Album Review : Mammoth- The End

https://metalplanetmusic.com/2025/10/album-review-mammoth-the-end/

Review by Ritchie Birnie for MPM

Album number three for the stupidly talented Wolfgang Van Halen. The only shock of this release is that it is not titled three. I do not like the finality of the title “The End” but enough of the nonsense, let us dive right into the mind of a musical genius.

You really need to look at a Mammoth release differently to most other music, for one I need to listen to it twice before I can even grasp the brilliance on show. First up I just listen to each song and then again in pure amazement as I focus on the fact that this young man plays every note of every instrument and on top of that adds the vocals. I was a bit too young to catch Van Halen when they broke on the scene but at the back end of 1980 I discovered THAT debut and was blown away and that was with four incredibly talented individuals. Wolfgang runs the whole show here and I am just as flabbergasted (if not moreso) than I was back then. This man is a living, breathing Mozart of today.

The first slice of talent infused brilliance is ” One of a Kind” and boy does that title describe its owner. The song has a real Van Halen feel as it starts, you can imagine father dearest flicking away but when this song kicks in this is a blistering journey. With so much talent you could easily see the man slide into glorified ego( cough, cough Mr Malmsteen) but no, Wolfgang focuses on the songs first and foremost and this is just stunning.

The title track is finger picking heaven, there will be a hell of a lot of guitarists standing to attention (in more ways than one) here and that picking comes from the centre ground to the backbone of the track. The damned kid even goes all Billy Sheehan on us and I now sit here thinking what the hell have I done with my life. I doubt this song was written to make me feel like a useless twat but it sums that statement up perfectly. I instantly stop the track, put on headphones and start again and it is so good I could cry.

I doubt Wolfgang can do a “Same Old Song” and this one has no mediocrity or melodies that seem stolen. This is originality, this is perfection and this is too damned good for a kid to write, is the devil up one soul?

With “The Spell” I am focusing on the melody and there is a little of the Fab four in there, yes it is heavier, it is funkier and it has a better drummer but I can feel the 60s hidden under the tricks, the groove and the magic.

I did laugh at the little “Whoah” at the start of “I Really Wanna” as I wondered if he shouted this out in an empty studio (God bless 5150). I did also have a little chuckle at the thought that he definitely will have no studio arguments, no blame to be placed and then a little thought if he decided to learn every instrument so he did not have to deal with the shit his father had too. Regardless this one kicks ass.

For a song titled “Happy” this starts like one of those Alice Cooper off kilter numbers where you know every word sung is the complete opposite of what is meant. There is a tinge of Kurt Cobain here also but all wrapped together with a killer riff, this is a song at a tangent to the album but powerful.

“Better Off” is a mix of genres and this is Wolfgang spreading his wings. These songs are paving stones on the lead up to a certain walk of fame. I wonder if there is anything that this man cannot do, surely there is something I can beat him at? tiddlywinks anyone?

Like a lot of this album “Something New” is exactly that. I swear you find something new every time you listen to these tracks. For something with such a simple riff there are so many layers that you get lost. It is like a magical carpet ride inside the mind of a hippie who has been tripping for four decades.

A low end, distorted guitar takes us into “Selfish” before we rip into a punk fuelled, musical theatre of a song. Wolfgang takes a crazy vocal approach that bounces us off the walls before settling down and slotting into a fellow tour mate in Myles Kennedy routine and as high a bar as that is to attain he nails it.

This musical dreams-cape closes on “All in Good Time” and this is the most instantly accessible to what I would call the pop crowd. The guitars still kill it but this is a bit more laid back, a bit more accesible to the masses but no less impressive. This is Wolfgang showing just how many different brush strokes he has. To be honest I do not think there is a canvas large enough to capture the variety, maybe the Sistine Chapel roof would be enough…but then again.

I go into each Mammoth album thinking Wolfgang can’t beat the previous one and God Dammit he goes and does it again. I need to face the fact that my simple little brain will never be open enough to just how amazing his talent is. It is like trying to teach a frog how to drive a car, I have to accept he will outdo any expectations I have and I just need to enjoy the ride he takes us on.

The Van Halen legacy marches on!