Mammoth II by Mammoth WVH

Review written by Slash1987

I first heard Mammoth in 2021 when I saw them open for Guns N Roses. I didn’t pay much attention to them. But I remembered their name. And It wasn’t until recently that I realized that Wolfgang, the lead of the band, is the son of Eddie Van Halen so I think I missed out by ignoring their show. Checking out their newest album Mammoth II, I see a big influence from bands like Foo Fighters but not much else. They shouldn’t be on par with the original Van Halen but it is disappointing to see them not stick out too far in the industry. A lot of the songs sound alike which I’ve found to be pretty common in music. The songs “Right”, “I”m Alright”, “Another Celebration at the End of the World” and “Erase Me” were the standouts to me for having catchy tunes, but I still feel they all suffer from the same sounding guitar that makes it a little hard for them to stand out as their own song.

In the song “Right” the intro riff is really strong though the lyrics can get a little lost in between it with how strong and loud that riff is. The lyrics themselves are not doing anything all that special either, giving the classic message of anxiety and depression. While I understand this song may mean something to Wolfgang, it’s still not saying anything new. This opening phrase from Im Alright “You wanna know how, I’ve got the know-how, That kind of thinking is all around, Just take it slow now, but don’t get bogged down, Or you’ll end up in the ground” is powerful. The emphasis on the end syllables of each sentence really makes it a catchy rhythm. The meaning of this song being about self-empowerment and breaking away from toxicity is something a little bit different also, while it’s not the most original talking point in this song I think it’s at least done well. “Another Celebration at The End World” is what this band should always sound like, from the vocals to the more upbeat and fast-paced guitar and drums. This song is just what I feel they should be bringing to the table always. It’s hard to explain but this one just feels like it’s Mammoth WVH if you ever listen to it, or what you expect them to sound like at least. The meaning is something worthwhile and something I do not think it will age too fast, being about how chaotic and stressful our mess of a world has become, yet we still celebrate and move on with our lives. It’s weird that the other songs on this album don’t have this same or a nearly similar taste to them. This final song “Erase Me” is probably my least favorite of the ones I’ve chosen to talk about, the lyrics are what they sound like, it’s about wanting to be erased from a previous lover’s memory and the wish to erase their memory in your mind. Wolf uses the same kind of technique to the ending syllables in the song creating more interesting vocals but the guitar main guitar riff sounds a little too similar to something heard earlier in the album.

Overall it seems Mammoth is still finding its footing in the music industry even a year after its release. Granted, this is also only Mammoth’s second album but with being the descendant of Eddie Van Halen there are obviously going to be some really big expectations on what they can deliver. In my opinion, nothing new has ever really been added to mainstream rock or metal since the ’90s. Everything is overdone or over-inspired but that’s not to say that there isn’t plenty of great underground stuff going around today. I feel like metal today as we know it is in a drought and it will be soon till we get some rain.