| Mammoth II | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | August 4, 2023 | |||
| Recorded | 2022–2023 | |||
| Studio | 5150 (Los Angeles) | |||
| Genre | Rock [1] | |||
| Length | 48:07 | |||
| Label |
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| Producer | Michael Baskette | |||
| Mammoth WVH chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Mammoth II | ||||
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Mammoth II is the second studio album by American rock band Mammoth WVH. Similar to the first album, Mammoth WVH (2021), all writing, vocals, and instruments were all done by Wolfgang Van Halen. The album was released through I Am the Sheriff and BMG Rights Management on August 4, 2023.
Wolfgang Van Halen, son of Van Halen guitarist Eddie Van Halen, after years of performing for various bands, began branching out into writing his own solo music as early as 2014. [2] [3] His first album , written and recorded entirely on his own, was finished in 2018, but was not released until 2021, under the moniker Mammoth WVH, a tribute to one of Van Halen's early band names and his own initials. [3] The release, Mammoth WVH , was a success, debuting atop of the Billboard Top Rock Albums and Top Hard Rock Albums. [4] After touring in support of the release for over a year, Wolfgang turned his focus on recording a follow up album. [5]
Work on the album began in September 2022. [2] Starting the sessions were difficult for Wolfgang; while his father Eddie was not formally credited in the first album, he was still present for the sessions in the 2010s, and music was an area of bonding for the two. [2] However, Eddie's death in 2020 meant that the sessions would be Wolfgang's first without him around. [2] Despite this, the sessions were, by design, much quicker than the ones for the first album, as Wolfgang had already established the band's sound, and knew what worked and what didn't, making the album more about expanding upon what was already created. [5] Similar to the first album, all writing, vocals and instrumentation - guitar, bass and drums - were performed by Wolfgang. [6] The album was recorded in Eddie's 5150 Studios with music producer Michael "Elvis" Baskette. [7]
Many of the songs are themed around Wolfgang processing his grief of losing his father, Eddie, who died in 2020. Wolfgang explained:
Everyone thinks the first album was me working through everything that had been happening, like losing my father. But that's not true. I finished [the first] album in 2018. This is the album where I'm working through everything that happened in my life since 2019, and that's a lot. I think that's why it ended up being a darker, heavier album". [8]
Another common theme on the album was Wolfgang's reaction to negativity and toxic behavior he experienced online and on social media. [9] Many songs are written from the perspective of him addressing an amalgamation of internet trolls he's experienced online. [9] The track "I'm Alright" explores his personal reactions to people who attempt to boss him around in regards to how he should approach music. [9] Wolfgang described it as his "anthem for telling people to fuck off". [8] The track "Better Than You" is a more general observation about the internet that "everyone on the internet thinks they're better than everyone else, but they're really just as miserable as everyone else. [9] [8]
Publications noted the album sounded similar to work of the Foo Fighters, Alter Bridge and the "variety of hard rock that was favored in the first part of the 2000s". [7] [10] [11] It features a greater emphasis on guitar solos than the debut album, the longest being the 90 second solo on the track "Take a Bow", which was performed by Wolfgang with Eddie's frankenstein guitar he recorded many early Van Halen songs on. [8] Wolfgang described it as darker and heavier than his first album, with an emphasis on balancing "heaviness" and "melody", particularly on tracks "Right?" and "Better Than You". [8] The track "Right?", which was written as the album's "mission statement", was given its name due an accident while recording the drum tracks where, when talking with a sound engineer, Wolfgang responded "Right?" so loudly that it was picked up on the drum mic; he liked how it sounded and retained it on the final recording. [8] Wolfgang described "Better Than You" as his attempt to merge the sounds of The Beatles with metal band Meshuggah. [8] Similarly, the track "Like a Pastime" was also influenced by Meshuggah and was conceived by accident when Wolfgang was attempting to explain what a polyrhythm was to his fiance; by the time he finished his attempts to demonstrate it to her, he realized he had created a basis for a new song. [8] The song "Miles Above Me" was described by Wolfgang as his attempt at a "pop punk comfort song", with his guitar solo being inspired by the work of George Harrison. [8]
In March 2023, the album's name Mammoth II, and release date, August 4, 2023, were announced. [12] The album's first single, "Another Celebration at the End of the World", was released on the same day. [12] In the same month, it was announced they had signed to the BMG record label for releasing the album. [13] "Like a Pastime" was released as the second single. [14]
The album was generally well received by critics. [10] [14] Classic Rock praised the album as "scaling new peaks" and "better than Wolfgang's debut because it has more variety as well as better-quality songwriting". [7] Ultimate Classic Rock praised the album's "starting-gun riffs, easily digestible lyrics and impassioned vocals" and concluded it was "a template for the future that doesn't disregard his past." [11] Kerrang! praised its massive sound, noting it is "bigger than a stampeding herd of elephants. The next thing is always slightly bigger than the last very big thing". While the reviewer noted the album's constantly large sound sometimes dampened its impact, it still concluded that "Mammoth II remains, inarguably, a worthy follow-up to that equally muscular debut." [15]
All tracks are written by Wolfgang Van Halen
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Right?" | 4:30 |
| 2. | "Like a Pastime" | 3:45 |
| 3. | "Another Celebration at the End of the World" | 4:35 |
| 4. | "Miles Above Me" | 4:02 |
| 5. | "Take a Bow" | 6:54 |
| 6. | "Optimist" | 4:34 |
| 7. | "I'm Alright" | 4:35 |
| 8. | "Erase Me" | 4:12 |
| 9. | "Waiting" | 4:23 |
| 10. | "Better Than You" | 6:37 |
| Total length: | 48:07 | |
Mammoth WVH
Technical
Artwork
| Chart (2023) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria) [16] | 36 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) [17] | 186 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia) [18] | 181 |
| French Albums (SNEP) [19] | 178 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [20] | 14 |
| Scottish Albums (OCC) [21] | 9 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [22] | 4 |
| UK Albums (OCC) [23] | 76 |
| UK Independent Albums (OCC) [24] | 4 |
| UK Rock & Metal Albums (OCC) [25] | 1 |
| US Billboard 200 [26] | 29 |
| US Independent Albums ( Billboard ) [27] | 6 |
| US Top Hard Rock Albums ( Billboard ) [28] | 1 |
| US Top Rock Albums ( Billboard ) [29] | 3 |
Van Halen was an American rock band formed in Pasadena, California, in 1973. Credited with restoring hard rock to the forefront of the music scene, Van Halen was known for their energetic live performances and for the virtuosity of its guitarist, Eddie Van Halen. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007.
Van Halen is the debut studio album by American rock band Van Halen, released on February 10, 1978, by Warner Bros. Records. Widely regarded as one of the greatest debut albums in rock music, and considered the progenitor of glam metal, the album was a major commercial success, peaking at number 19 on the Billboard Top LPs & Tape chart. It has sold more than 10 million copies in the United States, receiving a Diamond certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and making it one of the best-selling albums in the country.
Van Halen II is the second studio album by American rock band Van Halen. Released by Warner Bros Records on March 23, 1979, it peaked at number six on the U.S. Billboard Top LPs & Tape chart and yielded hit singles "Dance the Night Away" and "Beautiful Girls." As of 2004, it's sold almost six million copies in the United States. Critical reaction to the album has been positive, with The Rolling Stone Album Guide praising the "feel-good, party atmosphere" of the songs.
5150 is the seventh studio album by American rock band Van Halen. It was released on March 24, 1986, by Warner Bros. Records and was the first of four albums to be recorded with lead singer Sammy Hagar, who replaced David Lee Roth. The album was named after Eddie Van Halen's home studio, 5150, in turn named after a California law enforcement term for a mentally disturbed person. The album hit number 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, surpassing the band's previous album, 1984, which had peaked at number 2 behind Michael Jackson's Thriller album, on which Eddie made a guest appearance.
Women and Children First is the third studio album by American rock band Van Halen, released on March 26, 1980, on Warner Bros. Records. Produced by Ted Templeman and engineered by Donn Landee, it was the first Van Halen album not to feature any cover songs, and is described by critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine as "[the] record where the group started to get heavier, both sonically and, to a lesser extent, thematically."
Diver Down is the fifth studio album by American rock band Van Halen, released on April 19, 1982. It spent 65 weeks on the album chart in the United States and had, by 1998, sold four million copies in the United States.
OU812 is the eighth studio album by American rock band Van Halen. It was released in 1988 and is the band's second album to feature vocalist Sammy Hagar. Van Halen began work on the album in September 1987 and completed it in April 1988, one month before its release.
Van Halen III is the eleventh studio album by American rock band Van Halen, released on March 17, 1998, by Warner Bros. Records. Produced by Mike Post and Eddie Van Halen, it was the band's first studio album in three years after Balance (1995), the band's only studio album to feature vocalist Gary Cherone, and the last to feature bassist Michael Anthony, who only appears on three of the album's songs while the rest of the bass parts are played by Eddie Van Halen; his son Wolfgang replaced Anthony on subsequent tours and recordings. Eddie Van Halen's extensive involvement in the album's production, instrumentation and writing have led some, including Anthony, to consider Van Halen III more of a solo project than a collective band effort. Clocking in at over 65 minutes, Van Halen III is their longest album.
For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge is the ninth studio album by American rock band Van Halen. It was released on June 17, 1991, on Warner Bros. Records and is the third to feature vocalist Sammy Hagar. It debuted at number 1 on the Billboard 200 album chart and maintained the position for three consecutive weeks. The album marked a record in the band's history, seeing seven of its eleven tracks released as singles.
Live: Right Here, Right Now. is the first live album by American rock band Van Halen, released in 1993. It is the band's only live album featuring Sammy Hagar and the only live album by Van Halen until the release of Tokyo Dome Live in Concert in 2015.
Balance is the tenth studio album by American rock band Van Halen, released on January 24, 1995, by Warner Bros. Records. The album is the last of the band's four studio releases to feature Sammy Hagar as the lead singer. It is also the final Van Halen album to feature bassist Michael Anthony in its entirety. Balance reached number 1 on the U.S. Billboard 200 in February 1995 and reached triple platinum status on May 12, 2004, by selling more than three million copies in the US. "The Seventh Seal" was nominated for a Grammy for Best Hard Rock Performance.
The Best of Both Worlds is the second greatest hits album by American rock band Van Halen, released on July 20, 2004, on Warner Bros. The compilation features material recorded with lead vocalists David Lee Roth and Sammy Hagar, but omits Gary Cherone's three-year tenure with the band. Prior to The Best of Both Worlds's release, Hagar reunited with Van Halen, and the band recorded three new tracks to include on the release.
1984 is the sixth studio album by American rock band Van Halen, released on January 9, 1984. It was the last Van Halen studio album until A Different Kind of Truth (2012) to feature lead singer David Lee Roth, who left the band in 1985 following creative differences. This is the final full-length album to feature all four original members, although they reunited briefly in 2000 to start work on what would much later become 2012's A Different Kind of Truth. Roth returned in 2007, but Eddie's son Wolfgang replaced Anthony in 2006. 1984 and Van Halen's self-titled debut album are the band's best-selling albums, each having sold more than 10 million copies in the United States.
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Wolfgang William Van Halen is an American musician. The son of actress Valerie Bertinelli and guitarist Eddie Van Halen, he performed alongside his father as the bassist for the rock band Van Halen from 2007 to 2020. He also performed with the heavy metal band Tremonti from 2012 to 2016. After his father's death in 2020 led to the disbandment of Van Halen, he began to focus on his solo project Mammoth WVH, in which he performs all instruments and vocals. His debut album Mammoth WVH was released in 2021, and his second album Mammoth II was released in 2023.
I Never Said Goodbye is the ninth studio album by American rock musician Sammy Hagar, released on June 23, 1987, by Geffen Records. It was his first solo album since 1984's VOA, released while he was a member of Van Halen. The album was recorded in ten days under a contractual obligation to Geffen Records as a condition of his leaving the company to join Van Halen and their record label, Warner Bros. Records. The album spent 23 weeks on the Billboard 200 chart and became his highest charting solo album, peaking at number 14 on August 15, 1987.
A Different Kind of Truth is the twelfth and final studio album by American rock band Van Halen. Released on February 7, 2012, by Interscope Records, this is Van Halen's only studio album on Interscope and its first full-length album of studio material with lead singer David Lee Roth since 1984. Likewise, A Different Kind of Truth was Van Halen's first studio album since 1998's Van Halen III, as well as their only studio album recorded without bassist Michael Anthony, who had played bass on all of the band's previous albums; Eddie Van Halen's son Wolfgang replaced Anthony for the album, making this his only studio album with the band. It would also be Van Halen's final studio album before Eddie's death and the group's subsequent disbandment in 2020.
Tokyo Dome Live in Concert is a live album by American rock band Van Halen, released on March 31, 2015. It is their first live album with original lead vocalist David Lee Roth and second live album overall after 1993's Live: Right Here, Right Now. It is the final Van Halen album released during Eddie Van Halen's lifetime and is also their last release as a band.
Mammoth WVH is an American rock band formed and fronted by Wolfgang Van Halen. The band name is a reference to both Wolfgang's initials and Mammoth, an earlier band that featured his father Eddie and uncle Alex prior to forming Van Halen. Wolfgang formed Mammoth WVH initially as a solo project while he was still a part of Van Halen, but became his full-time band after their disbandment in 2020 as a result of Eddie's death. To date, the band has released two albums: Mammoth WVH (2021) and Mammoth II (2023).
Mammoth WVH is the debut studio album by American rock band Mammoth WVH. The album was released on June 11, 2021, by EX1 Records.