The first Mammoth WVH album was entirely performed by Wolfgang Van Halen, and the second one will be too.
In an interview with Overdrive, Van Halen explains that he likes to immerse himself in the music and make Mammoth WVH his own artist expression. Apparently that's caused some people to call Van Halen "too cheap" to hire other musicians, which seems… weird. People know there are loads of solo projects out there in the rock and metal world, right?
"I need to go home and do the vocals and the guitar solos," said Van Halen on the progress of the album. "I am recording this album totally on my own, like I did with the debut. I know it may come across as selfish [laughs], but that's just the way that it works for me. I like to completely immersive myself in the music — in all aspects of it.
"I think a lot of people have tried to turn it into something else, saying things like, 'Oh it's because he doesn't want to pay other musicians,' and it's not that at all. This is just something for me. It's a sacred experience for me. It's my project, and an artistic outlet for me and my mental well-being. I'm so luck that I have this incredible live band that just slays live, so I get to bring this creation to life on stage.
"I suppose, it's kind of like Nine Inch Nails, in the way that Trent Reznor creates all the music, records it, produces it, et cetera, and then he has this band that can bring it to life when needed. I'm not comparing myself to Trent, but it's more the interesting duality to this approach, which is so much fun, and deeply satisfying."
Mammoth WVH recently released a deluxe version of its self-titled debut album, and will hit the road throughout 2023 and 2024 with Metallica.
