"I'm getting ready to do this record with Lukather and a couple of other people," Van Halen told longtime Iron Maiden drummer Nicko McBrain on the Metal Sticks podcast. "It should be exciting." (UCR)
Van Halen's legendary drummer legend didn't dig any further into the nature of the record, and noted that Lukather, famous for his guitar work with Toto and on countless studio sessions, wasn't committed to any specific role in the project.
However, it's possible Van Halen is referring to his plans to complete unreleased music featuring himself and his brother and longtime bandmate Eddie Van Halen, who died in 2020 at age 65. Both he and Lukather have discussed this possibility in recent years.
In November of 2024, Van Halen revealed that there were "three or four" albums' worth of unheard music in the brothers' vault. "They will stay there until we figure out how and why and what to do with them," he told Chris Jericho. "And again, you have to remember, it has to be on the level of where Ed and I, where we used to play. We're not just gonna shovel it in. We have access to some of the greatest musicians on the planet, and a lot of 'em are more than willing to take a chance on some of the stuff."
