Live: Hellyeah (Again?)
Ah, where to begin. As a fan of the individual parts of this band, the collective sum is not what most people expected it could be, but still goes down smooth. I’m a bit late on this, but luckily I’ve built up enough credit with the creditors to know that my blessing will come sooner or later and their efforts would not of been wasted.
Constantly knocked as being watered down drivel by elitists, and gobbled up by the rest of America that just likes a good old fashioned catchy hard rock tune when they turn on the radio, Hellyeah is unlike their counterparts in Pantera, Nothingface, Damageplan and Mudvayne. I'’m somewhere in the middle. While my musical tastes are no doubt snobby at times, I’m never one to shy away from admitting a fondness for a good old fashioned tune I can hum a long too. And that my friends is where Hellyeah delivers.
And delivered they did at their adopted home town of Baltimore (where guitarist Tom Maxwell originates from) where they performed once again at Rams Head Live (December 5th, 2007). Tis’ was a party from beginning to end. Despite the sickly nature of a certain front man who left his fair share of snot and saliva around the stage, the band rocked as hard as they could for a little over an hour, with Vinnie Paul seeming to have the most fun out of the whole lot.
Breaking out of the gate with heavy hitters such as Matter Of Time and Goddamn, playing through most (if not all of) their debut album, and included a cover of Queen’s “Stone Cold Crazy” for good measure. They wrapped up the night with a few laid back moments provided by “Thank You” and “Alcohaulin’ Ass” before closing strong with “You Wouldn’t Know” and “HellYeah”.
Overall the Balls Volume Strength tour delivers if you go there knowing what you want to get out of it…a party with a never ending supply of whiskey and beer. They are always on the road it seems, so make a mental note to catch them.