Wolfgang Van Halen has put to rest a lingering question among Van Halen fans, regarding the controversial removal of former bassist Michael Anthony from album cover images on their website, fourteen years ago. It was a strange occurrence that inspired seething rage among fans over the perception that the group was altering part of its history.

But Van Halen never approved the removal of Anthony’s image, as has now been confirmed via Twitter by Wolf Van Halen himself:

“…that was some dumbass on the website that did that dumb photoshop sh*t. Not a band decision. We were never cool with that. It was ridiculous. Which is why when we found out about it, it was undone immediately."

It seems the band expressing their disapproval with the changes did the trick, as the images reverted to their previous versions mere days later. It was a blink and you would miss it moment, that caused a bitter controversy. The album covers in question were 1978’s self-titled debut “Van Halen” and 1980’s “Women and Children First.” On “Van Halen,” Anthony’s image was replaced with a sixteen-year-old Wolf Van Halen, who joined as bassist in 2007 following Anthony’s 2006 departure.

After a legendary career spanning five decades, Van Halen officially disbanded in October 2020, following the tragic passing of iconic guitarist and Wolf’s father, Eddie Van Halen. But the Van Halen musical legacy lives on, with the forming of a new band. Wolf has taken on guitar and lead vocals and joined with guitarist Frank Sidoris (Slash), drummer Garett Whitlock (Tremonti), and bassist Ronnie Ficaro. Named Mammoth WVH, in honor of Mammoth, the original name of Van Halen, they released their first single “Distance” in November 2020.

“Distance,” penned by Wolf as a loving message to his late father, achieved almost a million streams in its first week of release. Paired with a beautifully touching video, consisting of home movies of Wolf as a child with his father, this one hits the feels hard. The heartfelt lyrics, heavy music and gorgeously nostalgic images create a truly stirring emotional mix. It is the perfect tribute to a loving father, and one of music’s greatest ever legends.

Author: Harley Houghton

Harley Houghton is a writer and blogger, based in Melbourne, Australia. Her passions include music, especially metal, gaming and comics. Check out her blog www.harleysmadhouse.com and follow her on Twitter.