Hellyeah guitarist Tom Maxwell recently guested on FM99 WNOR, and during the interview he discussed the passing of drummer Vinnie Paul Abbott (Pantera, Damageplan) and how it has affected the band.

Maxwell: "We're still devastated about it. It's not something that we can ever recover from, I don't think. I think about the future, and to be honest with you, I don't know how we are gonna be able to do it. And I'm not trying to take any kind of credit here, but he was my partner in writing. Everything that I did bounced off of him, and then he bounced back off to me. And it's not just on a musical level either, it's more of an emotional level. My love affair for trying to continue without him has been crippled. It's like losing your wife or your husband or someone who is irreplaceable. It's, like, how do you do that? People go on and they do (recover), but usually they find light at the end of the tunnel through another door. Like with Vince... it was hard for Vince to continue without his brother (Dimebag Darrell Abbott), but he found light at the end of our door, so we're kind of faced with that (situation)."

Hellyeah released their sixth studio album, Welcome Home, via Eleven Seven Music in 2019. It is available here.

It’s been almost 12 years since the release of their first album, Hellyeah, and just over one year since the passing of bandmate and brother Vinnie Paul. The band paid tribute to their fallen brother and bandmate, by releasing “Skyy And Water” a reverential video filmed by Wombat Fire highlighting some incredible moments from the past. You can watch the video below.

“I think Vince would be proud of what we’ve done. Chad really nailed it vocally and lyrically. We went out of the box a bit on this album. Left the studio a few times a little uncertain, but we tried new stuff, and we’re eager to see what people think of it.” - guitarist Tom Maxwell

“We have to keep flying [Vinnie’s] flag, to carry on legacies, and to carry on what heavy metal truly represents - and that is loyalty, that is love, and that is trust.” –  singer Chad Gray

Welcome Home, which features the late Vinnie Paul’s final recordings, unleashes 11 tracks, driven by their love, loyalty, reverence and respect for their fallen brother, including “Black Flag Army,” fiery track “333,” Top 5 Active Rock single “Welcome Home,” which is the band’s fastest-growing song at Active Rock Radio, guitar-driven “Perfect,” and gritty “Oh My God.”

Tracklisting:

"333"
"Oh My God"
"Welcome Home"
"I'm The One"
"Black Flag Army"
"At Wick's End"
"Perfect"
"Bury You"
"Boy"
"Skyy And Water"
"Irreplaceable"

"Black Flag Army" video:

"Perfect":

"Oh My God" video:

“Welcome Home” video:

“333” video: