Van Halen: Completed Mixing New Album

According to the usually reliable Van Halen fan site Van Halen News Desk, the mixing of the new Van Halen album began in July was completed in August. The band's first LP in 27 years to feature original singer David Lee Roth is scheduled to be mastered mid-September, with the process expected to take about a week.

There has virtually no info from the Van Halen camp about album or tour plans. Rumors have also suggested that the band pulled out of an Australian festival tour, which was scheduled to kick off later this month.

One person who doesn't think Van Halen can get together and continue its comeback is Roth replacement and former singer Sammy Hagar. "They can't get it together," he said. "You know, they can't. I was there. I saw it. Eddie [Van Halen, guitar], doesn't matter if he's clean and sober, like they - even if he is, too much damage. They're just too wacky. They're so out of it. And it could be cool, time warpy, if they were the original band and everybody was on the same page."
Producer Ross Hogarth, who has worked on the Van Halen album, spoke briefly about it in an interview with Ultimate-Guitar.com, saying, "I'm really stoked about it, as it is the original band, Eddie and Alex [Van Halen, drums] with Wolf [Eddie's son] playing bass, andDavid Lee Roth singing, it's the killing side of Van Halen at the top of their game again . . . and the band on fire."

Alter Bridgeguitarist Mark Tremonti recently said in an interview that he had gotten an opportunity to hear the music through his friendship with Wolfgang Van Halen, saying it sounded like "vintage Van Halen."