Mammoth

Support: Florence Black

Wolfgang “Wolf” Van Halen was put into the cradle of making music. The multi-instrumentalist, who released the strong debut album “Mammoth WVH” in 2021 under the name Mammoth WVH, is the son of Eddie Van Halen. Even when his mother was pregnant with him, Eddie had carefully played his guitar near her belly so that little Wolfgang could feel the vibrations, he says in an interview. When Wolfgang turned ten, his father didn’t give him a guitar, but a drum kit. Wolfgang Van Halen says: “I still see myself primarily as a drummer.” Which is quite an understatement: On his albums he plays every instrument himself and combines all this to a powerful, melodic, sometimes hard or sometimes hymnic rock. But he usually taught himself all this. “My father was not the best teacher,” he once said with a laugh in an interview: “Whenever I asked him to play something for me so I could learn it, he was just Eddie Van Halen on the guitar. He played something hellishly heavy, looked at me and said, ‘Play this.’ And then I mostly just laughed and said, ‘Sure, no problem.’”

The project name Mammoth WVH is still a reference to his legendary father, who died in 2020. “The name Mammoth is really something special to me. It was not only Van Halen’s name before they became Van Halen, but my father was also the lead singer. Since he told me that, I knew that I would call my own band Mammoth WVH when I grew up because I love the name so much. I am so grateful that my father was able to listen to and enjoy the music I make. I’m proud of the work I’ve done, and nothing has made me happier than seeing how proud he was that I’m continuing the family heritage.”

Wolf’s second album “Mammoth II” was released in 2023 and carefully supplemented his style with new exciting elements. “I wanted the new album to contain elements of what people heard on the debut album, but also give me the opportunity to develop a little,” Wolf said in advance. How well this worked was proved by the pre-single “Another Celebration At The End Of The World”, which quickly became his most successful song to date. He told the American “Rolling Stone” magazine: “The song is an energetic rock track with some very funny guitar moments. I’ve also evolved vocally and can’t wait to play the song live.”

That time has now been reached and Mammoth WVH is also coming to Europe this summer. In Germany, Wolfgang Van Halen will perform in Hamburg, Berlin and Cologne from mid-June to carry his father’s legacy with his very own touch to future generations.