ALTER BRIDGE/CREED guitarist Mark Tremonti was recently invited to VAN HALEN's 5150 studios, where Eddie, Alex, and Wolfgang Van Halen performed their not-yet-released new record live in the studio, from front to back.

In an interview with Guitar International's Robert Cavuoto, Tremonti discusses his Van Halen connection, and hearing the new material. An excerpt follows:

Q: You have been in the music news a lot regarding you being one of the few people who heard the new Van Halen CD and now you will be going to do a few dates with them. How did you form a relationship with them?

A: "Yeah, well we first did shows with them back in the Creed days. Eddie actually gave me one of his guitars, and then years went by. It’s funny, at one of those old shows; I think at Madison Square Garden, he ran through a crowd of fans and press just to tell me how to set up the guitar with the springs on the guitar when he had Valerie and Wolfgang with him. And it meant a lot to me that he’d leave his family to come tell the young guitar player what to do. I remember Wolfgang was six or seven years old then, and now, eleven years later, he has become a fan of Alter Bridge. He came out to some shows, and we’ve become friends. We invited him to Alter Bridge sound checks, and we hang out with him every time we go to LA. He’s also played with Alter Bridge at the House of Blues the last time I was out there. He brought his dad to our show that was a crazy night. You had Slash and Eddie and Wolfgang Van Halen at the show! The last time we went to LA, Wolfgang came and hung out with me and my buddy and asked if we wanted to go see practice the next day and I said, 'Of course!', so he picked me up and got me into the studios at his dad’s house, where they played every song on the new record for me. It was just amazing."

Q: Wow. From what I read it sounds like old school Van Halen.

A: "Yeah, it does. I haven’t heard a single vocal on it yet, but it definitely had the juice, it was great."

Q: Was it like Van Halen 1, Van Halen 2, Fair Warning era?

A: "I think it was a mixture of it all. It wasn’t all edgy and dark like Fair Warning; it was a mixture, somewhere in the middle."

Read more at Guitar International.

Van Halen News Desk previously reported that SEVENDUST drummer Morgan Rose has heard at least some of the upcoming new VAN HALEN album, and said, “It’s fucking killer. Eddie hasn’t sounded this good since Balance. Dave’s voice sounds great. Alex is absolutely bombastic.”

In Ultimate-Guitar.com's continuing Producer And Engineer series, Ross Hogarth took time out from the studio where he is currently working on the new Van Halen album, to speak to Joe Matera about his career, his secret to capturing great guitar tones and the digital vs. analog world of recording technology. An excerpt follows:

Q: You’re currently working with Van Halen on their new record?

A: "The whole Van Halen record has been recorded and we’re all excited. We have just started mixing the record. I’m really stoked about it, as it is the original band, Eddie and Alex with Wolf playing bass, and DAVID LEE ROTH singing, it’s the killing side of Van Halen at the top of their game again with Diamond Dave, and the band on fire.

Read more at this location.

Organisers have confirmed rumours that the Soundwave Revolution festival has been cancelled. The touring festival - set to run in late September - was to feature the Van Halen reunion tour with David Lee Roth and ALICE COOPER as headliners.

A statement reads as follows

“It is with great sadness that we announce the cancellation of the Revolution Festival.

Many of the festival bands will still be coming to Australia in that time period and team up to bring you some very special shows. These will include multi band/mini festival line-ups in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne. We will be announcing these events in the next 7 days.

Tickets purchased online will be refunded automatically as soon as it can be processed. If you purchased from an outlet, refunds will be available next week from point of purchase.”

Rumours were triggered yesterday when drummer Stix Zadinia for US glam metal mockers STEEL PANTHER tweeted that his management told him the event was cancelled.