Mammoth II

Mammoth II is the second studio album by American rock band Mammoth WVH. Similar to the first album, Mammoth WVH (2021), all writing, vocals, and instruments were all done by Wolfgang Van Halen. The album was released through I Am the Sheriff and BMG Rights Management on August 4, 2023. Background Wolfgang Van Halen, son of Van Halen guitarist Eddie Van Halen, after years of performing for various bands, began branching out into writing his own solo music as early as 2014. His first album , written and recorded entirely on his own, was finished in 2018, but was not released until 2021, under the moniker Mammoth WVH, a tribute to one of Van Halen's early band names and his own initials. The release, Mammoth WVH, was a success, debuting atop of the Billboard Top Rock Albums and Top Hard Rock Albums. After touring in support of the release for over a year, Wolfgang turned his focus on recording a follow up album. Writing and recording Work on the album began in September 2022. Starting the sessions were difficult for Wolfgang; while his father Eddie was not formally credited in the first album, he was still present for the sessions in the 2010s, and music was an area of bonding for the two. However, Eddie's death in 2020 meant that the sessions would be Wolfgang's first without him around. Despite this, the sessions were, by design, much quicker than the ones for the first album, as Wolfgang had already established the band's sound, and knew what worked and what didn't, making the album more about expanding upon what was already created. Similar to the first album, all writing, vocals and instrumentation - guitar, bass and drums - were performed by Wolfgang. The album was recorded in Eddie's 5150 Studios with music producer Michael "Elvis" Baskette. Themes and composition Many of the songs are themed around Wolfgang processing his grief of losing his father, Eddie, who died in 2020. Wolfgang explained:Everyone thinks the first album was me working through everything that had been happening, like losing my father. But that's not true. I finished [the first] album in 2018. This is the album where I'm working through everything that happened in my life since 2019, and that's a lot. I think that's why it ended up being a darker, heavier album".