What Eddie Van Halen Said About Meshuggah’s Biggest Song

Eddie Van Halen was a Meshuggah fan, but it wasn’t necessarily the Swedish metal act’s guitar work that he admired the most.

Wolfgang Dishes On Eddie’s Love Of Meshuggah

Wolfgang Van Halen recently told Prog that his father “approved” of Meshuggah, especially what he saw of drummer Tomas Haake.

“I remember his joke when I showed him the video to ‘Bleed,'” Wolfgang says in the latest issue of Prog. “He said, ‘The drummer better be paid the most! He’s working way harder than anybody else in the band!'”

“Bleed,” the third track off 2008’s obZen, is arguably one of the Meshuggah’s biggest hits having been named among the 100 Greatest Heavy Metal Songs Of All Time by Rolling Stone in 2023.

Wolfgang has long been a Meshuggah fan. In the interview, he provides the all-too-accurate description of their technically pulverizing sound saying “it’s like dinosaur’s fighting.”

Meshuggah, “Bleed”

READ MORE: Wolfgang Van Halen Names Three Huge Guitarist Influences (Other Than Eddie Van Halen)

In a 2023 interview, Wolfgang revealed Meshuggh’s music “relaxes” him to the point he could fall asleep to it.

Eddie Wasn’t The Only Family Member Wolfgang Turned Into A Meshuggah Fan

Once Wolfgang turned his dad into a Meshuggah fan, he moved on to this uncle, Patrick Bertinelli. This time, he would need to do some extra work to convert a family member.

In the interview published in Prog, Wolfgang relayed that his uncle initially said, “I don’t get it,” the first time he heard Meshuggah.

It took one night of seeing them live to get Patrick to change his mind.

“When I brought him to the show, he understood,” Wolfgang said. “After seeing it, he was like, Holy shit! I get it now!'”

If you’re looking to experience Meshuggah yourself, the band currently only has a trio of European dates listed on its website. Wolfgang Van Halen’s Mammoth WVH is next scheduled to play in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania on May 4.