Mammoth WVH – Mammoth WVH (2021)

The time has come for Eddie Van Halen’s son, Wolfgang Van Halen, to shine musically. Sadly, Wolfie’s father passed away in late 2020, but that would not stop Wolfie from unleashing his inner talent. This is Wolfgang Van Halen’s debut album so let’s take a listen to it and see how it sounds, which should be interesting to hear. Wolfie plays all the instruments on this album as well, just in case you didn’t know.

We start with Mr. Ed which begin with some heavy metal styled guitars and launches straight into a decent tune with some extraordinary singing. Wolfgang obviously knows how to make some great tunes, and it is clear that this is very inspired and great music here. Enough to get one’s head banging away, this is awesome music. There is an awesome guitar solo here with some crazy tapping licks, but still sounding distinctively original in its own way. A nice song, obviously devoted to his father, this is ridiculously good. Short, yet very great listening.

Next along is Horribly Right which begins with some droptuned guitar riffs which are truly awesome, before going straight into a heavy metal piece that sounds awesome. There are some great harmonics and other playing here to give this album flavour and originality. Great stuff, no doubt that Wolfie has made his father proud here, and the whole thing is monstrous sounding and amazingly uplifting. An excellent song with an equally excellent midsection, this release has made Rock music exciting once again, just like Van Halen did. An excellently distorted and heavy sound is here, and the music is simply fantastic. Great job Wolfie.

Epiphany comes next, beginning with gurgling bass and some hard hitting drums, which are excellent. Some awesome guitar riffs then enter, and we get underway. Wolfie’s singing here is really good, too. The lyrics here are pretty direct, and the whole is monstrous and heavy. A wonderful and nicely delivered piece of heavy music, this is extraordinary listening and is really great musically. Wolfgang sounds on top here, there is no doubt that he will be around for many years in the music scene here and is a real talent. Great music, especially for fans of heavier styles of Rock and Metal here. Wolfgang’s singing here is brilliant, and he does really well here overall. Good work. It ends with some feedback driven guitars.

Don’t Back Down begins with some super heavy guitar riffs, before launching into a furious sounding piece that kicks the proverbial. It is a punchy and interesting listen that is really great to hear, and is confident and brilliant sounding sounding here. A really Metal sounding and inspired piece with an exciting midsection here, and another amazing guitar solo, Wolfgang Van Halen is a force that is unmistakably powerful. A highlight of this album, and a very loud and direct listen. Excellent sound and playing, a must hear for fans of heavy metal and the like.

Next along is Resolve which begins with strummed acoustic guitars and some electric guitar accompaniment. Wolfgang gets singing away nicely here, and goes to show that he is extremely talented and musically developed here. Some articulate and expressive guitar solos are here. A really great and underrated sound from Wolfie, he does very well here and his singing is full of emotion here. An awesome and electrified piece of music, this is extraordinary to hear. In the middle are some neat guitar sections that just sound superb. Nice tune, Wolfgang Van Halen succeeds extremely well here.

Following is You’ll Be The One which begins with some dirty and distorted guitar riffs, before launching into a punchy drum led piece with some amazing singing by our main man. A really excellent and exciting album so far, and this track is mere proof of that. The drumming here is really intense, and just sounds groovy. In the middle are some weird guitar parts that are completely original and different, before launching into an excellent wah-wah guitar solo here. Straightforward and excellent music, surprisingly fresh and impressive.

Mammoth begins with some interesting double tracked guitar parts, before launching into a straightforward and fantastic metal driven piece here. An interesting song, this is a great musical piece of the 21st century. It also proves that Wolfgang Van Halen is in a zone of his own musically, which is always a good thing in a world of increasingly sterile commercially based music. A fresh and excellent musical listen with some inspiring lyrics here, Wolfie does extremely well here. A blistering guitar solo is here as well, along with some punchy drum rolls. “Anything is possible, you’re not the only one,” chants Wolfie, which is true, if you think about it. Excellent song and sounds here, too. Optimistic and heavy, a great song.

Circles comes along next, with a more acoustic based feel to the music here. Some tremolo guitar effects are here, and Wolfie sings calmly over the top of it all. A slower and more ballad based piece, this is definitely tremendous listening. Wolfgang Van Halen shows he can do ballads as well, and reveals himself as a great talent on record. It sounds a bit like a love song here, although the Metal guitars here may indicate otherwise. A fantastic listening experience, and very emotionally intense to hear. Excellent song, once again and great to hear.

Next along is The Big Picture which begins with a super dirty and distorted guitar riff, before launching into an excellent, groovy and fine piece of music here. Clever, catchy and undeniably cool, Wolfie takes all by surprise here and delivers fresh life into the dead Rock/Metal scene of today, much like his father did with the debut Van Halen album. Some amazing singing is here, too and Wolfgang proves himself to be a great musician as well in all respects. Great to hear, this is a really amazing listen from start to finish. Awesome.

After that is Think It Over which begins with some chiming guitar parts and a kick bass drum, before going into a somewhat lighter sounding piece that sounds calm and strong. A really great and interesting listen that is supercharged with energy and emotion, Wolfgang delivers exactly what the guitar based world needs today. An excellent sounding piece of energetic and inspired music, this album is a must hear for fans of Rock and Metal. A very good guitar solo is here, and the whole thing sounds amazing. Excellent music here, Wolfgang Van Halen succeeds very well here. Uplifting and melodic music for those who need it in the 21st century. Mint.

You’re To Blame begins with some palm muted guitars and a loud drum roll, before this piece gets underway. It’s an excellent listen, and just sounds really sonically wonderful and amazing. A top and great listen by Wolfie, this is one of the more memorable songs from this album. A really fine and excellent listening experience, Wolfgang Van Halen points the finger at those who aren’t switched on. A very EVH sounding guitar solo is here as well, but totally original, of course. A very great and emotional listen, this is a great song. Very catchy and outstanding music listening here.

Feel comes next, and launches straight into an odd sounding piece of music. Before long, Wolfgang Van Halen gets singing away nicely and we have another thunderous and melodic listening experience here. A really awesome sounding song, Wolfie nails the music here and just delivers as well as he can do. Loud, powerful and punchy, the music here is really excellent. Instead of a guitar solo, there is a chugging bass midsection here which is really cool, followed by a drum solo. Excellent, bet you didn’t see that coming. A very good piece of music and artistry, and the whole thing sounds interesting and amazing.

The extended piece Stone lasts at six and a half minutes. It begins with some somewhat subdued guitar parts, before launching into a great song that is really fresh and interesting listening. It’s somewhat like a ballad here, in actual fact. It eventually launches into a very Heavy Metal piece with some awesome riffs here, and just sounds amazing. Really cool, ballsy and powerful listening, this is a great and anthemic piece of music by Wolfgang Van Halen. Towards the middle it begins to become quite loud, and lyrically profound, too. It changes drastically in the second half with a very Black Sabbath style riff that sounds absolutely amazing. This sounds nothing but top here, and Wolfgang Van Halen succeeds better than what most do today musically on their own. There is a brief pause before return to the powerful mayhem at hand. A brilliant piece of music, Wolfie does very well here. Towards the end is bass guitar, punchy drumbeats and piano. Very nice music mate, good on you.

Last on this album is Distance which is about EVH, and was the first single from this album. It begins with acoustic guitars and looped drumbeats that are treated nicely. Wolfgang Van Halen sings about his now passed away father, and it is a great song about his father and his missing presence in his life. A very deep and sad song, excellent music and sounds are here. Great song about being there for someone in spirit, it has a wailing guitar solo as well. Excellent, yet very sad to hear. A tremendous effort, and a great album from start to finish.

This is a really great and underrated album that will have a certain sort of appeal to it, particularly for fans of Hard Rock and various types of Metal. Although EVH is no longer with us, Wolfgang Van Halen carries on his father’s legacy musically, and has a very bright future ahead of him. Excellent work, Wolfie. Let’s hope he continues to make great music throughout his lifetime.

Awesome.

9/10