Before his tragic passing last June, the legendary Vinnie Paul had laid down drum tracks for the next Hellyeah album, and now the first full song and video from the LP has been released. In fact, it was the drummer who came up with the idea for the track, titled “333”.
The song is the lead single from the band’s sixth album. As of now, the disc has no release date or title, but it will be out this summer, according to a new press release. The song title plays on 333 being half of the devilish number 666.
Singer Chad Gray stated, “Vinnie originally came up with the idea for 333. A lot of people may think Vinnie was just a drummer, but he was much more than just a badass, slamming, smashing drummer. He understood production and composition and he was very much a contributor to the writing process. This song was his baby; it belonged to and came from him. Unfortunately, by the time I was ready to actually write the lyrics, it was after Vinnie had passed.”
He added, “The lyrics embrace and recognize the feelings that most metal fans have. Being treated like outcasts and being judged for the way we look or dress. It’s a reminder to all the metal fans that no matter what, you will always have a place in our worldwide metal community. With that said…Welcome to the family! We’re all the root of half evil reppin’ 333!”
Vinnie Paul was, of course, a member of Pantera with his brother Dimebag Darrell. Sadly, both musicians are longer with us, with Dimebag being murdered onstage by a crazed concertgoer in 2004, and Paul having died of an enlarged heart and severe coronary disease last year.
Gray concluded, “I love 333 and what it represents — being half evil. It was a part of Dime (Darrell Abbott) and (brother) Vinnie before Hellyeah was formed and very much became a part of Hellyeah as we carried the torch for Dimebag. They were both so accepting of me and many others, and they taught us to treat people with respect, dignity and humility.”
Watch the video for “333” below, and pre-order Hellyeah’s as-yet-untitled new album here. As previously reported, the band will be playing a tribute concert in honor of Vinnie Paul on May 11th at the House of Blues in Las Vegas.
