Although Michael Anthony has been absent from Van Halen since 2006, he shared his thoughts on a potential new album that is reportedly in development.

“The way I personally feel about it is, if they wanted to do it justice, [the best idea would be] to just finish it up as a great instrumental nod to Eddie [Van Halen],” he expressed during a recent interview with Matt Spatz of WNCX. “You know, because getting a new singer in there, we’re not forming a new band, and then you’ve got to work on lyrics and all that stuff. And who knows when anything would be put out at that point.”

What Could Fans Expect From New Van Halen Music?

Alex Van Halen is spearheading the project, which Anthony is not part of. It revolves around unfinished recordings that Alex and Eddie worked on while the group was still active, with Wolfgang Van Halen playing bass during that period.

Longtime friend and collaborator Steve Lukather of Toto is assisting the drummer in reviewing the audio. As Alex mentioned in an interview with the YouTube channel KazaGastao, they will approach this matter with great care regarding what is released to fans.

“Many people have asked, what about releasing unreleased stuff?’ Well, we’re not gonna release it in its embryonic form because it wouldn’t make any sense,” he stated. “It has to be of the quality and the level of where we left it. Not just to say, ‘Hey, here’s some music that we made. If you like it, that’s great.’ No, It has to be the quality that we expect.”

Who Will Sing on the New Songs?

As Alex revealed during the same interview, they have some ideas and mentioned Bad Company vocalist Paul Rodgers as one specific person who had been approached, although he declined to participate.

In a separate statement, Rodgers clarified his reasons for not accepting the invitation. “To squash the rumors… My health is good,” he said. “I feel fit and strong and I am rehearsing to perform March 2nd at the Adopt the Arts Sound and Vision Awards in Palm Springs. Thanks to Van Halen for inviting me to work on a track with them, but I am in my acoustic, zen phase of life.”

Former vocalists Sammy Hagar and David Lee Roth were not referenced in Alex’s comments during the conversation.

READ MORE: Here’s Why Hagar and Roth Won’t Be on Van Halen’s New Album

What is Michael Anthony Doing Now?

The legendary bassist will return to the stage with Hagar starting Mar. 11 for the next round of the Red Rocker’s popular Las Vegas residency. He will also take the band, featuring guitarist Joe Satriani, drummer Kenny Aronoff, and keyboardist Greg Phillinganes, on a short tour both here and in the U.K.

“When I first met him, it was on a band level, and then as we hung out more and more, his affection towards cars really grasped me,” he told Meltdown of Talkin’ Rock in a separate interview. “I only owned about two cars before Sammy joined the band, and much to my wife’s dismay, I ended up owning about 10 cars.”

“And of course, Sammy is a beach guy, and I’m a beach guy. We both live at the beach out here in Southern California,” he continued. “And so we’ve got a lot of stuff like that in common. And it’s great. But stemming from our love of music, Sammy and I get together as much as we can now when we’re around. He’s got a place in Hawaii, so he spends a lot of time over there now.”

The era of Hagar and Anthony in Van Halen will be celebrated with a new expanded reissue of the 5150 album, which is set to be released on Mar. 27.