Hellyeah – Vinnie Paul

Vinnie Paul is most notably known for his drumming persona in Pantera and Damageplan, and of course his unique and stylish sideburns. After the death of his brother Dimebag Darrall in 2004, Vinnie took an 18 month long hiatus from music.

Many were uncertain of Vinnie’s future in music and if he’d ever return, but eventually Vinnie did build the courage and returned to the passion which he loved with the formation of the super-group Hellyeah in 2006, which includes members of Mudvayne, Damageplan and Nothingface.

Metal Obsession recently got to speak with Vinnie Paul about the band’s latest album Stampede and their upcoming 2 year tour to promote the new album.

Metal Obsession: Hey Vinnie. Welcome to Metal Obsession.

Vinnie Paul: Hey man! Glad to be here.

MO: Hellyeah will soon be releasing their new album “Stampede” this July in Australia and New Zealand via Riot! Entertainment. Could you fill us in on what fans can expect from the new album?

VP: Well, I think it’s a very, very board album. It’s a total roller coaster ride, taking on you some diverse peaks and valley’s. It’s the heaviest we’ve ever been compared to our previous bands, or in Hellyeah for that matter. It’s a little more southern, a little more bluesy and more deep, you know. It just really covers a lot of ground and it’s something we are all really proud of.

MO: I hear that “Stampede” was written and recorded at your home studio in Texas with many songs being written in a time frame of only 15 – 20 minutes. Do most of these songs come off by pure accident, or is there a common formula that you and the other guys follow when writing?

VP: I think the magic is that we just have really great chemistry with each other, you know. First of all, we all came into this band with a great respect for each other and we just bonded instantly. We like to drink together, we like to barbecue together and once we start jamming on riffs, it just seemed to come really natural for us, you know. We’ve been doing this for such a long period of time, but we’ve only been doing Hellyeah for about 3 years now, and it just seems comfortable for us.

MO: Was there much material left over from “Stampede”?

VP: There was quite a few jams, but nothing that was ever completed. We always believe that quality is better than quantity, you know. We did it right. If you have 20  songs and hope to get 10 great ones out of it, then you have done your job. We have 10 or 11 great songs that we are really happy with, you know.

MO: Would you ever use left over material in the near future?

VP: When we came into this record we didn’t listen to any left over material from the first record, so I’m pretty sure that if we didn’t like it the first time around we probably wouldn’t come back and revisit it. We’d just start from scratch, you know.

MO: Was there ever a period when you and the others butted heads about a certain song, riff, or lyric, or do you all get along and be diplomatic about each song that goes on the album?

VP: We are very diplomatic, you know. We also like think that we are very good producers in our own right. We are very vocal, you know. Very vocal.

If somethings not right or if there is something we don’t like, we are not afraid to speak up, you know. A lot of the songs start off one way and end up total different by the time we are finished with them, you know.

MO: Are you personally satisfied with how the new album has turned out. Is there anything that you really liked, or dislike about the approach of the new album?

VP: I love it from start to finish, you know. I’ve never recorded an album in my house similar to that of a professional studio. We always do it in a rec room style where you turn your house into a recording studio. I put the drums down in this packing room where I have this huge 45 foot ceiling.  I put the guitar amps up in the game room. Turned one of my bedrooms into a control room and then we put video monitors around so we could all see each other. It was just really unique, you know. We never had to leave, you know.

We felt comfortable here. We’d get up and do some barbecuing, start drinking and do some jamming and then we’d get a break from it. We’d go out to a strip bar or rock bar and then come back and do some more work, you know. It was just a really cool vibe.

MO: Could you fill us in on the special edition or digipak of “Stampede”?

VP: There are a couple editions of the special edition that are available from our website. If you go to www.hellyeahband.com or Hellyeah’s Myspace page we have one with a bull skull, which we felt was something which really represented the stampede and something special to give to the fans that are super collectors and people that really want to be close to the band.

Then there is another version we did which has a lenticular cover, where if you hold it a certain way the images keep changing, sorta like a 3D hologram where the bulls are on fire.

MO: To celebrate the release of “Stampede”, Hellyeah will be doing some extensive touring for the next coupe of months. Australia will be one of many stops on the band’s journey. For the many attending or uncertain of what to expect from these upcoming shows, could you tell us what we can expect from this Australian tour?

VP: First of all I gotta say, Australia is absolutely one of my favorite places to tour, ever! Even back in the Pantera days its always been fantastic. It reminds me of one big Texas, you know. The people love to drink, they like to party, they love the music and they love to barbecue man, you know. That’s what we love to do around here in Texas. Always looking forward to it. This time its going to be a bit of a short run though. We’re just doing Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.

We don’t bring any kind of laser light show or anything like that. It’s all about the fans and the music, and that’s what keeps it real. We feed the energy off each other, back and forth and its really a great vibe. We want every night to be a Friday night at a Hellyeah concert.  Doesn’t matter if its Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday…we want you to forget about everything, let your hair down, drink up and have a good time.

MO: Has there ever been a moment on tour when you’ve played a certain show and fans will yell out “Play some Pantera” or demand that the band play a certain song from one of your previous bands?

VP: You know, me and Dime had to deal with that a lot in Damageplan. The fans just didn’t want to let go of Pantera, but with Hellyeah its different. From day one the fans completely embraced us. They totally understood that it was a different entity from any other band that we have previously been in and we’ve never had to deal with that. I think the fans have respected us from the start, I really can’t answer why they have, but it’s worked out really well for us, you know.

MO: Do you ever get the feeling that certain people who listen to Hellyeah maybe pigeonholing the band’s sound and living on a certain vibe from your days in Pantera, expecting you to reignite that old flame?

VP: Well, I haven’t seen it yet, but the bottom line is we are artists. We want to have fun, we want to play our music and felt from day one that Hellyeah stood on its own two feet. We didn’t need to play Pantera songs, or Mudvayne songs, or NothingFace songs.

It’s just not the same without the original members, you know. We want to do our own thing, we want to do our own vibe.  There is certain people who don’t get into it because they are hung up on the other band or something and that’s cool, no big deal, but I tell you, you’ll never see a band with as much heart as us. This band truly brings it and we have a blast playing it. It’s absolutely fun.

It’s one of those things, like after sex, you know. You feel good doing it and its even better when you finish.

MO: What’s next for Hellyeah after the massive tour coming up. Are there plans to work on the next album, or will you and the guys be taking a big break?

VP: Right now we roughly have 2 years of set touring for this album. We really want to take the band internationally and be able to go to Europe two or three times. Come to Australia to tour two or three times, go to South East Asia and the rest of the world. We want to go everywhere, you know.

Right now the focus is to build demand all the way around and do two years of non stop touring, you know. If we feel we are onto something, will make another record and if not, maybe Mudvayne will do an album and will take a break and try again after that.

MO: Before we finish up is there anything you wish to say to the Australian fans?

VP: I think I said it early that Australia is a beautiful place. I really, really, REALLY love the fans there. Love playing there. The people are genuinely friendly and I think they really love the music and  are really into it, you know. Its going to be a thrill. It’s a long plane flight man, but worth every minute. [laughs]

Q’s: Anwar Rizk
A’s: Vinnie Paul
Band: Hellyeah
Date: 02/07/2010
Origin: Texas, USA
www.hellyeahband.com – www.myspace.com/hellyeah

Make sure to catch Hellyeah in Australia this July in support of their monstrous new album “Stampede”. Tickets on sale now through respected outlets.

THURSDAY 29 JULY SYDNEY, METRO THEATRE – Lic A/A
www.ticketek.com.au 132 849

FRIDAY 30 JULY MELBOURNE, BILLBOARD THE VENUE – 18+
www.ticketek.com.au 132 849, www.billboardthevenue.com.au

SATURDAY 31 JULY BRISBANE, THE TIVOLI – 18+
www.ticketek.com.au 132 849