HELLYEAH Filming Footage For First-Ever DVD

Simon Milburn of The Metal Forge recently conducted an interview with drummer Vinnie Paul Abbott (HELLYEAH, ex-PANTERA, DAMAGEPLAN). A few excerpts from the chat follow:

On the chemistry in HELLYEAH:

"Oh, I think the thing that really made this band click from the start was the fact that everybody came into it with no egos. We really left all that behind and everybody came into it with a lot of mutual respect for each other for what we've all done with our previous bands. The main focus that we've all said from day one was that this has got to be fun or we shouldn't even be doing it. I think that really came through in the music, and it's something that really sparked the whole thing."

On HELLYEAH's sound:

"I think it just developed (its own sound). It took on a life of its own. I don't think we had to focus on that at all. I think it really does sound like its own band and its own entity. It wasn't anything that we really had to strive for. Everybody brought what they do to the table and we put it all together to make the new sound."

On how HELLYEAH's self-titled album has been received:

"I think it's really, really, really struck a nerve with the fans. We're over 125,000 units here in the States, we debuted at number 9 on Billboard, our record is at number three at rock radio, so it's really, man, taken on a great life of its own. The fans have really embraced it. The shows that we've done so far have been a total blast. I had no idea that they were gonna come out and chant ‘Hellyeah!' every night before the show. We just got back from England. We played this huge, er, I guess they call it Donington Download festival now, over 100,000 people and the fans over there treated us absolutely fantastic. I know we're gonna have a great time in Australia and New Zealand as well. . . I think all of us in the band really believe that it was something special and something that could go a long way, but it definitely impressed Epic Records and other people that are a part of it. They really thought that we were gonna be lucky to move 20,000 units in that first week and we moved 46,000. So we really way out did their expectations, so that was a nice feeling for sure."

On whether he had any hesitation about taking the stage again each night:

“Nah, man. I love playing, I love the audience reaction, I love the feeling of being on stage — that's something that I'm so comfortable with. Like I said, the thing that happened on December 8 has never happened in the history of music and I pray that it never happens again to anybody. I just think that security at most venues is definitely better now and I feel comfortable up there playing."

On HELLYEAH's next release:

"We're working on our first DVD right now. We're recording all the live shows and all the crazy antics that go on back stage. So probably around the end of the year, Christmas time, we'll have our first DVD ready for release. Then, we've got this Family Values Tour lined up that we're gonna be a part of all summer long — that's with KORN and several other bands, so we got our plate full right now, man. We're gonna go, go, go and when it comes time for us to take a break, MUDVAYNE will get back to doing their thing, and two years from now, we'll all get back together and do HELLYEAH part two."

Read the entire interview at www.themetalforge.com.