Alex Van Halen Working on New Album Built From Eddie Van Halen’s Unreleased Recordings

Alex Van Halen Working on New Album Built From Eddie Van Halen’s Unreleased Recordings
Drummer is reviewing the band’s archive with Steve Lukather to potentially finish and release previously unheard material recorded before Eddie Van Halen’s death.

Van Halen fans may soon hear new music from the band’s archives. Alex Van Halen has confirmed that he is working on a project built from previously unreleased recordings made with his late brother, Eddie Van Halen.

The drummer has begun reviewing a large collection of studio recordings Eddie left behind before his death in October 2020. Many of the recordings date from the band’s later years but were never completed or released.

To help sort through and potentially finish the material, Alex has enlisted guitarist Steve Lukather, the longtime Toto guitarist and close friend of Eddie Van Halen.

According to Lukather, the project centers on preserving Eddie’s existing recordings rather than attempting to recreate Van Halen without him.

“There are recordings,” Lukather said in a recent interview. “Al asked me to help him go through everything Eddie recorded. There’s a lot of material.”

Eddie Van Halen was known for constantly recording ideas in his studio, 5150 Studios in Los Angeles. Over the decades he captured riffs, demos, and partially completed songs, many of which were never released.

Since Eddie’s passing, fans have long speculated about whether those recordings might eventually be released.

Alex Van Halen has now confirmed that he is carefully reviewing the archive to determine what can realistically be finished and shared with the public.

The involvement of Lukather is notable given the long friendship between the two guitarists. Eddie and Lukather had known each other for decades and shared a deep musical respect.

Lukather has been clear that his role is limited to helping organize and complete the recordings where appropriate.

“He’s not trying to replace Ed,” Lukather said. “Nobody could ever do that.”

Instead, the project appears focused on using Eddie’s original guitar tracks and building finished recordings around them where possible.

Van Halen released its final studio album, A Different Kind of Truth, in 2012. The record reunited the band with original singer David Lee Roth and featured Eddie Van Halen alongside Alex Van Halen and Eddie’s son Wolfgang on bass.

Following Eddie’s death in 2020 after a long battle with cancer, the future of Van Halen’s recorded legacy has remained uncertain. You can find more updates on the latest celebrity news on my blog.

Wolfgang Van Halen has since focused on his own band, Mammoth WVH, while Alex Van Halen has largely stayed out of the public spotlight.

The possibility of new Van Halen material emerging from the archives has therefore generated strong interest among fans and the wider rock community.

No release date or formal project title has been announced.

Alex Van Halen has indicated that the process will take time as he carefully reviews the large amount of material Eddie recorded over the years.

If completed, the project could offer fans a rare opportunity to hear previously unheard performances from one of the most influential guitarists in rock history.