Hellyeah

Hellyeah, stylized as HELLYEAH, is an American heavy metal supergroup formed in Dallas, Texas, in 2006. The band's last lineup consisted of lead vocalist Chad Gray, guitarists Christian Brady and Tom Maxwell, bassist Kyle Sanders, and drummer Roy Mayorga. The idea to form a supergroup originated in 2000 on the Tattoo the Earth tour, although plans were constantly put on hold due to scheduling conflicts. The summer of 2006 allowed the band to take the project seriously and record its first album. Recorded at Chasin' Jason studio in Dimebag Darrell's backyard, their self-titled album entered the Billboard 200 at number 9, selling 45,000 copies. They went on to release five more studio albums between 2010 and 2019. As of 2021, the band is on hiatus.

Hellyeah's beginnings can be traced back to 2000 on the Tattoo the Earth tour featuring Mudvayne, Nothingface, Slayer, Slipknot, and Sevendust. Nothingface guitarist Tom Maxwell became friends with Mudvayne vocalist Chad Gray, and they talked about the possibility of forming a supergroup. The following year, Nothingface toured with Mudvayne and talks to form the supergroup continued, although were constantly put on hold due to scheduling conflicts. At this time, Gray and Maxwell had brainstormed five band names.

Mudvayne guitarist Greg Tribbett approached Maxwell "out of the blue" and wanted to join the band. Nothingface drummer Tommy Sickles originally helmed the drum kit for the band's demo, however, things did not work out and the search for a new drummer began. The band knew former Pantera and Damageplan drummer Vinnie Paul, and tried to persuade him to join the band as their drummer. Originally, Paul was not sure if he would return to music after the death of his brother, Dimebag Darrell and an 18-month hiatus: "It was one of those things that I didn't think I'd be a part of this ever again without him, and after about a year and a half had gone by, these guys called me up, Chad [Gray] and Tom [Maxwell], they were like, 'We're thinking about putting this band together, would you be into it?' First couple of times, I told them, 'No, I don't think I'm ready to do this yet.' And they just were real persistent, they kept calling me. And one night, I had been drinking some red wine and listening to some Kiss on 12" vinyl record and I said, 'You know what, let's take a shot at this, let's see what happens.'"

The band's persistence paid off and Paul joined the project. Paul commented about joining the project: "Everybody had their head in the right place and that let's-tear-the-world-a-new-ass attitude".

In their previous bands, there had only been one guitarist, so having two was a new experience for all members. Paul felt two guitarists brought back the "old school Iron Maiden thing where they play two parts and give you a grinding rhythm part with a badass melody on top". In 2006, Mudvayne did not have any plans to tour and were taking most of the summer and fall off, while Nothingface was preparing to record their next album. The time over the summer allowed the band to pursue the project which had been talked about for years.

Gray flew into Baltimore to Nothingface's home studio to discuss the project further. The song "Waging War" was written in two days, followed by Maxwell tracking it the next day, and Gray completing vocals. During the summer of 2006, schedules were clear, which allowed members to take the time to record a studio album. The album was recorded at Paul's backyard studio, Chasin' Jason in Arlington, Texas. Filled with photos of his late brother Dimebag, Paul found it tough entering the studio where the last albums by Damageplan and Pantera, and the collaboration Rebel Meets Rebel were recorded, but felt "the dark cloud that was there went away", due to everyone's positive energy. Maxwell and Tribbett were the primary writers of the album, and Paul was there to "steer them in the right direction", with Gray adding his opinion on musical arrangements.

Paul built the members a cabana style house on his pool deck with air conditioning, a TV, and beds so the members felt comfortable while recording. Paul produced the record and Gray felt Paul "facilitated the whole thing". The album was completed in roughly a month, with three recording sessions. The band worked on the record for eight days and returned home for a break. A 14-day session followed the break, and then another 10 days in the studio. Gray asserts the breaks in between recording sessions were to "re-charge the batteries", and "get a fresh head". As the line-up was complete, the band started to brainstorm names. When a member thought of a name, they would write it on a piece of paper and put it in an amp box outside the studio. Someone wrote "Hellyeah", and the band thought it was a perfect choice.^{[citation needed]} Paul says it's "very affirmative and full of attitude. When your buddy asks if you want to get a beer tonight, you don't just say 'yes,' you say, "Hell yeah!".^{[failed verification]} Gray attributes the name to "late teens, keggers and chicks and AC/DC and Metallica".

Revolver was one of the first print publications to feature the band in March 2007. The self-titled track, "Hellyeah", started gaining satellite radio airplay in February 2007, and the first single "You Wouldn't Know" hit American radio airwaves the same month. "You Wouldn't Know" peaked at number 5 on the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks, and 35 on the Hot Modern Rock Tracks. The album's second single, "Alcohaulin' Ass" peaked at number 7 on the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks. The band's self-titled album, Hellyeah was released on April 10, 2007, via Epic Records. The album debuted at No. 9 on the Billboard 200 album charts, with sales of just under 45,000. The album peaked on the Top Hard Rock albums at number 15, and number 3 on the Top Rock Albums. As of April 27, 2009, the album has sold 354,000 copies in the United States.