Van Halen

formed 1972

Featured Lineup Energy · Yellow Overtone Warrior · Kin 96

Featured lineup: The David Lee Roth era, c. 1974–1985 — not the energy of every era · each lineup's Group Energy ↓

Tone: 5 OvertoneCommanding * Radiance * Empower

Tribe: 16 WarriorQuestion * Fearlessness * Intelligence

American rock band formed in Pasadena, California, in 1972

Members 6

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Featured Lineup Energy · the combined Galactic Signature of The David Lee Roth era, c. 1974–1985

Yellow · Tone 5 · Kin 96

Yellow Overtone Warrior

Tone: 5 OvertoneCommanding * Radiance * Empower

Tribe: 16 WarriorQuestion * Fearlessness * Intelligence

Wavespell 8 · White Northern Castle

Cardinal Earth Family, Fire Clan

🪐 Saturn · Solar-Prophetic Outbreath · shared with Night (analog support) · ✦ Past Portal Day

Destiny

Yellow Overtone Warrior

Guide

Yellow Seed

Analog

Blue Night

Antipode

White World-Bridger

Occult

Red Solar Serpent

I Empower in order to QuestionCommanding FearlessnessI seal the output of intelligenceWith the Overtone tone of RadianceI am guided by the power of Flowering

The Group Energy is cast by the station's Group Energy Calculator from 4 member signatures (Kin 133 + Kin 25 + Kin 25 + Kin 173), harmonized back into the 260-kin Tzolk'in. It is the energy of the featured c. 1974–1985 lineup only; every other lineup has its own Group Energy in the Lineup Timeline below. It is never stored: change a member and it is recast. It is read here as the Dreamspell interpretation used by Decoding the Galactic Stars — a symbolic lens on the group, not a cause of its history. Build your own group →

✦ · Lineup Timeline

Van Halen through its lineups

Each period below is a documented lineup of Van Halen. Its Group Energy is cast by the station's Group Energy Calculator from the members active in that period, so when the lineup changes, the combined Galactic Signature can change with it.

Who was in Van Halen in each period, and the Group Energy of each lineup
Member	1972–74 Genesis / Mammoth	1974–85 The David Lee Roth era	1985–96 The Sammy Hagar era	1996 David Lee Roth's brief return	1996–99 The Gary Cherone era	1999–03 Hiatus	2003–05 Sammy Hagar returns	2005–06 Hiatus	2006–20 Roth returns with Wolfgang Van Halen
Eddie Van Halen	in the lineup: guitar, lead vocals	in the lineup: guitar, keyboards, backing vocals	in the lineup: guitar, keyboards, backing vocals	in the lineup: guitar, keyboards, backing vocals	in the lineup: guitar, keyboards, backing vocals	member, band inactive	in the lineup: guitar, keyboards, backing vocals	member, band inactive	in the lineup: guitar, backing vocals
Alex Van Halen	in the lineup: drums	in the lineup: drums	in the lineup: drums	in the lineup: drums	in the lineup: drums	member, band inactive	in the lineup: drums	member, band inactive	in the lineup: drums
Mark Stone	in the lineup: bass, backing vocals	not in the band	not in the band	not in the band	not in the band	not in the band	not in the band	not in the band	not in the band
David Lee Roth	not in the band	in the lineup: lead vocals, acoustic guitar	not in the band	in the lineup: lead vocals	not in the band	not in the band	not in the band	not in the band	in the lineup: lead vocals, acoustic guitar
Michael Anthony	not in the band	in the lineup: bass, backing vocals	in the lineup: bass, backing vocals	in the lineup: bass, backing vocals	in the lineup: bass, backing vocals	member, band inactive	in the lineup: live bass, backing vocals	member, band inactive	not in the band
Sammy Hagar	not in the band	not in the band	in the lineup: lead vocals, rhythm guitar	not in the band	not in the band	not in the band	in the lineup: lead vocals, rhythm guitar	not in the band	not in the band
Gary Cherone	not in the band	not in the band	not in the band	not in the band	in the lineup: lead vocals	not in the band	not in the band	not in the band	not in the band
Wolfgang Van Halen	not in the band	not in the band	not in the band	not in the band	not in the band	not in the band	not in the band	not in the band	in the lineup: bass, backing vocals
Group Energy	not calculated	96Yellow Overtone Warrior	144Yellow Magnetic Seed	96Yellow Overtone Warrior	235Blue Magnetic Eagle	hiatus	144Yellow Magnetic Seed	hiatus	245Red Spectral Serpent

1972 – c. 1974 · about 2 years

Genesis / Mammoth

Approximate dates

Joined: Eddie Van Halen, Alex Van Halen, Mark Stone

Group Energy not calculated. Mark Stone has no SSP birth record, so this lineup's combined signature cannot be cast. No partial signature is shown.

Members in this lineup
- Eddie Van Halen joins guitar, lead vocals Kin 133 · Red Electric Skywalker
- Alex Van Halen joins drums Kin 25 · Red Crystal Serpent
- Mark Stone joins bass, backing vocals No SSP profile — Kin unknown
Eddie and Alex Van Halen form the band with Mark Stone on bass; Eddie sings lead. It plays as Genesis, then Mammoth.

Sources [1] · Confidence: high
c. 1974 – 1985 · about 11 years

The David Lee Roth era

Featured lineupApproximate datesUncertain

Joined: David Lee Roth, Michael Anthony · Left: Mark Stone

Group Energy of this lineup

Kin 96 · Yellow Overtone Warrior

Kin 133 + Kin 25 + Kin 25 + Kin 173 → Kin 96

The first calculated lineup.

Members in this lineup
- Eddie Van Halen guitar, keyboards, backing vocals Kin 133 · Red Electric Skywalker
- Alex Van Halen drums Kin 25 · Red Crystal Serpent
- David Lee Roth joins lead vocals, acoustic guitar Kin 25 · Red Crystal Serpent
- Michael Anthony joins bass, backing vocals Kin 173 · Red Self-Existing Skywalker
David Lee Roth joins on lead vocals and Michael Anthony replaces Mark Stone on bass. The band is called Van Halen from here.

Uncertain: Roth's start year is uncertain. The source's lineup table gives 1974, but its history section says that by 1974 Roth had been in the band "for about a year" (about 1973). It also dates the name change to 1973.

Sources [1] · Confidence: medium
1985 – June 1996 · about 11 years

The Sammy Hagar era

Joined: Sammy Hagar · Left: David Lee Roth

Group Energy of this lineup

Kin 144 · Yellow Magnetic Seed

Kin 133 + Kin 25 + Kin 173 + Kin 73 → Kin 144

Changed from Kin 96 in the previous active lineup.

Members in this lineup
- Eddie Van Halen guitar, keyboards, backing vocals Kin 133 · Red Electric Skywalker
- Alex Van Halen drums Kin 25 · Red Crystal Serpent
- Michael Anthony bass, backing vocals Kin 173 · Red Self-Existing Skywalker
- Sammy Hagar joins lead vocals, rhythm guitar Kin 73 · Red Galactic Skywalker
Roth leaves for a solo career and Sammy Hagar takes over lead vocals.

Sources [1] · Confidence: high
June 1996 – c. 1996 · under a year

David Lee Roth's brief return

Approximate datesUncertain

Joined: David Lee Roth · Left: Sammy Hagar

Group Energy of this lineup

Kin 96 · Yellow Overtone Warrior

Kin 133 + Kin 25 + Kin 25 + Kin 173 → Kin 96

Changed from Kin 144 in the previous active lineup.

Members in this lineup
- Eddie Van Halen guitar, keyboards, backing vocals Kin 133 · Red Electric Skywalker
- Alex Van Halen drums Kin 25 · Red Crystal Serpent
- David Lee Roth joins lead vocals Kin 25 · Red Crystal Serpent
- Michael Anthony bass, backing vocals Kin 173 · Red Self-Existing Skywalker
Hagar leaves in June 1996. Roth records two new songs for Best Of – Volume I and appears with the band at the MTV Video Music Awards on 4 September 1996. He is out again within weeks.

Uncertain: The source lists this as its own lineup ("1996"). It lasted only a few months, produced no album, and its end date is approximate.

Sources [1] · Confidence: medium
c. 1996 – November 1999 · about 4 years

The Gary Cherone era

Approximate datesUncertain

Joined: Gary Cherone · Left: David Lee Roth

Group Energy of this lineup

Kin 235 · Blue Magnetic Eagle

Kin 133 + Kin 25 + Kin 173 + Kin 164 → Kin 235

Changed from Kin 96 in the previous active lineup.

Members in this lineup
- Eddie Van Halen guitar, keyboards, backing vocals Kin 133 · Red Electric Skywalker
- Alex Van Halen drums Kin 25 · Red Crystal Serpent
- Michael Anthony bass, backing vocals Kin 173 · Red Self-Existing Skywalker
- Gary Cherone joins lead vocals Kin 164 · Yellow Galactic Seed
Gary Cherone (from Extreme) becomes lead vocalist and records Van Halen III (1998).

Uncertain: The source gives only the year for Cherone's start. It places Roth's exit "several weeks after" 4 September 1996.

Sources [1] · Confidence: medium
November 1999 – 2003 · about 3 years

Hiatus

Hiatus

Left: Gary Cherone

No Group Energy for this period. The band was inactive; the members listed remained in it.

Members during the hiatus
- Eddie Van Halen guitar, keyboards, backing vocals Kin 133 · Red Electric Skywalker
- Alex Van Halen drums Kin 25 · Red Crystal Serpent
- Michael Anthony bass, backing vocals Kin 173 · Red Self-Existing Skywalker
Cherone leaves amicably in November 1999 and the band stops public activity. Eddie, Alex and Michael Anthony remain members.

Sources [1] · Confidence: high
2003 – c. 2005 · about 2 years

Sammy Hagar returns

Approximate dates

Joined: Sammy Hagar

Group Energy of this lineup

Kin 144 · Yellow Magnetic Seed

Kin 133 + Kin 25 + Kin 173 + Kin 73 → Kin 144

Changed from Kin 235 in the previous active lineup.

Members in this lineup
- Eddie Van Halen guitar, keyboards, backing vocals Kin 133 · Red Electric Skywalker
- Alex Van Halen drums Kin 25 · Red Crystal Serpent
- Michael Anthony live bass, backing vocals Kin 173 · Red Self-Existing Skywalker
- Sammy Hagar joins lead vocals, rhythm guitar Kin 73 · Red Galactic Skywalker
The band reunites with Hagar for new tracks on The Best of Both Worlds and a 2004 tour. Anthony plays bass live; Eddie plays bass on the studio tracks.

Sources [1] · Confidence: high
c. 2005 – 2006 · about 1 year

Hiatus

HiatusApproximate datesUncertain

Left: Sammy Hagar

No Group Energy for this period. The band was inactive; the members listed remained in it.

Members during the hiatus
- Eddie Van Halen guitar, keyboards, backing vocals Kin 133 · Red Electric Skywalker
- Alex Van Halen drums Kin 25 · Red Crystal Serpent
- Michael Anthony live bass, backing vocals Kin 173 · Red Self-Existing Skywalker
Hagar leaves again after the 2004 tour.

Uncertain: The source's lineup table ends this lineup in 2005 but gives no month.

Sources [1] · Confidence: medium
2006 – 6 October 2020 · about 15 years

Roth returns with Wolfgang Van Halen

Uncertain

Joined: Wolfgang Van Halen, David Lee Roth · Left: Michael Anthony

Group Energy of this lineup

Kin 245 · Red Spectral Serpent

Kin 133 + Kin 25 + Kin 25 + Kin 62 → Kin 245

Changed from Kin 144 in the previous active lineup.

Members in this lineup
- Eddie Van Halen guitar, backing vocals Kin 133 · Red Electric Skywalker
- Alex Van Halen drums Kin 25 · Red Crystal Serpent
- David Lee Roth joins lead vocals, acoustic guitar Kin 25 · Red Crystal Serpent
- Wolfgang Van Halen joins bass, backing vocals Kin 62 · White Planetary Wind
Wolfgang Van Halen replaces Michael Anthony on bass and David Lee Roth returns. The lineup records A Different Kind of Truth (2012).

Uncertain: The source's introduction says Roth returned in 2006. The reunion tour was announced on 24 January 2007.

Sources [1] · Confidence: high

6 October 2020 — Eddie Van Halen dies; the band ends. Eddie Van Halen died on 6 October 2020. A month later Wolfgang Van Halen confirmed the band had ended.

How this timeline is built

Only official band members are counted in a period's Group Energy. Touring, offstage and session musicians, producers and guests are never counted.
Each person appears once in members, however many times they joined. A return is a second join of the same key, never a second person.
A period begins at each lineup change and ends at the next one. Periods are derived from the change log; they are never typed in by hand.
A period's Group Energy is the canonical Group Energy Calculator (combinedKin) run on the stored Kin of every member active in that period. If any active member has no SSP birth record, the period has no Group Energy rather than a partial one.
Periods marked inactive (hiatus) show who remained in the band but carry no Group Energy.
Dates use the precision the source gives (year, year-month, or day). approx marks a date the source gives only loosely or that sources dispute.
Period labels describe membership, not albums or styles.

Group Energy is read as the Dreamspell interpretation used by Decoding the Galactic Stars — a symbolic lens on each lineup, not a cause of the band's history.

Sources