Wolfgang Van Halen Shares 2nd Track From Next Album, ‘Mammoth II’

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Wolfgang Van Halen (Photo: Travis Shinn; used with permission)

Wolfgang Van Halen has released a second track from his second album, recording as Mammoth WVH. The new LP, Mammoth II, arrives Aug. 4, 2023, via BMG. Watch the lyric video below for “Like a Pastime,” released on May 8, along with the first song from the album, “Another Celebration at the End of the World.” The musician son of Eddie Van Halen turned 32 on March 16 and will be supporting the album on the road extensively; he’s got tour dates already scheduled into September 2024. (Yes, you read that correctly.) The 10-track album was recorded at the legendary 5150 studio, and produced by friend and collaborator Michael “Elvis” Baskette.

From the March 22 album announcement: 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 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.

“It centers around a 4/4-time signature, but with a polyrhythm on top,” he says about “Like a Pastime.” “I was teaching my fiancé what a polyrhythm is, and I stumbled upon this idea. The kick drums are accentuating it. It’s certainly one of my favorites and a completely different vibe than anything on the first album,” says Wolfgang.

The debut single from Mammoth II was the upbeat rocker “Another Celebration at the End of the World.” “The song 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,” he explains.

The music video for the track is an 8:25 introduction to the Mammoth WVH live band. It showcases a frustrated Wolfgang firing “other” Wolfgangs and replacing them with his live band featuring Frank Sidoris (guitars), Jon Jourdan (guitars), Ronnie Ficarro (Bass) and Garrett Whitlock (drums). The video was directed by Gordy De St. Jeor.

Mammoth WVH is planning to tour around the globe in support of Mammoth II. The live band is currently on the second leg of a U.S. tour supporting Alter Bridge before moving to another massive tour playing alongside Metallica. Mammoth WVH will also be making various festival appearances around the globe as well as headline stops going in to 2024.

Wolfgang Van Halen 2023 Tour (Tickets are available here and here)
Mar 23 – Seattle, WA – Paramount Theatre *
Mar 25 – Airway Heights, WA – Northern Quest Resort & Casino *
Mar 26 – Airway Heights, WA – Northern Quest Resort & Casino *
Mar 28 – Anaheim, CA – House Of Blues *
Mar 29 – Tempe, AZ – Marquee Theatre *
Mar 31 – Reno, NV – Silver Legacy Resort Casino *
Apr 01 – Highland, CA – Yaamava Theater *
Apr 27 – Amsterdam, NL – Johan Cruijff ArenA #
May 19 – Paris, FR – Stade de France #
May 26 – Hamburg, DE – Volksparkstadion #
May 29 – Berlin, DE – Hole44
May 30 – Frankfurt, DE – Das Bett
Jun 01 – Köln, DE – Gebäude 9
Jun 03 – Tilburg, NL – Poppodium 013 *
Jun 06 – Edinburgh, UK – O2 Academy Edinburgh *
Jun 08 – Castle Donington, Derby, UK – Download Festival
Jun 10 – Sölvesborg, SE – Sweden Rock Festival
Jun 13 – Stockholm, SE – Gröna Lund *
Jun 15 – Dessel, BE – Graspop Metal Meeting
Jun 16 – Göteborg, SE – Ullevi #
Jun 17 – Copenhagen, DK – Copenhell Festival 2023
Jun 20 – Ludwigsburg, DE – Mhp Arena
Jun 21 – Graz, AT – Kasematten – Schlossbergbühne
Jun 23 – Naz-sciaves – Natz-schabs, ITA – Aspen Flair 2023
Jun 24 – Grenchen, CH – Summerside Festival
Jun 26 – Villeurbanne, FR – Transbordeur *
Jun 28 – Lisboa, PT – Evil Live Festival
Jun 29 – Viveiro, ES – Resurrection Fest 2023
Jul 01 – London, UK – Wembley Stadium ^
Jul 04 – Rathfarnham, IE – Marlay Park ^
Jul 06 – Saltmarket, UK – Glasgow Green ^
Aug 04 – East Rutherford, NJ – MetLife Stadium #
Aug 11 – Montreal, CA – Olympic Stadium #
Aug 16 – Springfield, IL – Illinois State Fair 2023 *
Aug 18 – Arlington, TX – AT&T Stadium #
Aug 25 – Inglewood, CA – SoFi Stadium #
Sep 01 – Glendale, AZ – State Farm Stadium #
Sep 03 – Pryor, Ok – Rocklahoma
Nov 03 – St. Louis, MO – The Dome at America’s Center #
Nov 10 – Detroit, MI – Ford Field #

* Supporting Alter Bridge
# Supporting Metallica
^ Supporting Def Leppard/Motley Crüe

Wolfgang Van Halen 2024 Tour (Tickets are available here and here)
May 24 – München, DE – Olympiastadion München #
Jun 07 – Helsinki, FI – Helsinki Olympic Stadium #
Jun 14 – Copenhagen, DK – Telia Parken #
Jul 05 – Warszawa, PL – PGE Narodowy #
Jul 12 – Madrid, ES – Cívitas Metropolitano #
Aug 02 – Foxborough, MA – Gillette Stadium #
Aug 09 – Chicago, IL – Soldier Field #
Aug 16 – Minneapolis, MN – US Bank Stadium #
Aug 23 – Edmonton, CA- Commonwealth Stadium #
Aug 30 – Seattle, WA – Lumen Field Event Center #
Sep 20 – Mexico – Foro Sol #
Sep 27 – Mexico – Foro Sol #

# Supporting Metallica

Related: Listings for 100s of classic rock tours

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