Mammoth : The End Review

by Steven Miller

Wolfgang Van Halen’s The End, release date is October 24, 2025, via BMG, is a ten-track set that expands the world of Mammoth into focus with songwriting, tone, and an unshakable belief that great rock still lives and breathes through the hands of this determined musician.

Where many guitar-centric albums flaunt technique, The End builds its identity from compositional discipline. Wolfgang again performs every instrument, guitars, bass, drums, keys, vocals, and backing vocals. All recorded at 5150 Studios with longtime collaborator Michael “Elvis” Baskette. The production hits that elusive mark between clarity and warmth as each part is distinct and infused with punch.

The title track sets the tone with a dazzling two-handed tapping figure that functions as a riff and refrain. Rather than a burst of flash, it’s a structural hook that is memorable. When the full band slams in, the groove widens, and Wolfgang’s vocals evolve over a bed of harmonized guitars and air-tight rhythm. His melodic instincts give the chorus staying power, while subtle section-to-section variations—drops, swells, tone shifts that all keep the song evolving. The solo revisits the intro motif, balancing rhythmic control with expressive bends, a reminder that virtuosity and architecture can coexist.

“The Spell” opens on a conversation between rhythm and riff with a developing call-and-response chord pattern that threads funk under hard rock muscle. The pre-chorus digs deep, bass and guitar locking in with force. Each pass through the form adds new layers with vocal harmonies, chord inversions, and percussive accents. The building parts are built without creating excess or distractions. The rhythmic interlude substitutes for a traditional solo yet carries equal energy, showing Wolfgang’s growing sense of form. It’s an example of the record’s outstanding songwriting.

Where “The Spell” grooves, “I Really Wanna” swings with hard-rock grit. Wolfgang drops his low E to A for a thicker resonance, letting the riff throb with low-end authority. The track has a funky pulse; the guitars, bass, and drums all have interesting construction. The guitar stabs give it swagger. Vocally, he stretches the energy by mixing chesty grit with falsetto peaks as the band hits land like punctuation. The solo fiery, shaped by two-hand tapping, bluesy bends and rhythmic drive. In the final chorus, his upper register belts above the tuned-down weight below, the sonic equivalent of light breaking through concrete. This is an example of Wolfgang’s interesting vocal background vocals, which are a big part of the album’s sound.

What stands out across the album is Wolfgang’s refusal to rely on density for impact. Each song breathes and develops. Guitars occupy space instead of smothering it; drums strike with intent; bass lines support rather than crowd. His engineering instincts have matured alongside his writing, and Baskette’s mix emphasizes dimension over volume.

Mammoth II was about proving self-sufficiency. The End is about mastering cohesion. The guitar work dazzles, yes, but it’s the songwriting with sectional contrast, dynamic balance, and melodic logic that leaves the longer impression. Wolfgang has learned the old producer’s adage: “Don’t play more, play right.”