Wolfgang Van Halen recently opened up on a significant personal struggle that influenced his creative process.
Speaking with Primordial Radio, Van Halen revealed that he experienced a severe panic attack on a flight before performing at one of Metallica’s shows in Mexico. This experience deeply affected both his mental state and his songwriting. The anxiety he felt during this period became a central theme in his work.
“I did the first of the last two Metallica shows and I had a really traumatizing panic attack on the flight there,” Van Halen said. “I think that ended up spilling into the lyrical and writing process, which is why I think the record is called ‘The End.’”
He explained that the themes of anxiety reflected on his recent work. Nearly every song reflects similar emotional concerns.
“It’s so focused on, you know, anxiety and doomsday panicking, so to speak,” he continued. “I just noticed that I was kind of focused on that looking at every song lyrically was very connected to that sort of idea of things ending so to speak.”
Van Halen attributed his panic to multiple factors. His unfamiliarity with performing in Mexico and concerns about the elevation’s impact on his vocal performance both contributed to his distress. He noted that lack of sleep the night before the show compounded his anxiety.
“I think with this specific thing, it was very much just being very panicked about doing the Metallica shows,” he said. “Even we’d been doing them for 2 years at that point, I’d never done a show in Mexico and I was overly aware of the elevation. As a singer, I was terrified if I was going to be able to do the show or not. I hadn’t got any sleep the night before. In hindsight it was funny, but during it was really traumatizing.”
During a recent episode, Wolfgang Van Halen experienced intense and distressing physical symptoms. According to Zicos, he suffered from unusual bodily pain, blurred vision, nausea, and cold sweats while on a flight. Fortunately, the sensation subsided after about 25 minutes. His uncle, Patrick Bertinelli, was by his side and provided crucial support, helping him navigate through the traumatic experience.
Mammoth will begin a headlining tour on October 31st in Rancho Mirage, California, with cross-country dates scheduled through December 12th. Van Halen has mentioned that he has a preliminary long-term plan, which indicates he won’t return to the studio until spring 2027, although he will be gathering ideas in the meantime.
