earMusic [Release date: 09.06.23]

Extreme are back with their first album in 15 years, which is quite the hiatus by anyone’s standards. During that time the band have been working on and off and touring sporadically, but the guys are now back, focused, and by the sound of this album, hungry to prove they are still rocking on all cylinders.

Opener ‘Rise’ sets the stall out well with a chunky riff from Nuno Bettencourt driving on what is a ballsy rock song with a hard edge. This is the sound of a band with a point to prove and Nuno’s mid song solo serves as a reminder as to why Extreme were so successful back in the late 80’s and early 90’s.

‘Rebel’ then continues that heavy theme with another hard hitting riff and a strong vocal from Gary Cherone. Gary’s voice may have changed a bit over the years, but is still as strong as ever and the band’s trademark harmonies are still present and correct and ably demonstrated on the chorus of ‘Banshee’.

It’s not all straight forward rock though! Extreme have always been more than that and with ‘Other Side Of The Rainbow’ the band slow the pace and embark on the first melodic rock epic of the album. Lilting melodies and jangly guitars are the backbone here and add in another killer solo from Nuno to complete a cracking song which could feature on any summer soundtrack playlist.

The slower pace continues with ‘Small Town Beautiful’ which again has top notch harmonies that most bands would kill for. This song would have fitted perfectly on the bands ‘III Sides To Every Story’ album which is high praise indeed. ‘The Mask’ then brings back the rock with a chugging riff and tight bottom line provided by Pat Badger on bass and Kevin Figureirado on drums.

We stay in full rocking mode for ‘Thicker Than Blood’ which has a bit of a funky groove to it and a big chorus. This is followed by ‘Save Me’ which is a decent song, but a bit of a filler in all honesty, that jogs along nicely.

An Extreme album wouldn’t be complete without a big ballad and here ‘Hurricane’ fits the bill nicely. An acoustic led track with excellent vocal interplay between Chirone and Bettencourt, this will join nicely with ‘More Than Words’ in a live acoustic interlude come the tour.

Things then take an electronic twist with the keyboard intro and underlying melody of ‘X Out’. This is a bit of a left field track, but an interesting directional change for the album. ‘Beautiful Girls’ then gets us back on track with a throwaway, whimsical song which is also destined for that summertime playlist. You can almost see the tropical beach and the swaying palm trees in the distance…

That just leaves another big ballad, ‘Here’s To The Losers’, to round off the album. The track builds from a low key start, through sweeping verses into a big chorus, complete with a backing choir which then builds to a big finish.

This is a great album which finds a band revitalised and they sound keen to prove the naysayers wrong. There are a couple of less memorable tracks, but overall, the songs on offer are excellent melodic rock with some moments of musical brilliance.

It may have been 15 years, but Extreme still know how to rock!  ****

Review by Dave Wilson