Alex Van Halen and Steve Lukather team up for new album

Alex Van Halen, the renowned drummer from Van Halen, is embarking on a new musical journey by teaming up with Steve Lukather from Toto to create a fresh album. This exciting project was recently confirmed during an interview on the “Metal Sticks” podcast featuring Iron Maiden’s Nicko McBrain. Van Halen disclosed that he, along with Lukather and a few others, are gearing up to commence this collaborative effort.

The upcoming album is anticipated to feature a collection of previously unreleased and incomplete recordings sourced from the Van Halen vault. Both Van Halen and Lukather have underscored that the primary objective of this venture is to pay homage to the legacy of Eddie Van Halen, who sadly passed away in 2020. Lukather explicitly stated that although he is contributing to the project, he will not be handling guitar duties on the tracks. Instead, he will be assuming a role akin to that of a co-producer. Lukather conveyed his profound admiration for Eddie, articulating, “I have too much love and respect for that and I play nothing like Ed.”

Van Halen revealed that there is a substantial amount of unreleased material in the vault, enough to potentially fill three to four albums. The plan is to meticulously curate and finalize this music to ensure that it honors its original vision. Despite being in the incipient stages of development, both musicians are determined to invest the requisite time and effort to guarantee that the project aligns with their exacting standards.

The collaboration between Van Halen and Lukather is founded on a longstanding friendship, with Eddie and Lukather having collaborated on various projects in the past. The forthcoming album is poised to offer a fresh perspective on the unreleased tracks while staying true to the quintessential sound that defines Van Halen’s musical legacy.