VINNIE PAUL Is Determined Not To Let His Brother DIMEBAG Down

A nine-minute video of HELLYEAH — the new band featuring former PANTERA/DAMAGEPLAN drummer Vinnie Paul Abbott alongside members of MUDVAYNE and NOTHINGFACE — writing and recording its self-titled album in Dallas, Texas has been posted online at YouTube.com.

Vinnie Paul Abbott recently spoke to Revolver magazine (web site) about the new group, which also features Chad Gray (vocals; MUDVAYNE),Greg Tribbett (guitar; MUDVAYNE),Tom Maxwell (guitar, NOTHINGFACE) and Jerry Montano (bass; DANZIG, NOTHINGFACE).

"MUDVAYNE and NOTHINGFACE are still going strong, and I like that," Abbott explained to the magazine. "We're not looking at this as a side project, but at the same time, it's a band that's only going to see the light of day every year and a half, and at this point, that's good for me. So whenever we do it, we'll have as much fun as we can and kick as much ass as we can. We're touring this spring and I'm looking forward to that. It's been a long time."

Abbott has spent most of the past 20 years of his life on the road, so it's understandable that his eagerness to get back on the road far outweighs any fears he might harbor of stepping onstage again. "I'm a pretty strong person and mentally I've had to put a lot of things behind me," he told Revolver. "I have to look at it like I did before. Every day could be the last day. Every day's gotta be the best day, and we're here to live, not to live in fear. So I'm gonna give everything I've got, and I think it's exactly what Dime [late PANTERA/DAMAGEPLAN guitarist and Vinnie's brother, 'Dimebag' Darrell Abbott] wants me to do, and there's no way I'm gonna let him down by closing up shop and saying, 'That's it.' I've had plenty of time to sit back and reflect, and it's time for me to get back at it."

HELLYEAH first met up at Abbott's house in Dallas last summer to start working on the disc. But they actually recorded it in the studio at the back of Dime's house, which had remained virtually untouched since the guitarist's shooting. Returning there was emotionally challenging for the drummer. "There were several times when I got up and walked out of the room and I thought I was going to throw up," Abbott recalled. "But once we got into the first song, I felt this overwhelming power that this was the right thing to do."

"The first day was rough on him," said Montano. "But we wrote a kick-ass song, and by 4 a.m. we were all drunk, listening to it all excited, and it was just on."

Revolver's entire interview with HELLYEAH can be found in the magazine's March 2007 issue, which is set to hit newsstands this Monday, January 15. More information is available at www.revolvermag.com.

HELLYEAH's debut album is scheduled for release on April 10 via Epic Records. Two songs from the CD — "Hellyeah" and "Matter of Time" — are available for listening on the band's MySpace page.

(Thanks: Paulo "Monstro" Priess)