I BET THOSE BULLS MAKE A LOTTA SH*T

Earlier this week we got to hang out with Nevermore’s Jeff Loomis at Duff’s bar in Brooklyn; that same night, Hellyeah were throwing their post-show party at that very bar. Reader “GoingDeaf?” said in the comments section, “I hope it’s not too awkward tonight considering you guys shit on Hell Yeah in a posting the other day…. :)” Which is fair enough.

But like I said, Hellyeah were gonna be there for a post-show after-party, and so by the time I’d left the bar – which, admittedly, was a little on the earlier side, as I was fighting a cold – Hellyeah still hadn’t shown up. What would I have done if they had? I have no idea. I have no reason to believe that any of the band’s members read this site – in fact, I’m always surprised when I find out that a well-known musician reads MetalSucks, whether it’s someone I admire (Devin Townsend) or, um, do not especially admire (hey, Dino). We’ve always said that no one should feel offended by anything we write on MetalSucks except for Fred Durst, because we’re really just having fun, what we say shouldn’t actually have any effect on how a musician handles his or her art, and you should have more important things on your mind anyway. But if it had turned out that Vinnie Paul does read MetalSucks, knows who I am, and hates me, well, I guess I couldn’t really blame him.

Which brings me to my next point: Vince and I had a conversation that very evening in which he posited that the members of Hellyeah are not insincere in their love of redneck rock. (He wasn’t defending their music, by the way – he was just making a point. As far as I can tell, Vince doesn’t like Hellyeah any more than I do.) And if you read my criticisms of the band, I never actually questioned their musical sincerity; I just think they suck. Obviously a lot of people really enjoy songs like “Alcohaulin’ Ass,” but I’m not one of them, and I want nothing to do with it. Maybe it’s ’cause I never slept with my daddy’s sister in the back of a pick-up truck, I dunno.

And on that note, here’s the cover art for Hellyeah’s new album, Stampede, which comes out July 13. If you enjoy this band more than I do, well, good for you!

-AR