Wolfgang Van Halen recently joined radio host Mark Strigl at SiriusXM‘s New York City studios for a wide-ranging interview, which aired on Ozzy’s Boneyard and is now available on demand via the SiriusXM app by searching Wolf Van Halen. During their discussion, Van Halen touched on everything from his admiration for Randy Rhoads and collaboration with Mark Tremonti of Creed, to his views on Maynard James Keenan of Tool, and what’s to come from his band Mammoth.
Van Halen spoke about his creative process and how songwriting takes precedence over showcasing guitar solos, despite his lineage. “I think the songwriter leads more than anything,” he explained. “I don’t know, I think that what makes me happy, what brings me purpose with Mammoth is writing the songs. That is why I think there are some songs that don’t even have a guitar solo. Whenever there is a song that doesn’t have a guitar solo, people are, like, ‘Dude? What?’ And it’s, like, it’s more about the song and how it is crafted all together. Not everything needs a guitar solo. That might be stupid coming from the son of Eddie Van Halen to say, but, for me, that is where I get my most joy from, crafting the song piece by piece.”
When asked if the upcoming album The End would include more guitar solos, Van Halen replied, “Yes. There are definitely more guitar solos, for sure, but again, that is not what it is about for me. But it is there, and I am going to give my A-game.”
To build anticipation, Mammoth also released another track titled “The Spell”, now streaming on all major digital platforms. A performance video featuring Van Halen playing every instrument, directed by Gordy De St. Jeor, is also available to watch.
Set to be released on October 24 via BMG, The End features 10 tracks and runs 39 minutes in total. The album was recorded at the iconic 5150 Studio and produced by Michael “Elvis” Baskette, a longtime friend and collaborator. The new material reflects Van Halen’s artistic evolution since he began his solo journey in 2020.
Continuing his practice of writing all the music and handling all vocals and instrumentation himself, Van Halen approached The End as a personal challenge to surpass what he accomplished on Mammoth II. From the haunting opener “One Of A Kind” to the catchy final track “All In Good Time”, the album showcases his growth as both a musician and songwriter. New songs like “Same Old Song”, “Happy”, and “Selfish” are set to complement his existing fan favorites in live performances.
In May, Mammoth dropped the lead single and title track “The End”, which quickly rose into the Top 5 at Active Rock radio. Its success was fueled in part by a visually striking music video that’s already nearing four million views.
The album is now available for pre-order in several formats, including limited-edition colored vinyl, versions with signed inserts, and retailer exclusives.
Fans can find the full interview with Wolfgang Van Halen on the SiriusXM app.
