Wolfgang Van Halen Names the ‘Relax[ing]’ Extreme Metal Band He

Wolfgang Van Halen has often spoken about his love for metal (for instance, he’s cited Guns N’ Roses, Metallica and AC/DC among the ‘dream’ bands he’d love to tour with). Another top-tier act in his mind – and ours – is Swedish djent pioneer Meshuggah; in fact, Van Halen claims that they’re soothing enough to lull him to sleep.

In a new chat with Primordial Radio (published on July 7, 2023), the Mammoth WVH frontman praised the group, rejoicing:

I could fall asleep listening to Meshuggah. It relaxes me so much. If you’re familiar with Meshuggah, you probably know the song “Bleed” [from 2008’s ‘obZen‘]. . . . Meshuggah’s just one bands. They are unbelievably heavy; there’s nothing heavier than them. But, you get lulled their rhythm. As a drummer first, I just, uh, am in love with rhythmic music, and there’s nothing more rhythmic than Meshuggah. I don’t know – after hearing that, you probably couldn’t fall asleep to that. But, man, I could cause I love it.

You can watch the full clip below.

Van Halen’s love for the group shouldn’t be surprising considering that back in November of 2022, he revealed that Meshuggah inspired some of the material on Mammoth II (which is set to release on August 4, 2023 via BMG).

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Specifically, he said [via Loudwire]:

I love Meshuggah. I tend to listen to, at least recently, more heavier music. That’s all the new stuff that’s come out. Animals As Leaders had a new album come out this year [‘Parrhesia‘], and so did Meshuggah [‘Immutable‘]. But Meshuggah is one of my favorite bands. I know — nothing like Mammoth. On the next album, there actually is some Meshuggah-inspired stuff. Through the lens of Mammoth though, so not as super heavy.

Interestingly, Van Halen’s latest remarks coincide with his month-long residency at Primordial Radio, during which he’ll be “play[ing] tracks from his new album . . . alongside some of his all-time favourite songs” (via Primordial Radio). Episodes air every Wednesday – starting at 10AM BST – and prior episodes can be heard on-demand here.

Elsewhere, he’s spoken about his thoughts on the most bothersome aspect of social media and the controversy around bands using backing tracks. Back in May, he put out a second track from Mammoth II – “Like a Pastime” – which we deemed as arguably more experimental than predecessor “Another Celebration at the End of the World.”

Do you think you could fall asleep to Meshuggah? If not, how do you feel about people who can? Let us know!

Also, be sure to check out Mammoth WVH’s upcoming tour dates, and grab your tickets here.

Wolfgang Van Halen Praises ‘Relax[ing]’ Meshuggah on Primordial Radio

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