Hellyeah 's new album , Welcome Home , will be released soon, on September 27th. Part of the reason it's such a highly anticipated work is that it will be the last album with drummer Vinnie Paul . He died last year at the age of 54, after completing his part of the recordings.
Obviously, these factors transformed Welcome Home into a celebration of Paul's career. But that was always the band's intention, even before his death. This was revealed by guitarist Tom Maxwell to Loudwire .
“He was in a spiral of sadness after Dime,” he said. Dimebag Darrell , Vinnie's brother, was murdered in 2004 at a concert. Three other people died in the shooting, but Vinnie survived.
“His loss was very tragic, losing his brother the way he did. But his perseverance gave me inspiration and motivation – to all of us.” Therefore, the idea was to thank the drummer and honor him. After his death, this is what made the band continue and release Welcome Home .
The tribute features ten tracks, nine of them with Paul on drums. “He only heard two finished songs before he passed away,” explains Maxwell. “He heard 'Welcome Home,' which was strange because it was written before he died. But it took on a completely different meaning afterward. It’s a bit surreal.”.
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