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Nov 21, 2024 By Frank Valish

When Eddie Van Halen died in 2020, it left a gaping hole in music. The man was unquestionably a genius, and his work in the band that took his name is unrivaled. It also, evidently, left a giant hole for his brother, Van Halen drummer Alex. Brothers, Alex Van Halen’s memoir, recounts the early years of his band, coming up in California and achieving world renown, but it mostly is a striking, heartfelt, and poignant tribute to his late brother.

There have been scads of books written about Van Halen, from tomes on the early days to first hand accounts from those who were around. And many of these books are great, shedding much light and volumes of anecdotes on the band’s history. [For my money, check out Van Halen Rising]. Brothers does not add much in the way of historical revelation or behind the scenes tales. Alex interestingly details his early childhood with Eddie and his parents, their immigration to the United States, scraping by as a family, and both of their growing musical aptitudes, taking after their jazz musician father. Perhaps surprisingly, Alex is mostly conciliatory throughout to David Lee Roth, the singer with whom the band had more than one nasty falling out throughout their history. And the tale ends with the end of the Roth era of Van Halen, with Alex throwing unnecessary and veiled vicious shade at the other eras of VH, saying toward the book’s end, simply, “We had a lot of other singers over the years.”

But while Brothers lacks in what many might rightfully want or expect in terms of inside scoop from one of the band’s cofounders, it makes up for it in its surprisingly gentle, heartfelt, and often times truly aching tribute to his brother. The book features interludes—not many mind you, but still, interludes—where Alex writes as if in letters directly to his brother. These, and in the way he speaks about his brother elsewhere in the text, make up the heart of Brothers, where the emotion, reminiscence, and personal story shine through. It is crystal clear how much of a bond Alex had with his brother, and his book reads like a tribute to the musical genius of Eddie Van Halen and, more importantly, to the friendship that the two had. Alex deeply misses his brother, this is clearly evident. And in this right, Brothers is glorious. (www.harpercollins.com)

Author rating: 7/10