Wolfgang Van Halen’s Mammoth WVH Details Sophomore Album

Jonathan Cohen
Watch Mammoth WVH and Stereophonics Cover Foo Fighters in Honor of Taylor Hawkins
Watch Mammoth WVH and Stereophonics Cover Foo Fighters in Honor of Taylor Hawkins

Mammoth WVH, the solo project of multi-instrumentalist Wolfgang Van Halen, has set an Aug. 4 release date for its sophomore album, the aptly named Mammoth II. The 10-track project was recorded at 5150, where Van Halen’s late father Eddie produced countless classic Van Halen projects in the ’80s and ’90s.

The first single from the Michael “Elvis” Baskette-produced Mammoth II is “Another Celebration at the End of the World.” In the accompanying video, directed by Gordy De St. Jeor, Van Halen comically “fires” multiple versions of himself from his band and gradually replaces them with real-life members Frank Sidoris (guitar), Jon Jourdan (guitar), Ronnie Ficarro (bass), and Garrett Whitlock (drums).

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As he did on 2021’s Grammy-nominated Mammoth WVH (which was completed three years earlier), the 32-year-old Van Halen played all the instruments and handled all the singing on the new album. “I knew that I wanted the new album to contain elements of what people heard on the debut, but also giving me a chance to branch out a bit,” he says. “‘Another Celebration at the End of the World’ is definitely a song that showcases what people can expect from the new album. It is a high-energy rocker with some fun guitar moments on it. I also pushed myself vocally and it is a song I can’t wait to get out and play live. I can see it being a fixture in our live set moving forward.”

In a December 2021 interview with SPIN, Van Halen admitted it was taking him some time to get back into a songwriting mindset amid the COVID-19 pandemic and grief over the October 2020 passing of his father.

“I found myself in a creative rut ever since the pandemic and pop,” he said. “Like early on in the pandemic, like March, April, I was like, ‘Ooh, I’m gonna write so much.’ And I think I wrote about five ideas that I was happy with. And then just stopped. And then just depression took over, and then it became the worst year of my life. Honestly, in a really funny way, [the writing spark] sort of came back after the Grammy nomination. When I got nominated, I was just like, ‘That’s a huge thing of respect that it’s a rock song and it’s for my songwriting.’ So it gave me a little kick in my step. I’ve actually been writing a bit more and have come up with a couple of ideas.”

Mammoth WVH has a jam-packed touring schedule into 2024. The group is presently on the road with Alter Bridge in North America, and will spend time opening for both Metallica and Def Leppard and Motley Crue through November.

Van Halen drew raves last September for his performances of his father’s classics such as “Hot for Teacher” and “Panama” at two Taylor Hawkins memorial concerts in London and Los Angeles, which found him backed by Dave Grohl on bass, the Darkness’ Justin Hawkins on vocals, and Josh Freese on drums.

Here is the tracklist for Mammoth II:

“Right?”
“Like a Pastime”
“Another Celebration at the End of the World”
“Miles Above Me”
“Take a Bow”
“Optimist”
“I’m Alright”
“Erase Me”
“Waiting”
“Better Than You”

To see our running list of the top 100 greatest rock stars of all time, click here.

The post Watch Mammoth WVH and Stereophonics Cover Foo Fighters in Honor of Taylor Hawkins appeared first on SPIN.

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