Now that former Pantera drummer Vinnie Paul Abbott has had a taste of success with his third serious project, Hellyeah [ tickets ], he's "chomping at the bit" to record new music.

But first, his bandmates--lead singer Chad Gray and guitarist Greg Tribbett, both of Mudvayne [ tickets ], guitarist Tom Maxwell of Nothingface [ tickets ] and bassist Bob Zilla of Abbott's other group, Damageplan--have to wrap up obligations with their primary acts.

"We're seeing how far we can take [Hellyeah] this time around," Abbott said during an interview with LiveDaily on his tour bus in Phoenix. "Then, early next year, they're going to have the new Mudvayne record and they're going to do a tour. When that's all done, we're going to get back together. In one-and-a-half to two years, we'll do Hellyeah part two.

"New music is something we're looking forward to." Abbott continued. "Hellyeah's been a lot of fun for all of us. That was the goal behind us from the very start: to not let it be a businesslike band--just go out and have fun."

Fun isn't something Abbott has found easy. He was playing drums in the metal band Damageplan at a Columbus, OH, club in December 2004 when his brother, former Pantera guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott, was shot and killed on stage by a deranged fan.

However, the seed for Hellyeah was planted in 2000, when Maxwell and Gray met while both of their bands were on the Tattoo the Earth tour.

"We hit it off real quick; we became fast friends," Maxwell said. "One night, we were in New Orleans and we were rolling down Bourbon Street, just bar-hopping. We kind of kidded around about doing something, but, in a way, we were kind of serious about it.

"We had a break, and [Gray] came into [Washington] DC and we wrote 'Waging War.' We kind of planted a seed for the band then. It was just a matter of getting the time to do it. Finally, last year, Mudvayne went on a long break. [Gray] got a hold of me and was like, 'Greg wants to do it. Here's the time to do it.' We started calling Vince continuously, and he finally invited us down to Texas. The first eight days, we did seven songs."

The debut CD, "Hellyeah" (Epic), was recorded at Chasin' Jason Studios, the facility in "Dimebag" Darrell's home.

"I was hell-bent on starting this band," Maxwell said. "I had a lot of music I couldn't do in Nothingface. I wanted a band that would play hooks and grooves. So I accept the blame--or the credit."

Things are looking good for Hellyeah. In late September and early October, the band will support Korn on its secondary market headlining tour. In November, Hellyeah is set for a headlining jaunt of 1,500- to 2,500-seat theaters.

"I think it's been pretty great," Abbott said of the Hellyeah run. "It's more than any of us could have really expected. I remember the first night we played in Baltimore on May 20 [2007]. None of us really knew what to expect. Right before we went on stage, the whole place started chanting 'Hellyeah.' From that point on, we knew things were going to be all right, man. It was a special day, man."