ALBUM REVIEW: Mammoth II – Mammoth WVH

When the surname Van Halen is thrown into the ring, grand expectations aren’t far behind. It’s something which Wolfgang Van Halen is more than used to at this point, having played in his namesake VAN HALEN in 1996, moving to TREMONTI, and finally into his own project MAMMOTH WVH. This has come with its criticisms from Twitter goblins but do you see them earning a Grammy nomination with their very first single, extensive tours with ALTER BRIDGE, or supporting DEF LEPPARD and MÖTLEY CRÜE on the Stadium Tour? Exactly. Now MAMMOTH WVH once again steps to the plate with new album Mammoth II. Picking up from where we left off with 2021’s eponymous debut debut, our man Wolfgang performs all the instrumentals himself. A gargantuan task but not one Van Halen is particularly intimidated by. What we have ahead of us are ten tracks of pure rock n’ roll which promise to fill many an arena in the future.

Right starts the proceedings as they mean to go on with a fast hard rock track with catchy chorus hooks and a nice call and response section. While Van Halen’s vocals aren’t as bluesy in tone as we may have anticipated, this doesn’t do much to discount the track. A small gripe is the vocals get a little lost in the fray of the booming instrumental but as we say, it’s small. Tonal expectations aside, Right is a catchy little number. A hint of guitar virtuosity sits on the horizon with a solo which doesn’t deviate from the baseline instrumental too much but we don’t want to peak too early. Right flows into recent single Like A Pastime rather splendidly. The darker edge of the intro paves way for a softer, brighter melody overall but it’s pleasant all the same. Talk of “drowning slowly” in someone’s mistreatment blooms into a chorus which seems to be lacking something, perhaps a touch more aggression or a shift in tone. “I can’t tell you how much it means to be free from you” is a powerful statement on paper but in execution feels slightly underwhelming, especially when a wonderful projection of desperation follows not long after.

Another single, Another Celebration At The End Of The World, comes next and plays with spatial audio which is always a nice touch to prick the ear. The percussion-based intro filling out into a wonderfully rounded instrumental is exquisite composition. We’re given a faster vocal delivery and fully get behind the statement “we’re on the right track now”. Melding an arena rock chorus with crowd participation sections make this a brilliant first single but it’s the subtle looping in of the guitar solo which makes this track a true celebration. So when Miles Above Me shuffles on to the tracklist, we coast towards the middle of the road. Pleasant enough, right? The first verse is instrumentally minimalist and allows itself to open up naturally. For a track which talks about not being good enough for someone and having that moment of realisation it’s actually you who is better off without them, it floats past with little fanfare. It’s a shame as there are subtle nuances such as the flourish of keys before the guitar solo or the lusciously buzzing vocal harmonies. They just need to be listened for.

A song many may be familiar with by now is Take A Bow; a hefty track sitting at almost seven minutes. A singular guitar picks out the melodic intro to the first of two ballads Mammoth II has to offer. The bassline sits heavy in the mix and adds a layer of harmonies to the vocals. Questions such as “how far will you run?” and “am I enough for you?” pepper the lyrics and settle in the crevices of the mind as there’s a small escalation into the chorus. Between each chorus line sits a deliciously crunchy riff but it’s after this there are some teething problems. A slightly staggered instrumental jars the listen before moving into the second chorus and again into a guitar solo which should have been used to punctuate the sentiment of “I’m not going back”. Though sandwiched between these is a grinding guitar section which has the edge we had previously been looking for. Which brings us to the highlight of the album: Optimist. A hauntingly crunchy track which depicts the rage we all feel in a toxic relationship. “Wishing you nothing but the best” proves to be more scathing than exacting revenge while “you ever the fucking optimist” carries that carnal aggression. We reach a point we came to with Like A Pastime in that Optimist could have been a lot more than we’re listening to. This isn’t a criticism by any means. There’s so much potential for this jewel of a track to have shone that might brighter had MAMMOTH WVH simply leaned in a little more.

Now, what is arena rock without a little AC/DC reference? Exactly, which is why we have I’m Alright. Though this isn’t your typical met-a-girl-at-a-bar-and-wanna-be-shook-all-night-long song on a jukebox. Instead, we’re told to “fuck off, back away, and let me breathe”… perhaps in response to the subject of Optimist. This is a man feeling his oats and who are we to stop him? Keys pervade the chorus and give us the feel of old school rock n’ roll yet it slows for some reason when Van Halen apologises for himself. But speed isn’t always key as a solo slithers in and slowly steps into itself the way a person would when they experience subpar behaviour from a lover or friend. With this in mind, Erase Me is something of an anomaly. Not so much as the closing track but let’s not jump the gun here. Erase Me sits on the border of pop rock. It’s bright and airy, footloose and fancy free, which it perhaps shouldn’t be. “You’re like a walking disease / You only prey on the weak” simply doesn’t fit the aural aesthetic. Intentionally of course. The point simply evades us in doing so.

Remember we mentioned there were two ballads to Mammoth II? The second comes in the form of Waiting. A simple instrumental slowly pries the moment open. After all, a soul isn’t bared all in one go. It takes time. As do goodbyes which is essentially what Waiting becomes. “I don’t think I’ll ever know the way to go without you” sits atop a fuller band sound without it being overwhelming. The vocals sadly get drowned out slightly when it comes to the chorus but the overall magnitude of the song isn’t impacted in any way. Were the album to end here, there would be no issue. Some would say it’s cliché to end an album on a slower note but that doesn’t make it any less of a valid reason to do so. Instead however, we get Better Than You, a track which feels neither here nor there. Its separated verses prickle the mind and never quite come together. Perhaps it’s just a victim of the tracklisting but it seems like a whimper rather than a bang to go out on.

As we draw to a close, if anyone’s still looking for a comparison between father and son, this isn’t the review to find that in. Wolfgang Van Halen is forging his way in his own merit and should be regarded as his own entity. So where does Mammoth II sit in the grand scheme of things? MAMMOTH WVH has a defined sound by this point and it has served them well, though we will point out there are times when they sit in the comfort zone as a result. By all means play what you know but allow yourself to bend within that. MAMMOTH WVH has all the potential in the world to become one of the great projects of our time if they leaned in just a little bit further. As of now, they’re sitting on the cusp, just waiting for the drop. Maybe that will come with album three if that’s where the project is heading. Until then, MAMMOTH WVH’s trajectory is going nowhere except upward.

Rating: 8/10

Mammoth II is out now via BMG.

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