Behind Mammoth WHV stands multi-instrumentalist Wolfgang Van Halen. The album is the debut solo album of the 1991-born US musician of Dutch descent, son of the recently deceased guitar legend Eddie Van Halen. Eddie Van Halen's guitar playing was characterized by recognizable rhythm work interspersed with and strikingly integrating solo interludes. Eddie Van Halen's influence on the playing technique and sound of the electric guitar decisively shaped the 1980s and 1990s. His son Wolfgang showed an unusual talent for instruments of all kinds at an early age. This talent had already proven durable in early youth through professional stage performances: at the age of 14, Wolfgang Van Halen took part as a bass player in a studio production of Alter Bridge guitarist Mark's band Tremonti, and at the age of 16 he gained valuable experience on the four-string in the band of his father and uncle Alex. After several successful tours, Wolfgang Van Halen was allowed to participate in the twelfth studio album "A Different Kind Of Truth" of the Halen band.

The fact that the solo album Mammoth WHV of the young and highly talented musician, who is now 30 years old, was created relatively late, or rather completed, is not least due to the long health suffering of his father, who stood by his son with advice and support during the creation phase of the album. The project of the solo album dates back to 2013 and was delayed for a relatively long time due to the father's illness. The name of the album is a reference to the father, whose Van Halen band originally performed under Mammoth and at the same time a reference to the fact that Mammoth in the form of the album Mammoth WHV is the child of Wolfgang Van Halen, in other words, WVH. On Mammoth the young Van Halen takes over all the functions of a rock band with bass, guitar, drums, but also with vocals. Working with songwriter Michael "Elvis" Baskette, Wolfgang Van Halen discovered his talent for cleverly integrating his own voice into his songs, which can be heard in his convincing lead vocals on Mammoth WHV, where songs are exclusively his own. By the way, Baskette is also responsible for the production on Mammoth and for a crisp bass foundation in the mix.

Mammoth WVH is stylistically to be assigned to the "Modern Rock", but never drives the vehemence of this genre into the painful and Wolfgang Van Halen knows how to keep the songs through his vocals in check, but without smoothing them into the pleasing. The long experience with different bands and the knowledge that the first shot through a debut album must sit obviously pays off. In the words of Wolfgang Van Halen, “You only have one chance to make a first impression, and I wanted to do so to the best of my abilities. Throughout the whole process, I was finding who I am musically and by the end, I got a pretty good handle on a sound I can claim for myself.” How true. And it's fair to say that Wolfgang Van Halen's debut album, Mammoth WHV, is indeed a good handle, a very good handle.

Mammoth WVH