WOLFGANG VAN HALEN Announces Third MAMMOTH Album 'The End', Shares 'The Spell' Single
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MAMMOTH (formerly MAMMOTH WVH),the band led by Grammy Award-nominated songwriter, vocalist, multi-instrumentalist and producer Wolfgang Van Halen, will release its third album, "The End", on October 24 via BMG. The 10-track effort clocks in at 39 minutes and showcases the evolution of Wolfgang and his songwriting since he launched his solo career in 2020. Recorded at the legendary 5150 studio, the album was produced by friend and collaborator Michael "Elvis" Baskette.
"The End" is available for pre-order in multiple configurations, including limited-edition vinyl colors, signed insert version and retailer exclusives.
Continuing the tradition of writing all the songs and performing all the instrumentation and vocals himself, Wolfgang Van Halen set out to challenge himself beyond what he did on his debut and sophomore release, "Mammoth II". From the hypnotic opening of "One Of A Kind" to infectious closer "All In Good Time", Wolfgang demonstrates his proficiency as a musician and songwriter. Songs like "Same Old Song", "Happy" and "Selfish" will fit perfectly alongside older songs that fans have already come to love from MAMMOTH.
MAMMOTH released their first single from "The End", the LP's title track, in May, and it has shot up the charts currently in the Top 5 at Active Rock radio. The success of the single was propelled by the landmark music video, which is approaching four million views.
To coincide with the album announcement, MAMMOTH has released the track "The Spell" for fans to check out. Now available via all digital service providers, the performance music video showing Wolfgang playing all the instruments and directed by visual collaborator Gordy De St. Jeor can be seen here.
The track listing for "The End" is:
01. One Of A Kind
02. The End
03. Same Old Song
04. The Spell
05. I Really Wanna
06. Happy
07. Better Off
08. Something New
09. Selfish
10. All In Good Time
Throughout late 2024, Wolfgang built the framework for "The End". Rather than compose demos on his computer, he took a different approach. Recording at 5150 Studios with longtime producer Michael "Elvis" Baskette, he demoed parts by actually performing them in the moment and literally running back and forth between instruments.
"In the past, I would use Logic Pro to sit there and type out a drum part with MIDI drums and then play guitar to it," he recalls. "This time, I was able to play guitar in the moment, run out, and play drums. It was way more fun to sit at the kit and perform what naturally came to me. Doing these parts back to back in real time was a game changer. We were making demos live, which I've never done. It was so important to this record."
As such, the music teems with an undeniable sense of urgency. You can hear it loud and clear on lead single "The End". Frenetic two-hand tapping lights the fuse for the track as an equally unpredictable bassline answers in kind. Surrounded by sonic fireworks, he issues an apocalyptically glorious invitation on the refrain, "Take your hand in mine and watch the end with me," culminating on one last head-spinning solo.
"I've had the tapping idea on the intro since before MAMMOTH," he divulges. "I was able to fit it into this world. It's still over-the-top and shreddy, but it's also melodic and controlled. Overall, I was doing some different things on the record, and I knew this was going to be a big step. Once we finished 'The End', it felt really special to me. I knew it had to be the title of the album. It has duality. It can be a good thing or a bad thing — the end of good times or the end of bad times."
It also set the tone for a loose thematic thread across the record. He goes on, "Writing is a therapeutic experience, and it helps me deal with many things emotionally. I had a bad panic attack that fucked me up last year. So, 'The End' represents how it feels like the world is over in my brain during any moment of trial or tribulation. Even if it seems like the end, there's always a way to get through it and a light at the end of the tunnel. It's not a concept album, but all of the topics are closely related."
Expanding the world of MAMMOTH, a piece of art by Moon Patrol adorns the cover, depicting a man on fire. Plus, Wolfgang co-wrote the music video for "The End" with none other than legendary filmmaker Robert Rodriguez ("Desperado", "Sin City", "Spy Kids") who got behind the camera for the visual. Together, they throw it back to Rodriguez's cult favorite Quentin Tarantino collab "From Dusk Till Dawn". Greg Nicotero ("The Walking Dead") provided the makeup as well as cameos by Danny Trejo, Slash, Myles Kennedy and his mother, Valerie Bertinelli. It's Wolfgang like you've never seen him.
"The End" also sees Wolfgang embrace the name "MAMMOTH" without the initial "WVH" that previously followed.
"I've wanted to be just 'MAMMOTH' since the beginning," he says. "We put in a crazy amount of work to get here, and we've been able to embrace this name. It's also our first titled album without a number. It feels like a rebirth."
MAMMOTH has become known for being road warriors, constantly taking to the road to play their music for the masses whenever they can. 2025 will continues that trend as the band will be heading out with longtime friends in CREED on the "Return Of The Summer Of '99 Tour" this summer. MAMMOTH hit the road July 9 in Lexington, Kentucky through August 30 where the tour wraps in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
To celebrate "The End" being in stores this October, MAMMOTH will head out on a fall headline run. "The End" tour kicks off on October 31 and runs for five weeks before it wraps up on December 7. Longtime friend Myles Kennedy will be the special guest on the run.
MAMMOTH's touring lineup features Wolfgang on guitar and lead vocals, Frank Sidoris (SLASH FEATURING MYLES KENNEDY AND THE CONSPIRATORS) on guitar, Jon Jourdan on guitar and vocals, Garrett Whitlock (TREMONTI) on drums, and Ronnie Ficarro on bass.
(Source: www.blabbermouth.net)
