When Wolfgang Van Halen first started sketching out solo ideas, he didn’t plan a legacy—he just needed to prove to himself that he could. Now, as their third Mammoth album The End gears up for release, he’s proving not just that he can do it, but that he can evolve beyond what people expect of him.
“That was just a personal challenge and just to see if I could and if it was something I could make my life about,” Wolfgang told Loudwire Nights about launching Mammoth. “You can’t really pick when a song comes to you or when an idea comes to you.”
Set to drop on October 24, 2025 via BMG, The End is a 10-track album recorded at the legendary 5150 studio and produced by Michael “Elvis” Baskette. Wolfgang says this record feels different—less about showing off, more about letting ideas breathe. He’s moved away from relying solely on laptop demos, pushing toward a more spontaneous, full-band-studio environment that allows for creative risks.
The album title track “The End” was released earlier in May and features a music video that’s cinematic in scope—directed by Robert Rodriguez, with horror and fantasy imagery (zombies, werewolves) and cameos from Slash, Myles Kennedy, and Wolfgang’s mother, Valerie Bertinelli. Wolfgang also revealed that this song was based on an idea he had held back for a while—particularly its elaborate solo over a tapping riff. He decided it was time to bring it into the light.
Wolfgang has always written, sung, and played most of the instruments himself in Mammoth recordings, and The End is no exception. He says one of the biggest joys in making music has always been songwriting—those small humming moments in the phone, recording random ideas—and shaping them into songs that feel honest. There are cuts that don’t have guitar solos; others that push him to be more daring than before.
He’s also preparing to tour in support of The End, with Myles Kennedy set to open on some dates. Wolfgang noted with some excitement that even though Mammoth has been releasing albums since his debut, this is only their second proper headline tour.
For fans, The End offers more than new songs—it’s Wolfgang staking his claim not just as a legacy artist, but as someone still growing, still restless, still demanding more from himself.
