HELLYEAH
Capitol Theatre - Perth, Australia
August 31st 2015
The final show of Hellyeah's Australian tour hit Perth on Monday night to a fairly packed crowd at Capitol and it was definitely a highly energetic show. When all is said and done, the main reason I follow Hellyeah is mostly because of Vinnie Paul to be honest but this show made me realize that Hellyeah is actually a damn fantastic live band and their new material from "Blood For Blood" is their best material yet.
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Local rockers Psychonaut warmed the crowd up early on as the only support act of the night, which meant 1 of 2 things - either it was going to be a long show with Hellyeah or it was going to be an early night. Disappointingly it was an early night but that was really the only gripe in an otherwise flawless show. Vinnie Paul hit the stage first after Psychonaut's set and the crowd roared with applause in embracing the former Pantera drummer. The rest of the band followed straight after and went right into "Soul Killer" off their newest album. It wasn't until the title track right after that the crowd really jumped all over it as the band raced into a super groove beat that was slick and tight.
Vinnie Paul's drum sound was phenomenal as always, super tight and loud as fuck and as soon as you hear it, you can't help but hear those mighty Pantera grooves from back in the day. Chad's stage presence was also fantastic as he ripped into song after song while making sure the crowd were moving around as much as possible. A few lengthy introductions for a few songs were maybe a little unecessary although he had a fitting message right before the track "Hush" which delves into domestic violence, a serious issue indeed. But songs like " Cross to Bier (Cradle of Bones)" with it's infectious groove and lyrical beat and "Drink Drank Drunk" off the previous album "Band Of Brothers" were easy highlights of the night and proof that Hellyeah were really a fantastic live band whose focus on groove and beat made sure that everyone in the house was headbanging on every note.
The aptly titled "Hellyeah" track made it's way towards the end and was a definite crowd pleaser which showed that the band had a fairly big following from the start. Granted having members from some pretty familiar bands in the past has been a big help on that part but even back on their first album, Hellyeah was always a hooky kind of band which drew in fans from all over. The newer material particularly off the latest album is much heavier than the older tracks and it worked brilliantly to the mostly pure metal audience on the night. Crowd favorite and Hellyeah staple "Alcohaulin' Ass' ended the set which was a perfect closer to a show that was nothing short of perfect. A rocking great atmosphere, a legendary drummer with that beast of a drum sound and a grooving set of songs truly made for a great night of metal.
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Review by Andrew "Schizodeluxe" Massie
Photos by Elspeth Erickson Photography
