Reviewed by Ian Phillips.
By Extreme, earMUSIC 2023.
Banshee and Rebel are the two singles that have been released from Extreme’s new album, Extreme 6, which is due to drop on June 9.
Both tracks have already created a storm with the video for Rebel clocking up more than two million streams since its March 1 release.
Both tracks have earned high praise from international media outlets including Consequence, Classic Rock, Music Radar, and Guitar World.
In particular guitarist Nuno Bettencourt has been singled out for his searing work including accolades from peers such as Brian May of Queen.
He really is something special with his solos being lauded by pros and bedroom shredders alike.
The clips for the two tracks show the band in full flight which is a pleasant change from the usual mini movie approach and gives a good insight into their explosive power.
The band from Boston USA consists of vocalist Gary Cherone, guitarist/producer Nuno Bettencourt, bassist Pat Badger, and Kevin Figueiredo on drums and their sound is best described as hard/heavy rock rather than heavy metal.
The album is not all peddle to the metal hard rock. It swings between fret-burning hard rock riffing and introspective balladry.
Although the band have built their reputation on the back of their immense sound (check out the stack of speakers behind bassist Badger in the clips) they are not afraid to throw in some unpredictability in the form of emotional ballads.
It’s been there in all their albums and adds to their versatility.
Extreme’s music/songs have appeared in the cult series Bill & Ted as well as the hit Netflix series Strange Things.
They’ve sold more than 10 million records, topped the Billboard hot 100 at #1, packed out venues around the world, performed at the Freddy Mercury Tribute Concert in London, and average more than 5 million monthly listeners on Spotify.
They are bringing their Extreme 6 world tour to our shores in September with shows in Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane.
If you like your rock hard fast and heavy check them out on YouTube. You’ll be hard pressed seeing a better guitarist than Bettencourt.
