Ahead of his performance at Download Festival 2023, the Mammoth WVH frontman Wolfgang Van Halen took some time backstage to disclose which name in the festival lineup he would like to join forces with.
Replying to that question was not easy for the musician, but he still came up with a specific singer:
“That is tough, man. I know Maynard is here. I’m a big Tool fan, but I don’t want to bother him [Laughs].”
Wolf humorously added:
“Just to say hi. ‘Can we collaborate on an introduction?‘”
The host also stepped into the fun conversation:
“Let’s collaborate on a handshake. Maybe a photo if the handshake goes well.”
The singer went along with it, saying:
“I’m down.”
Wolf is publicly known to be a fan of Tool and Maynard James Keenan. In an interview with Classic Rock at the beginning of last year, he named Keenan, along with Layne Staley, among the singers he looked up to. However, he has never attempted to imitate the Tool frontman. He explained:
“Growing up, I was always a big fan of the grunge-era singers, Layne Staley from Alice In Chains being one of my favorites. And I’ve always been a huge Tool fan. I love how Maynard can have a heavy voice but also the cleanest voice possible. But I’ve never really tried to emulate another singer. I’ve been singing my whole life.”
Mammoth WVH delivered their show at Download Festival on June 8 before Metallica hit the stage as the headliner. You can check out Kerrang’s review if you are wondering about Wolf’s performance with his band. He will continue his concerts in different European cities in the coming days. Mammoth WVH’s second album is also on the way.
You can watch his brief interview backstage below.
