Michael Anthony Weighs In on New Van Halen Project

Former Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony has offered his perspective on reports of a new album featuring unreleased material, suggesting an instrumental approach as a fitting tribute to the late Eddie Van Halen. Though not involved in the current endeavor, Anthony believes that for the project "to do it justice," it should culminate as "a great instrumental nod to Eddie," as he shared in a recent interview. Anthony reasoned that introducing a new vocalist would fundamentally alter the band's identity, creating a "new band" scenario with potential delays in lyrical development and release.

The project is reportedly spearheaded by drummer Alex Van Halen, focusing on uncompleted recordings from the band's active years, which included Wolfgang Van Halen on bass. Alex is reportedly collaborating with longtime friend and Toto guitarist Steve Lukather to meticulously sift through the archives. Alex emphasized that any released material must meet the band's exacting quality standards, stating, "It has to be of the quality and the level of where we left it."

Regarding potential vocalists for any new tracks, Alex Van Halen mentioned that Bad Company's Paul Rodgers was approached but declined the invitation. Rodgers later clarified his decision, citing his current "acoustic, zen phase of life" rather than health concerns. Notably, former Van Halen vocalists Sammy Hagar and David Lee Roth were not indicated as considerations for the project.

Meanwhile, Michael Anthony is set to rejoin Sammy Hagar for the next leg of Hagar's Las Vegas residency starting March 11. Their band, featuring Joe Satriani and Kenny Aronoff, will also embark on a series of tour dates in the U.S. and U.K. Anthony also shared personal anecdotes about his long-standing friendship and shared interests with Hagar, including their mutual love for cars and coastal living. The Hagar-Anthony era of Van Halen will also be celebrated with an expanded reissue of the 5150 album, due out March 27.