WOLFGANG VAN HALEN Has '30 Ideas' Already For MAMMOTH's Fourth Album

In a new interview with Global News reporter Adam Wallis, former VAN HALEN bassist and current MAMMOTH frontman Wolfgang Van Halen was asked when the "optimal time" is for him to be writing and recording an album and whether he gets to do any writing on the road on days off. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Usually it depends on the tour. So considering we're about to do a headline tour with 90-plus-minute sets, usually days off just consist of resting up for the next day. I just wanna be at a hundred and ten percent. But if we're opening, like I think once we shift this tour into opening for BUSH, I might have a bit more time on my hand, so I might think about writing. But considering how much touring we're doing this year, I'm sort of just keeping my mind on that.

"We kind of have it penciled in for next year, around like Q2 [second quarter of 2027], that we'll probably get back in the studio for the next [MAMMOTH album]," Wolfgang explained. "So I think maybe by the end of the year I'll start to shift my focus in my head to being more open to creative thinking, so to speak.

"I think I have, like, 30 ideas that have just been, on and off, worked on," Van Halen continued. "'Cause it's never really when you work on the idea; it's whenever it's done. And even on this recent album, the songs 'Selfish' and 'Something New' were ideas that have been around since the beginning, since MAMMOTH started. They just were never ready, and then I finally finished them, and then here they are. So I have a bunch of ideas like that just kind of sitting there ready to be worked on that if I don't come up with anything 'new new', we have the album. I just need to finish what's there. But the funny thing is, is that we get so stoked to be back to recording that I'll probably end up writing another ten, twelve songs by the time we get back to the studio. So you always just kind of have this ball of ideas that you're ready to kind of pick from."

Circling back to what he does on the road when he is not performing, Wolfgang said: "I'm a very reclusive, shy dork, so I'm not too social. It's been really tough to be the lead singer of a band and to be the person that everybody's looking at. That's not anything I would choose to be in, and that's pretty funny that I basically did that with my job. So usually on days off I'm just probably playing video games or just trying to sleep and just relax."

MAMMOTH's third album, "The End", came out last October. The 10-track effort clocks in at 39 minutes and showcases the evolution of Wolfgang and his songwriting since he launched his solo career in 2020. Recorded at the legendary 5150 studio, the album was produced by friend and collaborator Michael "Elvis" Baskette.

Continuing the tradition of writing all the songs and performing all the instrumentation and vocals himself, Wolfgang Van Halen set out to challenge himself beyond what he did on his debut and sophomore release, "Mammoth II". From the hypnotic opening of "One Of A Kind" to infectious closer "All In Good Time", Wolfgang demonstrates his proficiency as a musician and songwriter. Songs like "Same Old Song", "Happy" and "Selfish" fit perfectly alongside older songs that fans had already come to love from MAMMOTH.

MAMMOTH's first headlining tour of 2026 kicked off on March 5 in Buffalo, New York and will run through April 4 in Prior Lake, Minnesota. Stops include Toronto, Ontario (March 8),Wallingford, Connecticut (March 15),Knoxville, Tennessee (March 24) and Cincinnati, Ohio (April 1),among others. Rockers 10 YEARS and JAMES AND THE COLD GUN are joining as support.

MAMMOTH's touring lineup features Wolfgang on guitar and lead vocals, Frank Sidoris (SLASH FEATURING MYLES KENNEDY AND THE CONSPIRATORS) on guitar, Jon Jourdan on guitar and vocals, Garrett Whitlock (TREMONTI) on drums, and Ronnie Ficarro on bass.

Back in 2021, MAMMOTH's first offering, "Mammoth WVH", took flight, bowing at No. 12 on the Billboard 200 and capturing No. 1 on three Billboard charts — Top Hard Rock Albums, Top Independent Albums, and Top Rock Albums. "Distance" soared as the first of two No. 1 rock radio hits and earned a Grammy Award nomination for "Best Rock Song". Two years later, "Mammoth II" only saw Wolfgang pick up the pace. It debuted in the Top 5 of the Billboard Top Album Sales chart in addition to bringing him back to No. 1 on the Top Hard Rock Albums chart. Inciting widespread applause from Rolling Stone, Guitar World, Grammy.com, Kerrang! and more, Classic Rock hailed it as "a solo second that betters his debut in every department," and American Songwriter applauded, "'II' reveals a closer representation of what MAMMOTH is now and Van Halen's dynamism as a musician and as a writer." The band canvased the globe with METALLICA, supported FOO FIGHTERS in North America, supported CREED on their record-breaking tour as well as filling houses on their own. They performed on NBC's "Today", ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" and at the 2024 MusiCares "Person Of The Year" benefit gala in honor of Jon Bon Jovi. Not to mention, Wolfgang shared the stage with Ryan Gosling, Mark Ronson and Slash at the 2024 Academy Awards performing "I'm Just Ken" from the blockbuster "Barbie" movie. He also joined Maynard James Keenan (TOOL, A PERFECT CIRCLE),Chad Smith (RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS),Robert Trujillo (METALLICA) and producer Andrew Watt for the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction of Ozzy Osbourne that same year.