Wolfgang Van Halen hasn’t exactly sat on his hands the last years as he’s toured all over the world with MammothWVH, playing with household names, recording two albums and dropping the WVH from the band so they’re now officially Mammoth. And now he’s here with third album, The End.
Frankly, losing the WVH (something which took a lot of work – it’s not just because he fancied it) has come at the perfect time. Where the debut and II felt very much like parts one and two (even similar styles in their artwork), albeit II building on the debut, this record really shows growth and evolution. The End may be an ominous title but it really sounds like Van Halen is just getting started. Once again recorded with him doing everything other than production (which was handled by Michael Baskette), there’s a cohesiveness and warmth in the music. But more than that, there’s a newfound comfort in the music – whilst it’s always been authentic, there’s a sense Van Halen isn’t in his head and instead letting loose for an album he wants to make.
It’s an album which is a full-on assault from the minute it starts and, at most, drops a single gear for a couple of numbers. The closest to a pause for breath isn’t even remotely near a ballad. Once the ominous intro of “One of a Kind” gives way for the rest of the track to kick off the album in earnest, you already know this is Mammoth but not as you know it. The monstrous-sized chunky riff tears its way through the track, teaming up with drums which hit hard enough to level a skyscraper. The wall of sound is a jab to the kidneys and is Mammoth’s mission statement – Van Halen isn’t fucking around.
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Several tracks are loaded with swagger. “I Really Wanna” almost sounds like it’s sending up Five Finger Death Punch and other Monster-fuelled bro rock bands with its stomping riff. However, with Van Halen’s lilting and textured vocals, it doesn’t become a full-blown parody of said bands and manages to create even more distance with a deft and blistering guitar solo which buries it. “Selfish” is agitated right from the jump, the reverb-powered rolling drums mirror Van Halen’s venom-dripping vocals and whilst it doesn’t boil with rage, it’s measured with power behind it – almost like a quiet threat whilst spilling out home truths galore.
Meanwhile, “Same Old Song” dials up the swagger even further. With as much swagger as the Aerosmith song of the similar name, it’s far heavier and immediately became this highlight of the album. And that was only after hearing the filthy chugging opening riff. It’s a track which allows Van Halen to play with dynamics, his bright vocal tones segueing into gritty runs and back again. The lower parts of his register allow him to showcase a forceful set of pipes before giving way to the highs. There’s a feel of Slash’s Conspirators work on the guitar solo (perhaps influenced by their shared tour), a nod to an inspiration and peer. “Something New” also shares in the bombast of the majority of the album, its swinging groove dragging you along for the ride but it’s unlikely to meet any resistance. Opening with some prodigious tapping, title track “The End” is rightly the album’s statement piece. The song has enough balance to make Mr Miyagi proud. It shreds, it’s melodic, there’s some excellent rhythm guitar controlling the song, a bass line thicker than a rhinoceros skin and one of those tracks which would feel right at home in a stadium or a dingy basement.
“Happy” brings back the wall of sound with an insane amount of layering for a sludgy and stoner-influenced track. It’s one of the rare moments where the album takes a breather with its lumbering tempo. Album closer “All in Good Time” is a bouncy one, it brings a poppy varnish into the mix yet it could easily have featured in the first two albums without even batting an eye – sonically, it comes across as the sequel to “Erase Me” from II. The momentum this song carries makes you think there’s something else to follow it, but indeed, Van Halen’s chosen this as the crescendo. And rightly so.
Wolfgang Van Halen’s output under the Mammoth name has always been something to look at up close, not from a bemused distance with curiosity. Whilst he’s taking it as seriously as he ever has, this album feels less rigid and more flowing, albeit sonically tighter, perfectly walking that difficult tightrope. It’s safe to say The End is an album which has taken the band’s name to heart, every song on here is gargantuan, running the gauntlet and making a forty-minute ride feel like a tenth of its running time.
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Header image by Travis Shinn
The End is released on 24th October
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