Wolfgang Van Halen is gearing up to release his second Mammoth WVH album, entitled Mammoth II. He recently met up with Barbara Caserta at Linea Rock to discuss the inspiration behind, writing, and recording "at home" in 5150 Studio and more 

On recording everything himself for Mammoth II in spite of having a band:

"That's what it is. That's what the first (album) was. Mammoth is my artistic expression. I think there's a duality that some bands have, for example Nine Inch Nails; Trent (Reznor) does his thing in the studio, and then live he gets this amazing band. It's this different experience, so I guess that's what I'm trying to shoot for with how Mammoth is set up. In the studio it's my outlet for creative expression, and live I have my amazing band that... we kill it every night because they're incredible players."

Recorded at the legendary 5150 studio, the new album was produced by friend and collaborator Michael “Elvis” Baskette. Mammoth II is available for pre-order in multiple configurations here.

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 the 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.

“I knew that I wanted the new album to contain elements of what people heard on the debut, but also give me a chance to branch out a bit. ‘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,” explains Wolfgang Van Halen.

Mammoth II tracklisting:

"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"

"Like A Pastime" lyric video:

"Another Celebration At The End Of The World" video:

Tickets for all Mammoth WVH appearances can be found here.

(Photo - Travis Shinn)