HELLYEAH Is Recording 'Really, Really Savage' New Album

HELLYEAH has entered The Hideout Recording Studio in Las Vegas, Nevada to record its fifth album for an early 2016 release. The new CD is once again being recorded with producer Kevin Churko, who previously worked with HELLYEAH on 2014's "Blood For Blood" album.

In a new video message posted on HELLYEAH's official web sites, the band's guitarist, Tom Maxwell, stated about the progress of the recording sessions for the new effort: "We've got about eight songs recorded. We've got a lot more to go, though. I have five or six more songs I want to personally write and have ready for this record. But it's all coming along great. There's a lot of new stuff coming out that we've never tried before, and a lot of heavy shit."

He continued: "It's gonna be moody, it's gonna be dark, it's gonna be crushing, it's gonna be heartbreaking, it's gonna be everything. So it's gonna be a proper take-off from our last record, but with a lot of new surprises, I think. And just kind of moving forward with the path that we've taken with 'Blood For Blood'. So it's coming along great… It's gonna be a really, really savage album, and I'm really excited. I can't wait for you all to hear it."

HELLYEAH drummer Vinnie Paul Abbott, who has a home studio in Dallas, recently said: "We're gonna spend three months in the studio with [Kevin], and the record will probably be out around March or April next year. So we're gonna keep the pedal to the metal and keep kicking ass."

In a 2014 interview with This Is Not A Scene, Vinnie Paul stated about working with Churko on "Blood For Blood": "Kevin really knew how to get the best out of us, and it was really refreshing for me to be just 'the drummer' for a change. "

He continued: "Five years ago, I bought a house in Las Vegas and that's also the city where Kevin works from. So every now and again we've bumped into each other and we were discussing working together at some point. I'm big fan of his work with Ozzy Osbourne and all the other productions he has done, and he's a big fan of the things I've done. So when we got to the point in the band that we wanted to work with an outside producer, it was a no-brainer to work with him. He also got along great with Chad [Gray, HELLYEAH singer], which really smoothed the ride when it came down to record the vocals."

"Blood For Blood", was the band's first release since parting ways with guitarist Greg Tribbett and bassist Bob "Zilla" Kahaha in 2013.

The new members of HELLYEAH are bassist Kyle Sanders and guitarist Christian Brady.

"Blood For Blood" sold around 17,000 copies in its first week of release to land at No. 18 on the Billboard chart.