VINNIE PAUL Talks SEVENTH VOID, Next HELLYEAH Album; Video Available

Revolver TV has uploaded a short interview with legendary heavy metal drummer Vinnie Paul Abbott (HELLYEAH, PANTERA, DAMAGEPLAN) conducted by Full Metal Jackie at the first annual Epiphone Revolver Golden Gods Awards, which was held on April 7 at Club Nokia in downtown Los Angeles. Watch the two-minute chat below.

HELLYEAH will return to the studio on May 15 to begin work on its second album, Vinnie Paul has told DallasObserver.com. The hard rock "supergroup," which also features MUDVAYNE singer Chad Gray and guitarist Greg Tribbett, NOTHINGFACE axeman Tom Maxwell and DAMAGEPLAN bass player Bob "Zilla" Kakaha, are currently free agents after issuing their 2007 debut through Epic Records. Abbott explained, "We had a one-disc deal with Epic, and they're practically begging us to come back. We sold nearly 500,000 records for them, which is practically unheard of these days. That's like going platinum 10 years ago."

Abbott, who bounced back with HELLYEAH from the devastating 2004 murder of his brother and bandmate "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott, said about the band, "The guys from HELLYEAH and the incredible music we've created have brought me back to what I love . . . The vibe is positive with a kick-your-ass attitude."

Chad Gray told The Pulse of Radio during the band's last tour that HELLYEAH's musical and commercial success exceeded his expectations for the group. "You know, we kind of went into it with the attitude with, 'Let's just see what happens,'" he said. "We never set our bar too high because we didn't know what was gonna go down. So, you know, when I talked to Vinnie on the phone the first time, I was just like, 'Hey, you know what man, at the end of the day we're five guys that love to play music, and if it works out, it works out, and if it doesn't, you know, whatever. We're gonna make some good friends, we're gonna have a good time one way or another.' And here it is, you know, HELLYEAH was born."

HELLYEAH's self-titled debut has sold more than 350,000 copies since arriving in April 2007.

On the other hand, MUDVAYNE's latest offering, "The New Game", came out last fall but did not match the gold-level sales of the band's previous three studio efforts. The record was delayed by both HELLYEAH's extended live schedule and MUDVAYNE's desire to write additional material after the record was completed.