For months, fans have been speculating about the mysterious project that Alex Van Halen has been developing with longtime friend Steve Lukather. Now, Lukather has offered his clearest explanation yet of what the project actually is — and what it isn’t.
Speaking with Guitar Player, the Toto guitarist emphasized that the music is not a collection of unfinished scraps pieced together after the fact. Instead, he says the recordings are genuine Van Halen tracks that were already largely completed by Eddie and Alex Van Halen.
“These are finished tracks with Ed and Al,” Lukather explained, pushing back against suggestions that he is creating new Van Halen music himself. According to Lukather, his role is primarily to assist Alex in organizing and completing a project built around recordings that already existed.
“I’m telling you, this is not throwaway shit. When I heard them, I said to Al, ‘How fucking come you didn’t use these?’ And the answer was because nobody could write to it. So if you think this is a bunch of throwaway crap that we’re trying to Mickey Mouse together to suck the dollar out of poor, unsuspecting Van Halen fans, it’s not.”
Lukather also reiterated that he has no intention of stepping into Eddie Van Halen’s shoes by recording new guitar parts for the project. He has previously stated that he would never play a guitar note on a Van Halen song, out of respect for his late friend.
While details remain scarce, Lukather revealed that he doesn’t even know what the project will ultimately be called.
“Those are Alex Van Halen questions,” he said. “I’m just here to be his sidekick.” Lukather added that he and Alex have become very close since Eddie’s passing in 2020.
The comments line up with what Alex himself has revealed in recent interviews. Earlier this year, Alex said the recordings were originally intended to become the next Van Halen album before Eddie’s death. According to Alex, the drums, guitar and bass parts were already recorded, but the project lacked a vocalist.
Who, if anyone, will ultimately handle vocals remains one of the biggest unanswered questions. Alex previously disclosed that legendary singer Paul Rodgers was approached but declined involvement.
For Van Halen fans, Lukather’s latest comments may be the strongest indication yet that this project is not a tribute album or a collection of demos. If his description is accurate, what Alex is working on could be the closest thing to a new Van Halen album that fans will ever hear — built from performances that Eddie and Alex themselves completed years ago.
No release date has been announced.