Wolfgang Van Halen has announced his second album, Mammoth II, and with it its first single, Another Celebration at the End of the World.
Our first taste of Wolfgang’s sophomore effort continues the contemporary hard-rock template set by his 2021 debut, with chunky riffs, ferocious energy and anthemic choruses, but leaves a little more room for the guitar to let loose.
There’s a fiery fill leading into the second verse, and bursts of rapid-fire tremolo picking over the supersized middle eight riff, but the standout is a show-stopping tapping section that leads into a series of positively wailing bends. We like.
Although the video for the song features the Mammoth WVH live band, Wolfgang once again handled all songwriting, vocals and instruments on Mammoth II, which was also recorded at 5150 Studios and produced by Michael “Elvis” Baskette.
Mammoth II’s 10 tracks find Wolfgang stretching his wings beyond the sound of his first release, spanning heavier influences such as Meshuggah as well as songwriting craft inspired by the Beatles.
“I knew that I wanted the new album to contain elements of what people heard on the debut, but also giving me a chance to branch out a bit,” he says.
“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.”
The album is due out on August 4, and set to be supported by a global tour from the Mammoth WVH live lineup, which includes Wolfgang Van Halen, Frank Sidoris, Jon Jourdan, Ronnie Ficarro and Garrett Whitlock. The band are currently supporting Alter Bridge in the US, before supporting Metallica on their global tour later this year.
Last time we spoke to Wolfgang, he was preparing to use his father’s most notable guitars for the solos on the record, while much of the album was recorded on his new EVH semi-hollow design, the SA126.
The full tracklisting for Mammoth II is as follows:
- 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
Mammoth II is available to preorder now. For more information on the release and future tour dates, head over to Mammoth WVH.
