Former PANTERA/DAMAGEPLAN drummer Vinnie Paul Abbott has revealed that he and his HELLYEAH bandmates have already recorded about half of their next album. Vinnie promises that the work they've done so far on the record is "great," and says fans should expect an album by March or April, with a tour to follow.

Paul did take a little time off recently, flying to Las Vegas to take in the "Slash & Friends" concert at The Mirage casino on Friday, October 2. Then earlier this week, he was scheduled to fly to Austin to prepare to open the latest in his Chicas Bonitas chain of strip clubs. On Friday, he'll head down to Cabo San Lucas to perform this weekend at Sammy Hagar's annual birthday party. As soon as that's done, he says it's back home to Dallas to get back to work on HELLYEAH.

The hard rock "supergroup," which also features MUDVAYNE singer Chad Gray and guitarist Greg Tribbett, NOTHINGFACE axeman Tom Maxwell and DAMAGEPLAN bass player Bob "Zilla" Kakaha, are currently free agents after issuing their 2007 debut through Epic Records. Abbott explained to DallasObserver.com, "We had a one-disc deal with Epic, and they're practically begging us to come back. We sold nearly 500,000 records for them, which is practically unheard of these days. That's like going platinum 10 years ago."

Abbott, who bounced back with HELLYEAH from the devastating 2004 murder of his brother and bandmate "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott, said about the band, "The guys from HELLYEAH and the incredible music we've created have brought me back to what I love . . . The vibe is positive with a kick-your-ass attitude."

HELLYEAH's self-titled debut has sold more than 350,000 copies since arriving in April 2007. -Blabbermouth.net