Hellyeah Explodes With a Fury That's Far From Human

You'd be wise not to judge this installment of the Hellyeah saga by its cover. The new single, "Human" could not have been made by mortal souls. The initial barrage of heavy metal thunder proves that in spades. Chad Gray does a masterful job fooling us into believing we're in for something sent to us with a soft touch. All of a sudden...pow!!! Vinnie Paul lays down the law via a display of drum bashing fury that nobody in his right mind could have orchestrated. Kudos to the metal community for never opting to play with a full deck of any sort. The first round of metal mayhem succeeds in catering to the melody lover in all of us Co-conspirator guitarists Tom Maxwell and Christian Brady insert the artful aspects while bassist Kyle Sanders goes jackhammer subtle. I mean his styling doesn't leave survivors and it just so happens "Human" emerges a better single because of it. If that isn't enough to keep your motor running Chad does the vocal equivalent of impaling himself on a cross and then imploring others to set him on fire. Chad gets and deserves credit for novel wordplay. For instance who's going to find fault with "You drove the stake in my worst mistake." or "Brought out the evil that's the devil in me." Clever wordplay and that's repeated in a never tedious manner. The guitar players know how to balance rough and finesse until they gel like its players were seasoned pros. The accompanying lyric video makes pants wetting nightmares a foregone conclusion. No shortage of cadaver imagery to set you on the edge of your seat. But...back to the craftsmanship. It's tri-layered and damn proud of it too. The chorus takes the lion's share of the aggressive machismo. What a fantastic job of squeezing vigor out of every single last drop until all we're left with is a beautiful mess. So what is Chad angst riddled statement in the final analysis? "I've been damaged, left in ruin because I'm broken, flawed, and just human." Summed up sparingly using Vinnie's drums as the battering ram you can't hide from. "Heaven's sake is forsaken". Metal poetry at its finest. Didn't create all creation". Way to keep from stealing Christ's swagger Chad. I bet he's appreciative. I'm appreciative of how HellYeah combines firepower with some solid straight ahead melody, the latter a bonus if you want to hear Chad's torment up close and personal. Throughout "Human" the speed limit goes right out the window. Better know how to keep up or you'll be eating dust for the duration. HellYeah gives you the punch you need after a lethargic stretch spanning anywhere from days to weeks to maybe years. Added word wizardry includes "You were the anger in all my danger". Or how about old habits keep me cold". I don't what Chad had more fun whipping up...the word games or the built up angst he finally gets to unleash. Cards on the table I'd say "Human" speaks volumes about unresolved human issues and does so in a way where everyone gets their inner turmoil out and, by virtue of that, everyone wins. Hellyeah did its audience and its craft a great service this time around.