Alex Van Halen has revealed that he is working on a new album alongsideTotoguitarist Steve Lukather.
The legendary rock drummer, who co-foundedVan Halenwith his younger brotherEddiein 1972,appeared on theMetal Stickspodcaston Thursday (January 1), hosted byIron Maiden’s Nick McBrain, and spoke about his current musical projects.
“I’m getting ready to do this record with Lukather and a couple of other people,” Van Halen said. “It should be exciting.”
It is unclear whether the album will be a new Van Halen album or a side project. The band have not released a studio record since 2012’s ‘A Different KindOfTruth’, andhave been inactive sinceEddie’s death from complications from throat cancer in 2020 at the age of 65.
A report fromDeTelegraaflast year suggested that Alex was working on a collection of unfinished Van Halen songs alongside Lukather, with the drummer saying:“[Eddie] and Steve Lukather werevery goodfriendsand they often worked together. There is no one who can do this process with me as well as he can” (viaGuitar World).
“Did Alex say that? Oh, in that case the news is true,” Lukather responded. “Ed,Alexand I werevery closefor years. It is true that we worked on it together.”
Alex has said in the past that there are “three or four” more Van Halen records to be made from the music that is saved in the band’s vaults, telling theTalk Is Jerichopodcast (viaBlabbermouth):“There was some good stuff in there. And youhave toremember, when in the thick of it, sometimes thereally greatstuffkind of passesyou by. Andit’snot until you revisit it going, ‘Whoa, I forgot about that. This kicks ass.’ But that takes time. And youwannado it right. Iwannado it right.”
In 2024,Alex released the full six-minute version of ‘Unfinished’, the final song he wrote with Eddie, as part of the release of the audiobook of Alex’s memoirBrothers.
The public acrimony between Alex and former Van Halen vocalistSammy Hagar, meanwhile, is ongoing, and last year, Hagar wondered if jealousy was the reason why Alex had not spoken to him for 21 years.