VINNIE PAUL Says 'Stampede' Is 'The Record That Will Really Establish HELLYEAH'

Goreripper of PyroMusic.net recently conducted an interview with HELLYEAH/ex-PANTERA drummer Vinnie Paul Abbott. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

Goreripper: How did [HELLYEAH's] new album ["Stampede"] compare with the first one. You've had a lot more time to work together, so is there a big difference in style or sound from the last album?
Vinnie Paul: Well, I just think that the first album was almost like an experiment. We didn't really know each other, we were just getting to know each other. We wrote seven songs in the first eight days we were playing together. Luckily, we had great chemistry. And we came into this one we more confidence. We knew the fans had already embraced the band, we had the touring behind us, and we really had a focus on what HELLYEAH was all about: a good-time rock, heavy metal band! We cover a lot of ground. This album is really, really diverse. It's like a rollercoaster ride, man. It's got all kinds of peaks and valleys and it just takes you on a journey right from the start. We're really, really proud of it and we think it's the record that will really establish HELLYEAH.

Goreripper: You were the producer on the first album too. Was this one much more of a band effort?

Vinnie Paul: It was the same process — everything. We had Sterling Winfield with us, our co-producer. He's been working with me since [PANTERA's] "Far Beyond Driven" and he's sort of our secret sixth member. He's not really a musician or anything, but he's great with computers and all that good stuff so we just tell him what we're looking for and he's Johnny-on-the-spot. We like to keep everything in-house. We all like to think we're really strong songwriters, really strong producers in our own right. We know what we're looking for, so we just do it all ourselves.

Goreripper: Now, you obviously went through a very, very black period. What was it about this lineup that made you decide to get back behind the kit, and get back in the saddle?

Vinnie Paul: Right. Well, ah... I always knew that I would come back to playing music again, I just didn't know when. And honestly, I didn't know when it would ever happen. These guys called me a couple of different times, and the first time or two I just said, "Uh... let me think about it." And one day they just caught me at the right moment. I said, "You know, it's been a year and a half now, and I just need to fuckin' take a shot at something." They came down, met me in Texas. I really loved everybody's personality, I liked where everybody's head was at. We did a lot of drinkin', we did some barbecuin', and the next day we got up and wrote our first song called "Nausea" and I know from that day this was the place to be. These guys are fuckin' awesome, man.

Read the entire interview at PyroMusic.net.