HELLYEAH
Photo: Chad Lee

At first, Vinnie Paul Abbott wasn't at all interested in making music again.

Not even two years had passed since the onstage assassination of his brother — and Pantera/Damageplan confederate — "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott (see "Dimebag Darrell, Four Others Killed In Ohio Concert Shooting"), and really, much of his spare time was being spent running his label, Big Vin Records (see "Vinnie Paul Ready To Release Dimebag's Rebel Music"). Committing himself to a new band was just something he couldn't bring himself to do. But that didn't stop Nothingface bassist Jerry Montano from trying.

"Since May of last year, I started getting phone calls from Jerry, who I've known for a long time, just saying that they planned on putting something together and they needed a heavy hitter — they needed me," the drummer explained. "And I was like, 'Man, I'm so busy with my record company, and I don't know if I'm really ready to do this again' and all that. And after about seven or eight calls, he finally caught me one night when I was in the right frame of mind. I had been drinkin' and listening to some music, and I said, 'You know what? Let's give this thing a shot.' The next day, I talked to everybody in the band, and everyone was so super cool and had the same mindset."

Abbott invited the rest of the group that would inevitably become Hellyeah — Montano, Nothingface's Tom Maxwell and Mudvayne's Chad Gray and Gregg Tribbett — down to his Texas abode, and within eight days, the band had written seven complete songs. The guys jammed inside the same studio where Abbott had worked with Dime on the final few Pantera LPs, Damageplan's debut offering and the Rebel Meets Rebel album.

"It was just magic, man," Abbott recalled. "It was like it was meant to be. I think, just given everything I've been through, it's something that, if it hadn't fallen into my lap, I may not have ever been a part of again. It just sorta came to me."

And truth be told, Abbott's impressed with the final results: Hellyeah's self-titled debut, which drops April 10.

"I honestly think it's the best record I've been a part of since [Pantera's 1992 classic] Vulgar Display of Power," he said. "The thing that makes me feel that way about it is, when we made Vulgar, it was just magic. It happened. Everybody's mindset was in the right place. After that record, we never had that same vibe. We still made amazing records, but there were all these forces pulling us in different directions. So when we made [the Hellyeah] record, I had that same kind of feeling. It was just too easy. Everybody was into it. And I feel these songs are that strong, and I think everybody brought something special to the table.

"It's just a special record," he added, "and I really believe we're gonna be f---ing kick-ass live. We haven't done any live shows yet, but I know that everybody comes from a band that's been known as a kick-ass live band. So I know the five of us together are going to make some hellacious noise."

The upcoming album took the band about a collective month — spread out over several months — to write and record. When it hits shelves, it will boast a dozen brutal tracks, including "You Wouldn't Know," "GodDamn," "Rotten to the Core" and "Alcohaulin' Ass," which Abbott said is "a good song about drinking and something that all guys kind of tend to like, and that's ass."

Abbott thinks some fans will be surprised by Hellyeah's tracks, and he said the entire LP is a "very song-oriented record." To him, "it's music with an attitude. It's like a familiar groove but with a new sound. I really don't think it sounds anything like the bands that any of us are from. I think it has its own sound, its own identity, and it's special in that aspect."

While its members consider Hellyeah a bona fide band, its formation will not impact either Mudvayne — who are working on the follow-up to 2005's Lost and Found — or Nothingface's future. "The way that all of us talk about approaching this thing is being able to be in two bands and have 'em both function — kind of like Stone Sour and Slipknot," Abbott said. "This is a real band; it's no side project."

Hopping on the Hellyeah boat has been instrumental in helping Abbott heal and come to terms with his brother's death. It's also returned him to one of his first loves: making music.

"I didn't know if it was ever gonna be in the cards for me to do again," Abbott said. "It's a big step, and it's only been two years, but to me, it feels like a whole 'nother lifetime. And I just have to say, I give credit to these guys for making me feel comfortable and enjoying doing what we did and making it fun again. It's been a blast. So, I am glad I went ahead and did it. I knew I loved it, and I knew I missed it. I knew I wanted to get back to it, but it was just a matter of learning how to do it without Dime. It brings me back to what I love, and it's a new life, but it's something I'm going to embrace, and I'm going to go at it just as f---ing hard as I did with anything else.

"I'll never be the same, but I've kinda learned that this is my life now, and this is the way it is, and I've got to do the very best I can or Dime's gonna kick my ass one way or another sooner or later," he continued. "I've done my best to carry the torch, because he always used to say, 'You have to keep on keeping on.' So I am doing what I think he wants me to do and what I've got to do to stay sane."

Abbott said Hellyeah will tour extensively this year but that they're still mapping things out. Playing this summer's Ozzfest would make perfect sense for Hellyeah, considering all the bandmembers have taken the festival's stage before. And if Sharon Osbourne extended an offer, the band would gladly take her up on it, Abbott said.

"We will definitely be on tour all summer, and we're definitely looking forward to it," he said. "Ozzfest would be awesome. That's all I can say about that. I'm a veteran of Ozzfest. Everybody knows it's the premier summer tour, so if we were offered to be a part of that, that would just be super, man."

• Vinnie Paul
• Pantera
• Damageplan
• Mudvayne
• Nothingface

Hey, how the hell are ya? Iann Robinson here with this week's "Metal File," and man, it's a big week. It looks like Danzig is practically replacing his whole band, and Strapping Young Lad heading out with Meshuggah should be pretty killer. The next big thing in metal — as I see it — is the New England Metal and Hardcore Festival that kicks off May 16. It looks like everybody is gonna be there: Killswitch Engage, Lamb of God, Mastodon, the Haunted and tons more ... what better way to spend a weekend? I recently heard some of the new Lamb of God, and I'm telling you, it's pretty amazing. I was also really impressed with the new Cradle of Filth album, Damnation and a Day, really epic sounding. The metal gods must also be smiling on Anthrax, because after years of really not liking what they were doing, I think the new album, We've Come for You All, is really good. I'd also recommend the Black Flag tribute album Back in Black on Initial Records. It's got Converge, Anodyne, Coalesce, the Dillinger Escape Plan and more, all doing Black Flag tunes — amazing stuff. Well, read on for some choice metal news and remember, if you think Linkin Park and Limp Bizkit are metal, this isn't for you!!!

Nothingface left Ministry's Fornica Tour after the trek's stop on Saturday in Phoenix. There's no word on the reason behind the move. ... Meanwhile, Ministry have replaced drummer Tia Sprockett with Rey Wisham, formerly of Jesus Lizard. …

Danzig have added former Deadlights/ Nothingface bassist Jerry Montano to their lineup. Montano replaces Howie Pyro, formerly of D Generation. … Soulfly are set to return to the U.S. for a tour this spring. E-Town Concrete and Sworn Enemy have signed on as opening acts for the trek, which kicks off on April 12. …

The man who once sang about a rat feasting on a "tender" cat could take you out to dinner. The WWE and Lion's Gate Films are offering a chance to win a date with Rob Zombie, as part of the promotion of his film "House of 1000 Corpses." Details can be found at the World Wrestling Entertainment Web site, wwe.com. ... Speedealer have reformed and are working on material for a new album, which they plan to record in late April/early May with Jeff Pinkus (Butthole Surfers). …

Audioslave guitarist Tom Morello will produce the next album from veteran American punks Anti-Flag. … Former Megadeth guitarist Marty Friedman will release his solo album Music for Speeding on May 20. The album will be released on Steve Vai's Favored Nations record label. … Opeth are hitting the road with Lacuna Coil in May. The trek, dubbed the Fair Judgement Tour, kicks off on April 29 in Seattle. …

Bathory's new album, Nordland II, will be released on April 29 in North America through Black Mark Records. … Freya, the Syracuse, New York, hardcore band that formerly went by the names Nemesis and The End Begins, have completed their debut album. Freya's lineup includes former Earth Crisis members Karl Buechner (vocals), Ian "Bulldog" Edwards (bass) and Erick Edwards (guitar). ...

When Killswitch Engage enlisted frontman Howard Jones, many thought that could spell the end for his band Blood Has Been Shed, but on the contrary, the Connecticut band has completed a new album and a short tour with Shadows Fall. ... Former Zao guitarists Scott Mellinger and Russ Cogdell have resurfaced in a new band called Jade Meridian, with Mellinger handling both guitar and vocal duties. The group is currently demoing material. ...

Apparently he missed playing in two bands at once, as former Converge and current Bane guitarist Aaron Dalbec has joined Velocity Engine. ... Deceased have parted ways with Relapse Records. ... Possessed 13 is the title of the next record from Swedish death metal outfit the Crown, who have reunited with former At the Gates vocalist Johan Lindstrand. ...

Drummer Nalle Osterman (ex-Gandalf), bassist Oppu Laine (ex-Amorphis, Mannhai), guitarist Marko Tarvonen (Moonsorrow), guitarist Esa Holopainen (Amorphis), and vocalist Taneli Jarva (ex-Sentenced, the Black League) have formed a Finnish death metal supergroup called Chaosbreed. … Reunited Tampa death metallers Brutality have backed out of their previously announced plan to sign a one-album deal with Poland's Still Dead Productions. No reason was given for the change. …

Tomahawk will release their new record Mit Gas on May 6 on Ipecac Records. The album will include "Birdsong," "Rape This Day," "You Can't Win," "Mayday," "Rotgut," "Capt. Midnight," "Desastre Natural," "When the Stars Begin to Fall," "Harelip," "Harlem Clowns," "Aktion F1413" and "What a Feeling (Flashdance)." ... Alabama's Haste will deliver their latest, The Mercury Lift, this summer. In addition to a stop at May's New England Metal and Hardcore Festival and a stint on June's Radio Takeover Tour, the band is planning its own full U.S. tour. ...

— Compiled by Iann Robinson, Ryan J. Downey, Robert Mancini and Jon Wiederhorn

• Killswitch Engage
• Ministry
• Opeth
• Nothingface
• Soulfly

Justin Timberlake and B2K are among the artists who will perform at Nickelodeon's 16th Annual Kids' Choice Awards on April 12 at Barker Hanger in Santa Monica, California. A host of other artists are scheduled to appear, including Kelly Clarkson and Justin Guarini of "American Idol," Will Smith, Sylvester Stallone and Brad Pitt. Rosie O'Donnell will serve as emcee. ...

The charity single due April 15 from the 10 "American Idol" finalists will now be a cover of Lee Greenwood's "God Bless the USA." The group originally recorded "What the World Needs Now Is Love" with Burt Bacharach, but changed the song after the Greenwood hit went over so well on a recent episode of the show. ...

Madonna has collaborated with photographer Steven Klein for a dark and eerie exhibition called X-STaTIC PRo=CeSS, which opened Thursday and will run for six weeks in New York. The multimedia exhibit features three video works and two photographic animations created by the two. In one installation, Madonna is heard reading excerpts from the book of Revelation, accompanied by images of a burning wedding dress and herself as a masked beast. Klein's previous works have been featured in Calvin Klein, Versace and Gucci ads and on the covers of W and Vogue magazines. The exhibit is open Tuesday through Saturday at Deitch Projects in Manhattan, and is free. ...

The fourth annual Latin Grammy Awards will return to Miami this year, according to the Latin Recording Academy. The show is set for September 3 at the American Airlines Arena and will air on CBS. ... R&B singer Angie Stone will join the Broadway production of "Chicago" on April 14. She will take over the role of Matron "Mama" Morton, the character Queen Latifah portrayed in the Academy Award-winning movie version of the Bob Fosse musical. ...

Toni Braxton gave birth to her second son, Diezel Ky Braxton Lewis, on March 30 at an Atlanta area hospital. She and her husband, Keri Lewis, had their first child, Denim, last year. ... The HBO show "Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry" will begin its third season April 4 with a performance by Jill Scott. Six other new episodes will follow. ...

The Dead, the reunited surviving members of the Grateful Dead, are launching a summer tour, which will kick off June 15 at the second annual Bonnaroo Music Festival in Manchester, Tennessee. A first leg of the Dead Summer Getaway will go through July, followed by a second leg running through August. ... Metal band Nothingface vacated their tour opening for Ministry after only two dates. The bandmembers decided to bail after the March 29 show in Phoenix because they wanted to play headline sets to their own fans instead of playing second fiddle to a bigger band, said their publicist. Nothingface will begin their own tour soon and will play on the second stage at this year's Ozzfest. Nothingface's new record, Skeletons, comes out April 22. Ministry will remain on tour through May 24 in Somerset, Wisconsin. ...

Once the Hives, Soundtrack of Our Lives, Sahara Hotnights and other Swedish rockers became trendy, it was only a matter of time. Agnetha Faltskog is coming back. The former ABBA vocalist is working on her first album in 16 years, reported Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet. Vocals for the record, which is scheduled for release next winter, will be in English. Faltskog's last record was 1987's I Stand Alone. ... If your favorite compilation album is Freedom Rock, you'll be ecstatic to find that Journey, Styx and REO Speedwagon are hitting the road together this spring for three months. The '80s radio dream bill, called Classic Rock's Main Event, runs through July 9 in Uniondale, New York. ...

04.01.03

T.A.T.U. will collaborate with flame-throwing German industrial metal outfit Rammstein on a "most unpredicted project," according to a statement on the pop duo's Russian-language official Web site. "T.A.T.U.'s producer, Ivan Shapovalov, and Rammstein's management are now discussing the details," reads an English translation on a T.A.T.U. fan site. ...

Fabolous has recorded rhymes for a remix to B2K's latest hit, "Girlfriend." R. Kelly wrote the track. ... Ashanti has made her concert in Huntington Station, New York, on Thursday free for family members of those serving overseas in the U.S. military. Ja Rule and Redman have also joined the bill, a homecoming of sorts for Ashanti, who calls nearby Glen Cove home. ...

Portions of the Music as a Weapon 2 Tour, which began March 6, are being recorded for two live albums. One, from tour headliners Disturbed, will feature the previously unreleased tune "Dehumanized," while the second will be a compilation of live cuts from fellow aural assaulters Taproot, Chevelle and Unloco. No release dates have been set. ... Santana and Moby are the latest artists to call off shows in Hong Kong out of concern for the mysterious and deadly virus SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome). Moby's shows in Singapore on Tuesday and Hong Kong on Thursday were postponed indefinitely, and Santana's Hong Kong gig on April 11 was moved to Osaka, Japan. Last week, the Rolling Stones canceled two Hong Kong shows because of the disease, 1600 cases of which have been reported worldwide — 60 have died. ...

A second Bonnaroo festival for 2003 has been set for August 8-10 at Calverton Enterprise Park in Riverhead, New York. This marks the second year for the eclectic three-day music and camping event. Eighty thousand tickets for the first incarnation, held June 13-15 in Manchester, Tennessee, and featuring Neil Young, the Flaming Lips, Ben Kweller and My Morning Jacket, among others, sold out exclusively through www.bonnaroo.com in just 18 days, topping last year's mark of 70,000 tickets in 19 days. A lineup for Bonnaroo NE has yet to be announced. ... Mondo Generator, the side project featuring Queens of the Stone Age's Josh Homme and Nick Oliveri, are slated to drop their second album, A Drug Problem That Never Existed, in July. For a preview, check them out on tour with labelmates Tomahawk and the Melvins April 28 in San Diego, April 29 in Anaheim, California; and April 30 in Las Vegas. ...

The man who once sang as about a rat feasting upon a "tender" cat could take you to dinner. The WWE and Lion's Gate Films are offering a chance to win a date with Rob Zombie through a promotional contest being staged in support of Zombie's "House of 1000 Corpses" film. Details can be found at the World Wrestling Entertainment Web site, wwe.com. ... The Vans Warped Tour and the Take Action! Tour, along with the National Hopeline Network, have teamed up to present "Kevin Says ...Take Action!" on this summer's Warped Tour. Named for Warped promoter Kevin Lyman, the area, which will promote activism and be located in the vending booths, will provide information on various nonprofit organizations and feature participation from some artists. The annual Take Action! Tours, a product of indie imprint Sub City (subcity.net), has featured such bands as Jimmy Eat World and Alkaline Trio since its inaugural run in 1999. The Hopeline Network is a suicide prevention hotline (1-800-SUICIDE). ...

Kittie and producer Garth Richardson filed suit against the band's label, Artemis Records, Monday, claiming the Canadian metal band is owed nearly $900,000 in royalties and other compensation, while Richardson is due more than $120,000. An Artemis spokesperson said the label had not yet received the complaint, and therefore had no comment on it. ... On June 6, art rockers Clem Snide will release Soft Spot, the follow-up to their third album, The Ghost of Fashion. Joe Chiccarelli (Elton John, Rufus Wainwright) produced the record. ...

Sometimes staggering obstacles can open up new paths. Beleaguered R&B icon Diana Ross has taken her recent failed marriage, filmed drunk-driving arrest and unsuccessful Supremes reunion tour as an opportunity to write a new book. "Upside Down: Wrong Turns, Right Turns and the Road Ahead" will come out this spring. ... The organizer of British summer event the Glastonbury Festival has made a heated plea for partygoers not to pee in the bushes, ditches or river that flows through the site. "Urine is a huge pollutant and kills fishes," event coordinator Michael Eavis told www.efestivals.co.uk. The sold-out celebration, which takes place June 27-29, will feature additional porto-potties and security to try to flush away the urine problem. A lineup for the event has not yet been announced. ...

• Justin Timberlake
• *NSYNC
• Madonna
• Kelly Clarkson
• Justin Guarini