Hellyeah
Unden!able
Sony Music Australia
Release Date: 3 June 2016
Review by Matt Bolton
From the build-up of intro, !, to the in your face, X, Hellyeah come at you with full force. Vinnie Paul puts the pedal to the metal and it is great to see the man giving it his all after losing it all. Brother Dime would be looking down at him from heaven giving him a big horn’s up as it’s the best material Hellyeah have released to date.
The band have really come together on their fifth album, with the stomping riffs the band are known for and catchiness of songs like, Scratch a Lie, and the first single, Human. The guitar licks and solos a-plenty coming from Tom Maxwell and fifth member Christian Brady shine through.
Highlights include, title track, Be Unden!able, with Kyle Sanders providing a groovy bassline, and Leap of Faith, with Chad’s vocals soaring, both a delight to hear both on record and on the stage. The guitar solo is a standout on this track. Chad’s lyrics mature like a fine wine, which is sung about on Blood Plague: “Your blood is thinner than water; I’ll drink you like wine.”
I don’t care anymore (Phil Collins cover) is a nice surprise, but what is a bigger surprise is that it features guitar parts of the late legend, Dimebag Darrell. Love falls is something different from the band; it has an ‘80s goth rock feel to it but is still 100% Hellyeah. The arrangements on the song fit in nicely, mixing it up can be a risky move but a vital one to save bands becoming stale.
Sirens lead into the stampede of Start a Riot, which is more Hellyeah friendly, the screaming fans and bouncing bodies in the pit would enjoy this one. Big Vin pounding the kit to the infectious bass groove of Sanders; Maxwell and Brady bouncing of each other sharing riffs with each other, like a good child is taught to share. Chad has “one foot in the gutter and one foot in the grave” on album closer, Grave. The band however won’t be treading through any graves any time soon after this stellar release. With new material to bring to our shores, anyone who has been to their gigs know how much Hellyeah loves our country (recording a live gig here for their next DVD) and how much we love the great music they have given us. Can I get a “Hellyeah?”
HELLYEAH!
4.5/5
