The legendary guitarist that Wolfgang Van Halen calls “the Malcolm Young of metal”
Wolfgang Van Halen is inspired by a number of modern metal players, but his love for Tool runs deep, and his admiration of Adam Jones’ guitar work perhaps even deeper.
WVH’s band Mammoth released their third studio album, The End, back in October. Though it departs from the sound established by the band on their first two albums, the influences of his favourite players still jump out. Alongside the likes of Foo Fighters and Intervals, Wolfgang has shared his love of Tool a number of times across his music career, and feels that Jones’ approach to guitar echoes that of AC/DC’s Malcolm Young.
READ MORE: “It’s not about having a guy jumping around on stage… It’s about playing the f**k out of your instruments”: Wolfgang Van Halen on what really matters onstage
He tells Guitar.com, “I think, in terms of every instrument I play – bass, guitar, drums and singing – each member of Tool is on the respective Mount Rushmore for their instrument.
“The first song I heard from them was Third Eye [from 1996’s Ænima], which is funny, because it wasn’t a single or anything. It kind of opened my mind – opened my third eye, so to speak – regarding what music can be. I was like, ‘This is a 13-minute song! Not just a four-minute thing!’ It blew my mind when I was in seventh grade. There’s power in its simplicity: when Adam just holds down the rhythms and almost lets Justin [Chancellor, bass] take the lead, they have such a great connection.”
He adds, “When it comes to rhythm playing, Adam is almost like the Malcolm Young of metal. He is such a fucking awesome rhythm guy, and he’s a great lead guy, too. Things like the talkbox solo on Jambi are just the best.
“In Mammoth, the influence of bands like Tool and Meshuggah will come out in places you don’t expect. If you listen to [the song] The End, the very end of it, there’s this double-kick, half-time, metal-ey thing. They just pop up… It’s never intentional.”
Mammoth’s third album The End is out now. They head out on tour in March – find out more via the official Mammoth website.
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