Wolfgang Van Halen is almost finished working on the follow-up to Mammoth WVH's debut album, which came out in June of 2021. This next project, however, is laced with some heavier undertones, and he named the metal band that inspired some of the new songs in an interview with TellUs Rock.
The conversation took place back in November of 2022, when the rocker was about halfway through the recording process for the new album. He explained that he'd been listening to heavier music at the time, and some of that was infused into the new material as a result.
"I love Meshuggah. I tend to listen to, at least recently, more heavier music. That's all the new stuff that's come out. Animals As Leaders had a new album come out this year, and so did Meshuggah. But Meshuggah is one of my favorite bands. I know — nothing like Mammoth," Van Halen said laughing. "On the next album, there actually is some Meshuggah-inspired stuff. Through the lens of Mammoth though, so not as super heavy."
See the interview below.
Despite drawing inspiration from heavier bands for the second album, Van Halen assured that there are similarities to the first one. In a more recent interview with Total Guitar, he explained that he just challenged himself more creatively on the new songs because he felt more confident in doing so.
"It will always sound a bit similar, I guess, because the same dude is writing it," he said. "On the debut there was this width of what the project was – on the left you had songs like 'Distance' and 'Circles,' those softer vibes, and on the right you had tracks like 'Stone' and 'The Big Picture.'"
"What I want to do with this album is widen what that breadth is. Further left, for example, there’s a song that’s all on piano... so it has more of a softer vibe. But on the right, there’s some really heavy shit in comparison to the debut! That’s what I find really exciting, it’s fun to stretch the definition of Mammoth on both sides.”
There isn't a timeline for release for the new record just yet, but in the meantime, you can catch Mammoth WVH on tour with Alter Bridge. Their next show is scheduled for tonight (March 20) in Denver, Colo. See the rest of the upcoming dates and get tickets here.
Wolfgang Van Halen Names Metal Band That Inspired Songs on New Mammoth Album
