The Latest Breaking News from Van Halen

“After years of receiving requests for this famed instrument, the new Striped Series Shark returns”: EVH brings back Eddie Van Halen’s classic Shark and Circles models

Two of EVH’s most outlandish designs will be available once more

Guitar World · Jan 18, 2024

“He looked at me and he goes, ‘You’re the only one that understands me. People think I’m an alien because of the way I play’”: Why Eddie Van Halen cried when he met Billie Joe Armstrong

A 12-year-old Armstrong cried when he witnessed Eddie Van Halen play live for the first time in the '80s. Years later, the roles would be reversed

Guitar World · Jan 18, 2024

“He started crying, and goes, You're the only one that understands me”: Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong recalls the day he made his childhood hero Eddie Van Halen cry

They say that you should never meet your heroes, but meeting Eddie Van Halen was an experience Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong will never forget

Louder · Jan 18, 2024

“The Rise solo was anointed by whatever DNA I grabbed from Edward that day. Whatever kiss he gave me on the lips, I went back into the studio and brought it with me”: Nuno Bettencourt unpicks the guitar solo that kept Van Halen’s fire burning

In his “most detailed analysis yet”, Bettencourt shares the story behind the most incendiary guitar solo of 2023, and explains why, these days, he’s “more excited about the accidents” than perfect takes

Guitar World · Jan 15, 2024

"What most people only think of or whisper in private, Kevin would scream at the top of his lungs. That kind of honesty is rare, and it comes with a price": the chaotic story of Kevin DuBrow and Quiet Riot

Six years after their debut album, Quiet Riot became an overnight success with Metal Health, the first 'heavy metal' album to top the US charts

Louder · Jan 12, 2024

“Do not try to play them like Edward – because you can’t”: Steve Vai says this is the secret to nailing Eddie Van Halen’s guitar parts in front of a live audience

Vai has been considering his experiences winning the hearts and minds of Van Halen fans back in the ’80s – as his friend Joe Satriani gets ready to do the same this summer

Guitar World · Jan 11, 2024

“The SA-126 is way beyond a typical semi-hollow. There’s nothing else like that guitar. It’s like a hot rod, but with a souped-up modern engine”: Wolfgang Van Halen on building the supersized sound of Mammoth II (with some help from Eddie’s Frankenstein)

Armed with his new EVH semi-hollow signature model, plus the most hallowed pieces in his father's collection, Wolfgang Van Halen explains how he went all in for his epic sophomore album

Guitar World · Jan 8, 2024

“I think about Van Halen a lot. I have to play some treacherous licks, so I need the right kind of inspiration. I’m overplaying to an extent – it’s gotta be huge and bombastic”: Brendon Small on writing Dethklok’s brutal final act

You can cancel Dethklok but you can't kill them. As the world's biggest fictional metal band return, Small reveals how he takes inspiration from Reb Beach and Eddie Van Halen, why stand-up comedy helped his guitar performance, and what he hopes to learn from Nili Brosh

Guitar World · Jan 8, 2024

Andy Wood demos his ultimate Van Halen pedalboard rig and it sounds as spectacular as we hoped

The gear and the chops

MusicRadar · Jan 3, 2024

Sophie Lloyd: 10 records that changed my life

From Van Halen and Iron Maiden to Disturbed and Bring Me The Horizon, these are the bands that helped Sophie Lloyd become a shred goddess

Metal Hammer · Jan 3, 2024