Hellyeah! - Are back and stronger than ever!!!

August 13th 2014

Milton Keynes, Craufurd Arms, UK

****

Hellyeah! they survived the roundabouts to Rock!!! Milton Keynes Southern Style!

Hellyeah! ****1/2 are best known for being the project of Vinnie Paul (Ex-Pantera / Ex-Damageplan) and Chad Gray (Ex-Mudvayne) but this time they are even stronger in their ranks being joined by Kyle Sanders (Yes! brother of Troy Sanders of Mastodon fame) and bass player in the band medication which was lead by Whitfield Crane (Ugly kid Joe / Life of Agony). The band is completed by Tom Maxwell (Nothingface) and new edition Christian Brady who has fitted into the band like a fish to water and made their live sound even more full blooded. It is almost a little strange that when I arrived at the venue that such legends of Metal were walking around having a pint with the fans, but Hellyeah! have always been a friendly band and one that has always been approachable to their fans. The actual venue is not much bigger than the pub itself and the heat is so warm you could roast a duck when your close to the stage.

Chad Gray doesn't seem worried about this as he comes out with full force and breaks into opening number 'Matter of Time', which sounds really big and get's everything off to a brilliant start. It's storming riffs show the unity of the band and the tightness as Vinnie Paul brings on his signature drum style in the dark at the back, Yes! all eyes are on Vinnie because of his past with Pantera but it's Chad who takes over and really leads things for this performance. The title track of their new album 'Blood for Blood' named in Spanish (Mexican) 'Sangre por Sangre' grows the sound to the extreme and Hellyeah! start to show off how good their new material off. This is a sing-a-long track and one of the best in the bands set. Chad Gray's vocal style has changed a little from his days with Mudvayne and his slight Southern twang now works very well with the sound that Hellyeah! want to show off.

The problem I have always had with Hellyeah! is that their songs are not as memorable and they should be and sometimes the songs don't really hit you until they are half way through, but I think they have learned over the years and the new material stands out strong. Like 'Demons in the Dirt' which is a killer of a track, where Chad's screams echo out all over the venue while Maxwell sends an onslaught of riffs at you. This song is really catchy and shows the bands determination to lift themselves to the next level and after their headline performance of the Sophie stage at the Bloodstock Festival is the right direction for them to go. 'War in Me' off the last album 'Band of Brothers' has a real Mudvayne vibe to it, so takes me back to when I saw them play years ago.

I don't think at this point Hellyeah! had found their identity like they have now, I think it's a sudden thing that they found on their new and fourth album. Their own sound and the perfect line-up to bring them into a band in their own right that will be respected in years to come and not only for the fact that Vinnie and Chad are in it. 'Drink, Drank, Drunk' is great and a song that is enjoyed by everyone but is a little too Pantera sounding, but a good song to stomp your feet to, while 'Cross to Bier (Cradle of Bones)' shows some interesting twists that grab your attention. This is a really fast paced quick witted song and very intelligently written. I like how on some tracks in the set Chad commands the audience by singing through a megaphone making his stage presence even bigger.

One of the other highlights of the set is the beautiful 'Moth' a song I have always liked. This is a song that echo's at you and makes you join in, it is touching and comes across well on record and live as one of the bands best songs. Yes! it's American Rock but sometimes this is what we need, a song we can really relate to. It also has some nasty little traints to it, mixing up the good with the bad. 'Say When' a new track shows off Vinnie's great drumming to it's full effect something that I think everyone in attendance tonight really wants to see, so this is a good choice to add to the set.

'Rage / Burn' also off the disappointing album 'Band of Brothers' also sounds like Pantera, it's not that this was not a good album or the songs where bad, but I just wanted a little more from a band consisting of so many legends. This song does though wind down the set nicely so when they break into 'You wouldn't know' a song that now is a fan favourite everyone is ready to join in and have a last bit of fun. They close the set with their signature anthem 'Hellyeah!' which is enjoyed by everyone in attendance and is a good goodbye.

I would advise you to go and see Hellyeah! beacause they put on a good show, but before you go listen to the albums first so you know the material. It's also great to see so many great musicians on the one stage and still performing. They also put a lot of energy and love into their set making the set really enjoyable, so I am going to give this show a big HELLYEAH!

Hellyeah! - Setlist
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Matter of Time
Sangre por Sangre (Blood for Blood)
Demons in the Dirt
War in Me
Drink Drank Drunk
Cross to Bier (Cradle of Bones)
Moth
Say When
Soul Killer
Rage / Burn
You wouldn't Know
Hellyeah!

Review and Photo's by Dan Devour