1998: Van Halen III Released
The bold, divisive experiment with a new voice.
1998's Van Halen III is the eleventh studio album by the band and the only one to feature vocalist Gary Cherone, formerly of Extreme. It marked a radical left turn for a band that had always lived on swagger and riffs: here, they traded party anthems for brooding introspection, acoustic detours, and even a piano ballad sung by Eddie himself. It remains the most divisive, fascinating, and misunderstood entry in the Van Halen catalog.
Quick Facts
- Album
- Van Halen III
- Release year
- 1998
- Lead vocalist
- Gary Cherone
- Label
- Warner Bros.
- Producer
- Mike Post and Van Halen
Lore & Background
After Sammy Hagar walked out, Van Halen didn't just look for another singer—they looked for a complete reinvention. Enter Gary Cherone, the wiry, theatrical frontman of Extreme, known for his soaring range and theatrical flair. The band booked time with producer Mike Post, a TV theme legend who had never produced a rock album before, and the sessions quickly became a strange alchemy of ambition and friction.
Eddie Van Halen, wrestling with personal demons and a desire to prove the band was more than just a party machine, pushed into uncharted territory: brooding soundscapes, odd time signatures, and lyrics about mortality, doubt, and isolation. Tracks like 'Without You' and 'Fire in the Hole' still crackled with the old electricity, but 'How Many Say I'—with Eddie singing lead over a lonely piano—was a moment so raw and vulnerable it left fans stunned. The album's stark black-and-white cover mirrored the band's stripped-down, no-frills approach.
Critics were baffled. Fans were split. Some hailed it as a brave artistic statement; others mourned the loss of the band they loved. Sales were the weakest of any Van Halen studio album, and Cherone was gone within a year. But Van Halen III endures as the sound of a band willing to risk everything—and fail spectacularly—rather than repeat itself.
Reader's Guide
The release of Van Halen III in 1998 was a pivotal event in the band's timeline. It began with the search for a new singer after Sammy Hagar's exit, leading to the recruitment of Gary Cherone. The album was recorded with producer Mike Post, known for his TV theme work, which influenced its polished, sometimes unconventional sound.
The album's release was met with a divided fanbase. While some appreciated the artistic risk, others felt it strayed too far from the band's core identity. The supporting tour saw the band performing both new material and classic hits, but attendance and reception were uneven.
Ultimately, Van Halen III did not achieve the commercial success of its predecessors, and Cherone left the band shortly after the tour. The album remains a cult curiosity, a testament to the band's willingness to experiment, and a clear demarcation point between the band's classic eras and their subsequent return with original vocalist David Lee Roth.
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