Wolfgang Van Halen showcases his mean bass chops on snippet of debut solo album

dward Van Halen and his son Wolfgang Van Halen of Van Halen perform at Music Midtown at Piedmont Park on September 19, 2015 in Atlanta, Georgia.
(Image credit: Chris McKay/Getty Images for Live Nation)

Van Halen and Tremonti bassist - and son of Eddie - Wolfgang Van Halen has been hard at work on his debut solo album for a good five years or so now, and this week, he released a new clip that demonstrates his formidable bass skills.

In a video posted to Twitter, simply captioned “Bass & Drums #WVHAlbum”, Wolfgang delivers some rapid-fire pick bass, along with furious runs, over a slow-build drum beat. It sounds pretty damn promising to our ears.

See more

Wolfgang recorded all bass, guitar, drums and vocals on the record, produced by longtime Alter Bridge collaborator Michael “Elvis” Baskette.

The record was finished this time two years ago, according to the producer, although the coronavirus pandemic significantly set back plans for the album’s release.

Proud father Eddie has described the music as “"like AC/DC meets Van Halen meets aggressive pop. The riffs are catchy. It’s a little of everything and sounds like a freight train coming at you. I’ve never heard anything quite like it. It’s so powerful that I’m jealous.”

Earlier this year, the 29-year-old inked a deal with Explorer1 MusicGroup - so hopefully we don’t have too long to wait.

We’re less likely, however, to see anything from Van Halen any time soon, with flamboyant frontman David Lee Roth labelling the iconic hard-rock outfit “finished” at the end of 2019.

Thank you for reading 5 articles this month**

Join now for unlimited access

US pricing $3.99 per month or $39.00 per year

UK pricing £2.99 per month or £29.00 per year 

Europe pricing €3.49 per month or €34.00 per year

*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription

Join now for unlimited access

Prices from £2.99/$3.99/€3.49

Michael Astley-Brown

Mike is Editor-in-Chief of GuitarWorld.com, in addition to being an offset fiend and recovering pedal addict. He has a master's degree in journalism from Cardiff University, and over a decade's experience writing and editing for guitar publications including MusicRadar, Total Guitar and Guitarist, as well as 20 years of recording and live experience in original and function bands. During his career, he has interviewed the likes of John Frusciante, Chris Cornell, Tom Morello, Matt Bellamy, Kirk Hammett, Jerry Cantrell, Joe Satriani, Tom DeLonge, Ed O'Brien, Polyphia, Tosin Abasi, Yvette Young and many more. In his free time, you'll find him making progressive instrumental rock under the nom de plume Maebe.