When Wolfgang Van Halen talks about The End, there’s a calm confidence in his voice — not the bravado of someone chasing legacy, but the quiet satisfaction of an artist finally landing where he’s supposed to be. The new Mammoth album feels less like a finale and more like a rebirth.
“It feels like we’re in a really good spot right now,” Van Halen says. “It feels like we’ve reached the best version of ourselves so far. I’m really proud of this record and where we’re at. It feels really good.”
Shedding the “WVH” from the name after a trademark dispute wasn’t just branding — it marked a clean break. “A lot of people going into this were expecting a Mammoth III,” he explains. “But so many new vibes and feelings came through the process that it just felt too much of an evolution from the last two. Even the title itself is almost in a way referring to… the end of the old and into a sort of new era.”
That evolution stretches beyond the name. Produced once again by Michael “Elvis” Baskette, The End finds Mammoth balancing its heaviest riffs with the strongest melodic instincts of Wolfgang’s career. “The mission statement with Mammoth is to have melody, but also have the heaviness — and not have either one override the other,” he says. “They can coexist and bring out the best in one another.”
Songs like “The Spell” and the title track are proof that coexistence works. They also reflect how Van Halen’s experiences touring arenas with Metallica and Creed subtly reshaped his writing. “My songwriting has shifted slightly since we’ve started touring,” he admits. “Sometimes I’ll think, ‘Oh, this would be a cool moment live.’ But not really influencing everything — just picking moments out that’ll be cool.”
The album’s cinematic spirit extends to its visuals, with the “The End” video directed by none other than From Dusk Till Dawn filmmaker Robert Rodriguez. “We just hit it off,” Van Halen recalls. “I sent him the song and said, ‘Would you be into doing a From Dusk Till Dawn zombie thing?’ He was into it. He called Greg Nicotero, he called Danny Trejo, and I called everybody I could. It turned into this insane, hilarious two-day shoot.”
For all the growth, the heart of Mammoth remains the same — Van Halen alone behind every instrument. “That’s what it’s been from the beginning,” he says. “Doing anything else would make it not Mammoth. This is what works, and we’re only getting better.”
The End might signal closure by name, but in spirit it’s the opposite. It’s a confident stride into a new era — one that feels, as Wolfgang puts it, “like we’ve reached the best version of ourselves so far.”
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