Wolfgang Van Halen teases monster riff from new Mammoth WVH track You’re to Blame

October 15, 2015 Bassist Wolfgang Van Halen of Van Halen performs at Perfect Vodka Amphitheatre in West Palm Beach, FL at Perfect Vodka Amphitheatre in West Palm Beach, FL
(Image credit: Michele Eve Sandberg/Corbis via Getty Images)

Wolfgang Van Halen has teased another cut from his forthcoming Mammoth WVH album – and it sounds like we’re in for a, well, mammoth slice of hard rock.

In a Twitter post earlier this week, Wolfgang shared an 18-second clip of the track, which boasts a huge, swaggering pentatonic riff with some smart rhythmic emphasis and an ultra-tight high-gain guitar tone.

According to Wolfgang, the track is “coming soon” – whether it will make its live debut on Jimmy Kimmel Live! next week remains to be seen.

The song will be the second taste of Wolfgang’s debut album as Mammoth WVH, and an altogether heavier offering than debut single, Distance, a heartfelt ode to his father.

Wolfgang recently revealed that Distance caused his father to well up when he first heard it.

“I remember when I showed it to dad for the first time, maybe it was out of pride or also just the song in general, he cried when he heard it,” Wolfgang said.

“I don't think he was aware of the significance of it for me – he just understood it as a song about loss.”

Wolfgang sang and played every instrument on the forthcoming Mammoth WVH album, which is due out this spring.

Michael Astley-Brown
Editor-in-Chief, GuitarWorld.com

Mike has been Editor-in-Chief of GuitarWorld.com since 2019, and an offset fiend and recovering pedal addict for far longer. He has a master's degree in journalism from Cardiff University, and 15 years' 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, Radiohead's Ed O'Brien, Polyphia, Tosin Abasi, Yvette Young and many more. His writing also appears in the The Cambridge Companion to the Electric Guitar. In his free time, you'll find him making progressive instrumental rock as Maebe.