it. The track ‘Step Up’ from their début As the Sun Sleeps (Steamhammer/Oblivion/SPV) spells this out quite literally, even lifting a line from the film that encompasses everything the band stands for: “It’s not about how hard you can hit; it’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward.”Continue reading


Hellyeah – Unden!able


 

Hellyeah Undeniable album cover ghostcultmag

Once again Hellyeah has proven why they are dubbed with the name “supergroup”. This all American heavy metal band consists of many of the biggest names of metal to date. Including vocalist Chad Gray of Mudvayne, former guitarist Tom Maxwell of Nothingface, bass player Kyle Sanders (Bloodsimple/Monstro), guitarist Christian Brady, and former Pantera drumming legend Vinnie Paul. Release their fifth album since their debut in 2007, entitled Unden!able (Eleven Seven Music).

This in your face power house of an album will get your body begging for the pit. From beginning to end the album shows the raw talent of the five member team. Fast paced riffs, wicked blastbeats, brutal break downs, and demonic vocals, this thirteen track album reminds us of what it means to be “Born and Breed a metalhead”.

The album opens up with ‘!’. This powerful intro begins raising the intensity inside your body until you are slapped in the face by track 2 ‘X’. This track is full of a strong lyrical rhythm accompanied with powerful double bass, strong break downs, and mind shredding riffs. Then it leads my personal favorite song on the album track 3 ‘Scratch a lie’. Chad Grey brings those blood chilling screeches, and fast paced lyrics that made him the monster he is today. This song will make you want start a mosh pit at your family reunion. The fourth track ‘Be Undin!able’ is what I like to call the anthem song. Most albums have them. It is the song where it seems to bring the crowd together, though heavy and still has the possibility to knock your teeth out, it’s a song with a positive message and encourages us to stand together as one.

Next song ‘Human’ was the first single off the album. This song gave you the sneak peek of this monstrous album. Though not as heavy as the rest, it still gives you the adrenaline pumping, head banging feeling the rest of the album gives you. The album slows down a bit with the next couple tracks. Though still pure metal, it is just not as in your face as the beginning half. ‘Leap of Faith’, ‘Blood Plague’, the Phil Collins cover of “I Don’t Care Anymore” and ‘Live or Die’ bring you back to the typical Hellyeah style, the heavy metal outlaw, showing a little bit of that southern side of metal. ‘I Don’t Care Any More’ features some leads courtesy of Vinnie Paul’s brother, Dimebag Darrell Abbott, making an appearance via tapes from beyond the grave.

Then there is the track ‘Love Falls’. A melodic ballad that pulls at the heart-strings. Chads’ lyrics transport you to a heartbreak we have all received before, showing his embarrassment and humanity. It’s a refreshing song in the midst of such chaos and brutality. Then the sirens fill your ears. A short intro ’10-34′ that leads into a riot, ‘STARTARIOT’. This song alone makes me want to bleed in a pit. The impact of the drums, the lyrics, guitar, amazing bass riffs, all of it. It’s the perfect storm for a circle pit. Lastly, ‘Grave’. The last song of the album. Just as strong and in your face but has a nice fade out giving you a sense of rejuvenation. Like you just won a war. All and all this album is strong, fast, brutal, and most importantly, HEAVY!

In closing. This album is a must have for any metal fan. It shows the roots and development of our beloved genre. Combining southern and heavy metal together into a sweet harmony of chaos. I recommend this album to anyone and it will be in my playlist for a while. Did they make a great album. I say Hellyeah.

8.0/10

TIM STEBBINS

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Video: HELLYEAH – Human


hellyeah human video still image ghostcultmag

 

HELLYEAH has released a lyric video for the first track from their forthcoming, as yet untitled new album, due later this year. The track ‘Human’ can be watched at this link or below.

 

hellyeah logo ghostcultmag

 

HELLYEAH’s new album will be their fifth as a band, and will be released from Eleven Seven Music.

Chad Gray of Hellyeah, photo©Kevin Estrada / kevinestrada.com

Chad Gray of Hellyeah, photo©Kevin Estrada / kevinestrada.com

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Audiotopsy – Natural Causes


Audiotopsy-Natural Causes 16_Page_Booklet.indd

I’ll admit it. I’m one of those dudes who would like to have another Mudvayne album. I really would. I’d actually settle for a final tour just to get a proper sense of closure for that band. But I’ll just keep waiting.

In the meantime though, the artists formerly known as Mudvayne, particularly guitarist Greg Tribbett, have stayed busy in a variety of bands. Tribbett was doing time with vocalist Chad Gray in the musically inferior Vinnie Paul project Hellyeah until he walked in 2013. Wasting little time he recruited Mudvayne drummer Matt McDonough, Skrape singer Billy Keeton and bassist Perry Stern for a “progressive hard rock” act dubbed Audiotopsy. I’m not sure about the progressive tag, but the music on Natural Causes (Napalm) tends to fluctuate from alternative metal to post-grunge.

On paper the idea of Tribbett and McDonough working together again seems awesome, but the angular and off-kilter Mudvayne rhythms are nowhere to be found here. The closest we get to those days is on ‘Distorted’ and ‘Darken the Rainbow,’ but even then it’s more Lost and Found rather than L.D. 50. And that’s fine because this is a new band and they’re capable of producing their own interesting moments. The best bits on Natural Causes are the songs more in line with grunge (God, I hate that word) like ‘LYLAB’ and ‘The Calling.’ Then you have the strongest track ‘Swim’ which also happens to be the closest to mellow.

Natural Causes starts to show its cracks with songs like ‘Headshot’ and ‘Burn the Sky’ as they feel more like placeholders as opposed to fleshed out compositions. It could have been a noteworthy EP as opposed to a full length that’s been padded out with ideas that haven’t been fully realized. Do we really need interlude ‘H20’ smack in the middle of the album or the three-minute title track outro? Who does outros?

Maybe we can chalk it up to the short gestation period between band formation and album release. These are the growing pains that lead to musical polish. It’s fine, I can wait.

5.5/10

HANSEL LOPEZ