On December 15, 2019, Children of Bodom played their final show in the Helsinki Ice Hall. A fitting venue for the Finnish band who had been plying their trade of Melodic Death Metal with a distinct influence of Classic Hard Rock for over twenty years.
YouTuber. If there was ever a word with the ability to separate people into two distinct age groups in less than a second, then this is the one. It’s a term that didn’t even exist twenty years ago, yet for some, it’s just another word used without a second thought. But for others, it’s the grating sound of hyperactive internet personalities desperately trying to keep the attention of their trend-obsessed subscribers by constantly shouting, screaming, waving their arms about and overreacting wildly to literally everything.
In October 2020 the world lost a true musical legend when iconic guitar icon Eddie Van Halen passed away, signalling the end of one of the all-time classic American Hard Rock bands. In the aftermath his son Wolfgang Van Halen, himself a touring bass player for his father’s band since the tender age of 15, released his first solo album as Mammoth WVH. The record was in many ways a heartfelt tribute to his father as highlighted on the songs ‘Distance’ and ‘Mr Ed,’ and had been in the works since Wolfgang had started recording in Eddie’s legendary 5150 studio way back in 2015.
Having a father famous in the same field as you must be a blessing and a curse – being the son of Diego Maradonna, Michael Schumacher, Paul McCartney or Bob Dylan helps get your foot in the door but are hard acts to follow. Eddie Van Halen was the best of the best and after his untimely passing in 2020, his son Wolfgang focused his energies on his solo project Mammoth WVH. His self-titled debut came out a year later, with Wolfgang playing all the instruments himself.
This deluxe edition comes with three extra tracks, the best of which is ‘Talk and Walk’ – a stomping rocker with a smooth, AOR chorus. As for the album, as a whole, it is a decent offering of arena-friendly hard rock, with alternative, Foo Fighters, and Alter Bridge influences. It starts off with ‘Mr. Ed’, a glossy alt-rock bruiser with a sweet chorus and a 4/4 rhythm, a fiery tip of the hat to his dad.
With its seventy-minute runtime you certainly get your money’s worth, from the punchy swagger of ‘Horribly Right’ to the crunchy guitars, short and sweet solo, and thunderous drums of ‘You’ll Be The One’ there is plenty here to like. The best ones are ‘The Big Picture ‘ and ‘You’re To Blame’ – the former is a hefty slab of metal with a pounding riff and a consummately crafted chorus, the latter a sharp alt rocker made for radio with a fiery solo. Not far behind is ‘Feel’ – a lively, Foo Fighters-like track powered with a sprightly drum beat and a restless rhythm.
It is not all thrashing guitars and distortion, he lets his softer and poppier side out occasionally – the lush guitars and the soaring vocal harmonies of ballad ‘Resolve’ offers a sweetly struck bit of variety. Alas the other moments do not quite reach these heights, with ‘Circles’ sounding like a humdrum version of ‘How Soon is Now’ by The Smiths and the polished pop punk of ‘Think It Over” belongs on the soundtrack to some nameless mid ‘00s teen movie.
A mid-’00surs aside, Mammoth WVH (EX1) is a relentless album full of loving made, hard and heavy rockers with a commercial sheen. It is full of attitude and energy, and a big chorus or two, but its length and well-worn stylings means it gets a bit generic at times.
Buy the album here:
https://found.ee/MammothWVHDeluxe
7 / 10
THOMAS THROWER
The Young Guns Tour made a much-anticipated stop at Big Night Live in Boston Massachusetts featuring Mammoth WVH and Dirty Honey. The two up-and-coming rock bands treated the crowd to blistering sets of no-nonsense rock ‘n’ roll. Each band is out on the road supporting their debut albums that were released in 2021.
Animals As Leaders started as a project by virtuoso guitarist Tosin Abasi, after his former label Prosthetic Records asked him to create a solo LP, following the end of his band Reflux. After taking a year out to study and immerse himself in his guitar playing, he put together the group who have now been releasing music for over a decade through to Parrhesia (Sumerian) their fifth album.
Rock music legend and guitar innovator Eddie Van Halen of Van Halen died one year ago today, October 6th, 2020 from complications with his long battle with cancer and related illnesses. In the years since his death we have seen countless tributes to his greatness, especially by Eddie’s son Wolf Van Halen, and his new band Mammoth WVH. Both Wolf and Eddie’s widow – Janie Van Halen, bands and other luminaries are also paying tribute today. We highly reccoment picking up ERUPTION: Conversations with Eddie Van Halen (10/5/21; Hachette Books; 9780306826658; $28) is a major biography by two music journalists who knew him best, authors Brad Tolinski and Chris Gil available for order now.
Legendary guitarist/composer Jason Becker (solo, David Lee Roth Band, Cacaphony) will offer three of his most important and rare guitars through Guernsey’s Auctions, the prestigious New York auction house renowned for offering unique memorabilia and artifacts. These guitars are being sold as part of a fundraiser, co-organized by DragonForce guitarist Herman Li, to provide funds for Jason’s ongoing battle with ALS. Guernsey’s Auctions will offer the following in its ‘A Century of Music’ auction:
NBC News shared its 2020 annual recap of those we have lost from entertainment and pop culture. Among the legends who were paid tribute, rockers like Neil Peart, Eddie Van Halen, and Frankie Banali, Metal vocalist Riley Gale, composer and pop/rock artist Adam Schlesinger, and many more. Many other music heroes such as Ennio Morricone, Charlie Daniels, Kenny Rogers, Charley Pride, and others were also honored, along with iconic figures who passed away such as Ruth Bader Ginsberg, Chadwick Boseman, Alex Trebek, James Lipton, Vera Lynn (mentioned in a Pink Floyd song on The Wall), Congressman John Lewis, and sadly many, many more. RIP
Tributes continue to pour out for Eddie Van Halen in the wake of his passing two months ago. A new and touching one has come from guitar genius Jason Becker (Cacophony/David Lee Roth) as he has shared a previously unreleased video of Eddie and Jason together in 1996. An amazing meeting took place on August 31, 1996. That’s when Eddie Van Halen spent the day with a guy who had followed in his footsteps playing alongside David Lee Roth—Jason Becker. Jason had been diagnosed with ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s Disease, and was not in good shape. Van Halen came to Jason’s house to give love and support—as well as a guitar—to his friend and to film an ALS awareness promotional video. During that time, Eddie told stories, talked about his creative process, and played amazing music, instantly sounding exactly like Eddie Van Halen even when playing Jason’s guitar through a small practice amp.