Wolfgang Van Halen is gearing up to release his second Mammoth WVH album, entitled Mammoth II. He recently sat down for an exclusive chat with Guitar Interactive Magazine editor Jonathan Graham to discuss the new record.
In the interview below, Wolf gives us some insight into the making of the new record, including which track he used the original Frankenstrat and Van Halen 1 rig for, recording at 5150 studios, and more.
On the "Take A Bow" guitar solo
Wolfgang: "I think the most fun little detail about that it's the one moment I recorded on the album with my Dad's original Frankenstein guitar. And not just the guitar, but the original Marshall head that he used for the originlal Van Halen albums, and one of the original cabs. It was basically e erything he used for those original classic albums, and you can hear that on certain bends. It's kind of crazy; there are certaom notes where it's like 'Wow, that sounds like Van Halen I'."
Recorded at the legendary 5150 studio, the new album was produced by friend and collaborator Michael “Elvis” Baskette. Mammoth II is available for pre-order in multiple configurations here.
Continuing the tradition of writing all of the songs and performing all of the instrumentation and vocals himself, Wolfgang Van Halen set out to challenge himself to expand his sound beyond what people had already come to know him for. From the rocking opener “Right?” to the Beatles-esque fade on closer “Better Than You” Mammoth II showcases the growth of Wolfgang as a songwriter, musician and especially vocalist. Songs like “Like A Pastime,” “Take A Bow” and “Waiting” are all sonically different from each other but unique to what mastermind Wolfgang Van Halen and Mammoth WVH is.
“I knew that I wanted the new album to contain elements of what people heard on the debut, but also give me a chance to branch out a bit. ‘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,” explains Wolfgang Van Halen.
Mammoth II tracklisting:
"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"
"Like A Pastime" lyric video:
"Another Celebration At The End Of The World" video:
Tickets for all Mammoth WVH appearances can be found here.
(Photo - Travis Shinn)
