Wolfgang Van Halen has shared the first song from the second Mammoth WVH album, II, which will be released on 4 August 2023 via BMG. Another Celebration At The End Of The World “is definitely a song that showcases what people can expect from the new album,” he says.
When MetalTalk caught up with Wolfgang in December 2022, he said the second album is very much underway. “I’m probably about halfway through it, recorded,” he said. “I got a bunch of stuff recorded before we started on this tour [with Alter Bridge], and then once I go home, I have a little holiday break. But then in January, I’m going to finish it. So it’ll be ready to be released sometime next year.”
“Another Celebration At The End Of The World is definitely a song that showcases what people can expect from the new album,” Wolfgang said. “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.
“I knew that I wanted the new album to contain elements of what people heard on the debut,” Wolfgang Van Halen said, “but also giving me a chance to branch out a bit.”
Wolfgang is continuing the tradition of writing all of the songs and performing all of the instrumentation and vocals himself. “In the studio, I do everything,” Wolfgang said in December. “Nine Inch Nails is its own thing in the studio and then live, it’s separate. I think I’ve found a comfortable way how I record albums now, so I’m having a good time doing that.”
Mammoth WVH are currently on the second leg of the US tour supporting Alter Bridge before moving to massive tours playing alongside Metallica and Def Leppard/Motley Crue. They play Edinburgh with Alter Bridge two days before Download Festival.
Live, Mammoth WVH are a great band to see. “I’ve known these guys forever, so it was sort of a no-brainer,” Wolfgang says of the live lineup. “I’ve always wanted to be able to play with these guys. I played with Garrett [Whitlock – Drums] for the longest time when I was a part of Mark Tremonti’s solo band. I’ve been friends with Frank [Sidoris – Guitar].
“I met Ronnie [Ficarro – Bass] through a mutual friend, and then I met Jon [Jourdan – Guitar] through my friendship with Clint Lowery. He was in his solo band. I discovered Jon’s band where he’s the singer called To Whom It May, and I was really impressed with that. And so we’re now one big happy live band family. It’s nice. They’re just amazing dudes.”
