Preceding the unexpected death of his father, Eddie Van Halen, Wolfgang Van Halen decided to embark on his musical career in honor of the legendary rockstar his father was. With one Grammy, a 2007 induction to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and three MTV Video Music Awards, Van Halen is undoubtedly one of the most legendary rock bands of all time. Following in the footsteps of his renowned father, Wolfgang Van Halen certainly has colossal shoes to fill.

With Eddie having passed away on Oct. 6, Wolfgang turned to his roots to help him cope with such a tragic loss, music. Starting a solo band, Mammoth WVH, Wolfgang Van Halen had released the debut single “Distance” as a tribute to his father just a month after his passing. Climbing up the billboard charts, “Distance” followed in the footsteps of Van Halen as an emotional, heart-jerking rock song.

In the official “Distance” music video, we see a heartwarming clip of young Wolfgang and his father Eddie expressing how much they love each other. Following the song, a clip of a voicemail Eddie Van Halen left his son was played which left many viewers in tears.

In the voicemail, Eddie is heard telling his son, “I’m so happy to have you as my son – so proud of you. I love you so much. Call me if you get a chance. I just want to hear your voice. I love you. Bye”.

Many viewers, including myself, were crushed to find out this was the last message Eddie left to his son. Just to witness how close the bond between Eddie and his son was, makes this album all the more emotional and shows just how dedicated Wolfgang is to music and keeping his fathers spirit alive.

In addition to this song, Wolfgang Van Halen announced the release date of his debut album, Mammoth WVH, will be June 11. Available for pre-order, listeners have access to two of the fourteen tracks available on this album. Currently we can listen to early released hits “Distance” and “You’re to Blame”. On the song “You’re to Blame” you can clearly see Eddie’s rock and roll influence on his son.

This young talent has learned from the best, and the preview of his album definitely projects that. With intricate solos inspired by the father band Van Halen, we can definitely expect Mammoth WVH to be an exceptional album. In light of classic rock phenomenon, these two songs alone have successfully kept the light of Eddie Van Halen alive in the rock and roll world.