MAMMOTH CEMENTS THEIR ROCK ‘N’ ROLL LEGACY IN TORONTO

Jess Lee

March 19, 2026

5–8 minutes

Mammoth | Danforth Music Hall | Toronto, ON

March 8, 2026

Photographed by Jess Lee
Written by Chris Simpson

Mammoth is the quintessential hard rock band right now.

Wolfgang Van Halen’s solo project, Mammoth, is making waves as a home for fans of real rock and roll. As the son of icon Eddie Van Halen, Wolfgang shows that rock and roll might be hereditary. Balancing harshness and beauty, Mammoth delivers some of the most catchy choruses in modern rock. They delve into intricate instrumental sections that capture the same awe that Wolfgang Van Halen has given his audience since joining his father and uncle’s legendary rock band, Van Halen. He truly is one of a kind.

Since Mammoth became his main project, the band has gained significant recognition and even earned Grammy nominations. All this acclaim culminates with Mammoth’s third full-length EP, The End.

The EP is now available on all streaming platforms, and although the vinyls have sold out, tickets for The End Tour are still available. This dense, forty-minute EP packs many facets of hard rock into a single project. The album opens with “One Of A Kind,” which features heavily distorted, hard-hitting guitars that give way to an anthemic chorus. The lyrics to this track truly inspire the listener to stay true to who they are, a beautiful sentiment to open the album with.

The second track, “The End,” is the breakout song on streaming thus far. Instantly hooking the listener with an incredible, clean guitar lick, the song builds, breaks down, and then the vocals hit. Everything culminates in a chorus that will be stuck in your head as Van Halen sings, “Take your hand in mine and watch the end with me,” evoking a sense of calm in an unstable world. The music maintains this energy, and the album closes with a truly beautiful track, “All In Good Time.” Depicting the aftermath of personal struggles and fears, this song closes the record with the bittersweet line, quaintly put: “I survive.”

Crave saw Mammoth live at the Danforth Music Hall in Toronto, and they exceeded all expectations. At the show, you could feel the passion resonate from the multi-generational fanbase of hard rock. The crowd was sporting merch from their favourite hard rock groups, especially Van Halen. Everyone was hyped, and before Mammoth could play, their openers set the stage.

Opener James and the Cold Gun instantly set the tone for the night. The band features James Joseph (guitar/vocals) from Holding Absence and James Biss (lead guitar) from Frown Upon. The two Jameses, accompanied by Gaby Elise (bass) and Benny Mead (drums), have gained a reputation for their rock ‘n’ roll revival throughout South Wales and are now crossing over to the Americas. The group came out to an overwhelming standing ovation from a very excited group of hard rock fans and started an instrumental build. The tension exploded as the band started going all out. Joseph is the epitome of charisma while he sings, and Biss’ guitar work spoke for itself, especially during their second song of the night,“Twist The Knife,” which featured an amazing guitar solo — so fast and well-paced, with Mead’s hard-hitting drum fills cutting in and out.

After this song, the band thanked Toronto for being so cool on their second visit to the city. Throughout their set, Joseph continued thanking the crowd for supporting real rock ‘n’ roll. During their fourth track, he took a vocal rest, allowing Biss to take the lead while Elise added backing vocals. Overall, James and the Cold Gun masterfully hyped up the crowd for the second opener.

Next, 10 Years entered the stage together and started their set. Their distorted guitars built tension through drone-like tones as the band naturally switched between loud and quiet. Jesse Hasek went to the mic, initially singing beautifully, then screaming harshly. Luke Narey (drums) was loud and purposeful, Brian Vodinh (guitar/backing vocals) and Matt Wantland (guitar) were unstoppable, and Chad Grennor (bass) was running all around the stage, all set. Their cover of Nirvana’s “Heart Shaped Box” was as eerie as possible and truly powerful. This extended rendition showcased a low-key, haunting style that the band achieves seemingly with ease. By the end of their set, the band was really focused on having the crowd engaged and singing along. They thanked everyone for their support, as well as James and the Cold Gun for their set. Together, the openers created an atmosphere of hardcore rock and roll that definitely left the crowd pumped.

Mammoth emerged through the darkness offstage as their logo flashed onto the screen behind them. There was something almost casual about the way this rock legend’s presence created such a warm vibe. They opened with “One Of A Kind,” getting right into it. On the screen behind the band, the Mammoth logo faded away, and colourful, kaleidoscope-like visuals backed up the music. At one point, Van Halen noted that these visuals were all human-made, taking a pro-human-made-art stance.

Off their second album, the next track played, “Another Celebration At The End Of The World,” was all-out rock and an amazing time live. Before the band’s third song, Van Halen took in the crowd’s energy and let out a softly spoken “holy crap.” Then the band played “The Spell,” “Like A Pastime” and “Optimist,” giving fans of their second album more to love about the show.

Before playing their sixth song of the set, “Stone,” Van Halen took to the mic and said he would try something new. His bandmates walked off as an orange spotlight shone on a smoky piano, and the frontman walked up to it, his back to the audience. Van Halen mentioned that this rendition was inspired by a Nine Inch Nails show he attended. His introduction for that track added another beautifully placed layer of musicality to the show. As the other bandmates walked back onstage, the lights turned off, and after the thunderous applause for the section, the band played “Stone” in full gear.

After rocking through songs “Happy,” “Mammoth” and “Resolve,” they played “Distance” — and the finale to Mammoth’s first album on this tour hits so incredibly hard live. This track, about holding on to loved ones from afar, was beautifully accompanied by a 1991 home video of the late Eddie Van Halen and his baby. This emotional song’s even more personal touch had everyone enamoured. The next few tracks brought the vibe back to its hard-hitting rock ‘n’ roll.

The show concluded with the fan favourite off Mammoth’s new EP, The End. Mammoth delivered one of the loudest, fastest and most beautiful hard rock shows, displaying how the genre can be timeless and generational.