Wolfgang Van Halen Shares Ironic Belief (2025 In Review)

By Editorial Staff | Published: Dec 28, 2025 2:10 PM EST

Wolfgang Van Halen Shares Ironic Belief was a top 25 story of July 2025 in our look back at the Year In Rock. Here is the original report: (MS) Wolfgang Van Halen sat down for an in-depth conversation with radio host Mark Strigl at the SiriusXM Studios in New York City. The interview aired on Ozzy's Boneyard (channel 38) and is now available on demand in the SiriusXM app by searching "Wolf Van Halen."

In the wide-ranging interview, Van Halen discussed a number of topics including working with Mark Tremonti of Creed, his admiration for legendary guitarist Randy Rhoads, and his thoughts on Maynard James Keenan of Tool. He also gave Strigl a preview of The End, the forthcoming third album from Mammoth, due out this October.

When asked about his various talents as a singer, songwriter, and guitarist, Van Halen emphasized that songwriting is at the heart of his creative process: "I think the songwriter leads more than anything. I don't know, I think that what makes me happy, what brings me purpose with Mammoth is writing the songs. That is why I think there are some songs that don't even have a guitar solo.

"Whenever there is a song that doesn't have a guitar solo people are like 'dude? what?' and it's like it's more about the song and how it is crafted altogether, not everything needs a guitar solo. That might be stupid coming from the son of Eddie Van Halen to say but for me that is where I get my most joy from, crafting the song piece by piece."

Strigl also asked whether fans could expect more solos on The End, the upcoming Mammoth WVH release: "Yes. There are definitely more guitar solos, for sure but again, that is not what it is about for me. But it is there and I am going to give my A-game."

The full conversation is now available exclusively on the SiriusXM app.