As reported recently, the audiobook version of Alex Van Halen’s upcoming memoir, Brothers, will contain the final piece of music the drummer wrote and recorded with his late brother and bandmate, guitarist Eddie Van Halen. In advance of the book’s release, Alex has unveiled a portion of the track, titled “Unfinished.”
Brothers is set for release on October 22nd via HarperCollins (available for pre-order here), but thanks to a new social media post by Alex, fans can get an early listen to the instrumental tune that provides the soundtrack for the audiobook.
The snippet, shared via Alex’s Instagram account (listen below), unveils an ambient instrumental that marks a departure from Van Halen’s signature hard rock sound. The song features both electric and acoustic guitar playing, with a steady and simple drum beat.
Alex Van Halen has remained reclusive since Eddie’s passing in October 2020. He hasn’t performed in public or partaken in any interviews since then, but he did release the following statement about the book: “This is my tribute to my brother; my way of saying goodbye. Ed, I love you and miss you. When I see you again, I’m gonna kick your ass!”
The 384-page book has been described as Alex’s “love letter” to Eddie, who died of a stroke on October 6th, 2020, at the age of 65 after battles with throat and lung cancer.
Together, Alex and Eddie sold millions of albums as core members of Van Halen, entering the Rock & Roll of Fame in 2007.
Listen to the portion of “Unfinished” in the Instagram post below, and pre-order Brothers via Amazon.