Duality of aggression and melody - A review of Hellyeah's Unden!able

When I attended a concert of groove metal quintet Hellyeah a few years ago, some people commented that the band was trash and that it would be a waste of time going to their show. The band played a great concert and had an excellent communication with the crowd and those who were making stupid comments back then now regret not having seen drummer and founder Vinnie Paul on stage one last time before his untimely demise. UndenIable is the record the band promoted during the concert and the band's fifth studio record is also the last released while Vinnie Paul was still alive.

This record finds the right balance between more aggressive groove metal tunes and more melodic and surprisingly catchy tracks that would deserve more attention. In the first category, one has to cite the extremely fast ''X'' with its diversified vocals, powerful rhythms and energizing gang shouts. The powerful title track ''Be Undeniable'' represents the band's raw side accurately as well and convinces with pressured spoken word passages and sinister bass guitar sounds.''Startariot'' does its title justice with distorted guitar solos and angrily overlapping vocal lines.

In the second category, a first highlight is the sinister ''Leap of Faith'' that plays with grunge references and convinces with melancholic guitar leads and steady drum play. ''Love Falls'' features interesting vintage keyboard samples and overall elaborates upon a somewhat melancholic atmosphere with surprisingly melodic vocals. A very unusual and courageous song is the cover version of Phil Collins' ''I Don't Care Anymore'' that features guitar parts by the late Dimebag Darrel and I prefer this atmospheric rendition over the overrated original tune.

In the end, Hellyeah's UndenIable is a great record of you like alternative metal, groove metal and occasional grunge reminiscences. The record finds the perfect balance between aggressive and melodic passages and is surprisingly diversified and entertaining from start to finish. That type of music usually isn't my cup of tea but I have come to the conclusion that the band is actually much better than its negative reputation.

Final rating: 80%