HELL YEAH!
Stampede

Hell Yeah! step up to grab the bull by the horns on their sophomore release “Stampede”. Their sound is very similar to their self titled debut album – a heady brew of Pantera, Texan metal and southern rock influences, soaked in beer, sweat and barbecue - and that’s no bad thing for this semi-super group!

Vinnie Paul (Pantera, Damageplan) is a powerhouse metronome on the skins, bringing a concrete foundation to the metallic aggression supplied by Mudvayne vocal/guitar duo Chad Gray and Greg Tribbett. With Bob Zilla (Damageplan) holding down the thunderbass and Tomcat (Tom Maxwell – Nothingface) on rhythm guitars, this is a formidably tight and in-your-face unit.

Whilst the sound remains the same, the song writing, especially on the first half of the album, is a big leap forward from their debut, which suffered from a one dimensional approach and a clutch of songs which brought no new interest to the table.

‘Cowboys Way’, ‘Hell Of A Time’ and the title track are as ferocious as a herd of steer errr, stampeding (sorry!), and ‘It’s On!’ is a kickarse rocker, and some meaty riffs and old school soloing feature throughout.

There’s a couple of fillers at the tail end of the record, but with the best of both albums to cherry pick from, their live shows promise to be immense. One senses Dimebag would be proud.

Shane Rockpit

Thanks to Riot Entertainment for the review CD