On May 11th, Hellyeah, in association with KOMP 92.3 and Live Nation present A Celebration Of The Life Of Vinnie Paul, launched a very special event set in the City of Las Vegas, Nevada at The House of Blues. It marked the first live performance of Hellyeah since the tragic passing of their bandmate and brother last year.

Hellyeah issued the following statement: "Please welcome our dear friend and brother Roy Mayorga (Stone Sour), who will be guesting behind the drum kit as we honor our brother Vinnie Paul. These men had so much love and mutual respect for each other, this makes our transition so much easier. Ready or not, here we come!"

Guesting on Meltdown, Mayorga discussed his relationship with Vinnie Paul and being asked to sit behind the kit for Hellyeah.

On being invited to perform with Hellyeah

Mayorga: "I didn't know what to say other than, 'Of course I'll do it.' They're my friends, Vinnie was my friend, so absolutely. I'm just here helping them, helping him, the band carry the torch, that's a 'no filling shoes,' none of that stuff. People are saying, 'Those are some big shoes to fill,' but I keep saying, 'Look, it's not about filling shoes, no one can fill his shoes, his shoes are with him and I'm here just helping the band and honoring him. That's it.'"

Following his passing, Hellyeah released the following video, paying tribute to Vinnie Paul. The clip begins with a message of gratitude from the man himself.

Hellyeah has digitally released the track “333”, from their eagerly anticipated new album featuring the late Vinnie Paul Abbott’s final recordings via Eleven Seven Music Group here. Early album pre-orders with classic merch are available at this location.

“Vinnie originally came up with the idea for '333',” said singer Chad Gray. “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. 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!”

Gray continues, “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.”

Check out the official music video for "333":

Hellyeah was formed in 2006 by Pantera founder/drummer Vinnie Paul, singer Chad Gray (Mudvayne) and guitarist Tom Maxwell (Nothingface) with bassist Kyle Sanders (Bloodsimple) and guitarist Christian Brady who joined in 2014. The band has released five albums, culminating in the #2 Hard Rock album release Unden!able in 2016. Their final album with Vinnie Paul is slated for release this summer.