As far as supergroups go, Hellyeah have stood the test of time and creative endurance in their ten years of kicking arse and taking names. They’ve undergone changes in personnel and sound and image, but the band have managed to keep their output fresh and innovative without necessarily reinventing themselves. Their fifth full-length offering Unden!able is a sizeable slab of anthemic groove metal with a twist.
Unden!able kicks into gear with a string of moshpit-friendly bangers replete with shredding verses, groove-tinged breakdowns and stadium-shaking choruses. Be Unden!able is an unapologetic ode to self-realisation, while X is a solid punch in the face that wins the award for best chorus on the album.
Chad Gray brings a wide range of vocal styles to the table, encompassing his signature rapid-fire spitting and some colourful new methods of vocal delivery. Jagged solos are used judiciously and to great effect, harking back to the band’s earlier Southern metal sound. And of course there’s Vinnie Paul’s marauding drumming that can make anything sound huge, and boy does he let rip on this album.
The musicianship and production is top-notch, with the band giving their fans everything they’ve come to expect from a Hellyeah record, and then some. The first single from the album, Human, is a Mudvayne-flavoured affair that’s criminally catchy and moving. After all, if there’s one thing Gray knows how to do really well, it’s craft a hooky tune that’ll get stuck in your noggin for days on end. Unden!able finishes on a strong note with another ear-splitting mosh pit gem, Startariot, and the Pantera-esque GRAVE, which features with some electro elements in the second half of the song.
BY DIMITRI ZRAZHEVSKI
