Somewhere in the celestial heavens in early 2006, stars and planets aligned and a being bestowed the name HellYeah upon five musicians, with instructions to create a sound reminiscent of that word. It was either that or a Jagermeister-fueled binge, but we're splitting hairs here. When these members of Damage Plan, Nothingface and Mudvayne got together a few years ago, they were all starting over from either tragedy or stale progression. And what brings any of us out of that funk hole? A party, of course.
The past success of HellYeah's members would dictate future success at the drop of a ten gallon hat, but record sales don't breed familiarity. These guys were nervous about what would happen when they first got together, but when seven-year-olds are chanting “HellYeah!” before a show, something must have gone right. Below the Belt is a visual map of where HellYeah began, the crafting of their first album, its release, the subsequent media blitz and first world tour (clubs to start and stadiums to finish).
HellYeah, the band and music, is every bit the embodiment of the beer-drinking, tit-flashing, cowboy-hat-wearing rock its name conjures. Nothing shocking here: a bunch of guys playing adrenaline-rushed tunes, watching porno, pranking each other on tour and celebrating this drunken mayhem in strip clubs. An unbridled hedonistic display on a grandiose scale.
Seeing who these guys are in one-on-ones gives them depth in addition to all the surface decadence. But there are also those classic road stories, and Vinnie Paul's tour bus getting stolen by a meth head is a good one. Below The Belt focuses on HellYeah, but it's really about what millions do every weekend: Get together with buds and play music… oh, and drink their asses off. An Easter egg concerning a shopping cart full of Jager is a nice chaser.
