Hellyeah, ‘Blood for Blood’ – Album Review

The stakes are high for Hellyeah and it looks as though the band is up to the challenge delivering one of their most rocking albums yet, 'Blood for Blood.' The group underwent some well publicized lineup changes in order to put together this album, and the end result is a harder, heavier and more focused Hellyeah.

After spending the first couple of albums indulging their creative ability to pull off the type of songs that wouldn't be expected from the members' other bands, the trio of Chad Gray, Vinnie Paul and Tom Maxwell got down to their metal roots with 'Blood for Blood,' while recruiting bassist Kyle Sanders to help them flesh out their vision.

Audiences are already familiar with 'Sangre Por Sangre,' the hard-hitting album opener and lead single that utilizes a building tension to draw listeners in. And the recent preview track 'Demons in the Dirt' keeps the energy high with Maxwell's opening riffing setting the tone and Gray delivering an epic scream followed by some of the tongue-twistiest vocals on the disc. 'Soul Killer' is a brutal rocker with chugging guitar that feels like it could fit within Rob Zombie's wheelhouse. That's three brutal tracks out of the gate that set the bar (and adrenaline level) at a new high.

The first curveball of the album comes with the fourth song, 'Moth,' which is also one of the disc's finest moments. The hypnotic rocker comes at the perfect time in the album, providing a more melodic side as Chad Gray gets a little more personal on this darkly beautiful and ebbing song about burned relationships.

Other highlights on the disc include the band's metal single, 'Cross to Bier (Cradle of Bones),' the foul-mouthed anthem 'DMF,' the heavy swing of 'Gift' and the moody but powerful 'Black December.' Meanwhile, 'Say When' is a track that truly pushes drummer Vinnie Paul to the brink and leaves us a little breathless, as well.

All in all, 'Blood for Blood' seems like an album tailor made for the stage, and Hellyeah now have the lineup to pull it off. As Vinnie Paul recently stated, "I think it’ll be the best version of the band ever and we’re really excited about getting back on the road and getting some touring going." Trust us when we say that this is definitely an album you'll want to see the band showcase as much as possible in their live sets.