After their excellent comeback single ‘Rise’, hard rockers Extreme return with more new music from their forthcoming album ‘Six‘.
Teased by guitarist Nuno Bettencourt on social media, the guitar legend and singer Gary Cherone (hard rock’s ‘Lennon and McCartney’) debated which track should be released next. Should it be ‘Banshee‘ or should it be ‘#Rebel’? It turns out we get both. Nuno you big tease.
Banshee
Banshee gives us more heavy rock, dirty guitars and lusciously pounding bass. We’re also back in classic American rock territory here, bringing to mind KISS, Aerosmith, Van Halen and Mr. Big‘s ‘Alive & Kicking’ .
Banshee also sounds like the first Extreme song since 1989 that wouldn’t have been out of place on their self-titled debut album. It feels like a nostalgia trip back to the past but without the cheddar cheese of their first release.
Just when you think you know where Extreme are going, after the pop sensibilities of ‘Rise‘ the band throw you a curve ball. ‘Banshee’ is grower, it takes a few listens to fully embed but once it’s in it sticks to you like a booger you just can’t flick. It’s also interesting that Extreme’s new releases aren’t far behind the metal sensibilities of 72 Seasons era Metallica.
Nuno Bettencourt’s guitar solos are reason enough to return to Extreme, and the Botticelli lipped axe man doesn’t disappoint. This is again in the Van Halen vibe, it’s short compared to ‘Rise‘ but guitar heads and YouTubers will be pouring over his virtuoso performance for months.
For those interested in the song’s composers, it’s great to see bassist Pat Badger throw his 4 string into the creative mix, with his first Extreme writing co-credit since 1995’s ‘Waiting for the Punchline’ album.
#Rebel
With #Rebel we’re again taking a vacation from familiar Extreme territory. It bassy, ballsy and dirty. This song also feels like Gary Cherone’s star moment, mixing both 90s metal with soaring 70s vocals.
On the new tracks Gary confesses “We couldn’t pick just one, so we decided to give you both! ‘#Rebel‘ is dedicated to those trolls who cant back up their words.” The lines “Instigator, Agitator, Rabble rouser, Trouble maker” feel politically poignant too, as certain world leaders use hatred and lies to rally the troops.
When Gary growls “You talking to me or walking away?” he brings a new passion and aggression to the party that echoes the Pantera classic ‘Walk’. With that, #Rebel could in fact be the heaviest song Extreme have ever recorded. There’s also a glorious scream at the end of the song that feels like it’s been ripped straight from Roger Daltrey’s lungs, in a homage to The Who’s ‘Love Reign Over Me’. This may be no coincidence, considering Gary’s time away from the day job with Who tribute ‘Slip Kid’.
#Rebel is also the second Extreme song to have been co-written by the hugely talented multi-instrumentalist Jordan Ferreira. We’ll have a full interview with Jordan coming soon but in the in meantime check out Bad Tattoo’s Drop The Needle feature, where Jordan talks about his new release ‘Voodoo‘.
SIX
Whilst Banshee and #Rebel might not have the immediate pop catchy-ness of Rise, these are songs that will quickly sink their teeth deep inside your brain. We’re now three songs in with Rise, Banshee and #Rebel working together, single-by-single, to build up to how ‘Six‘ may sound. Songs that to the casual listener, even to the casual Extreme fan, may not sound like Extreme. Nuno himself has said “Whatever you think an Extreme album is after two or even three songs, it’s not. True Extreme fans know to ‘expect the unexpected’.” It’s then you realise ‘Six’ is going to catch you off guard at every turn. More Than Words this not, and what we’ve got so far is more than words can convey and more than we could ever hope for.
For anyone who followed Extreme’s recent social media teasers, it’s also fun to hear these songs and where those snippets are starting to fit. For a reminder of these visit the Bad Tattoo feature: Extreme Tease First New Music in 15 Years.
So what’s next? Extreme are a band who wear their influences like scars on their hearts, and so far they’ve channelled Van Halen, Aerosmith and KISS, could we be getting something that resembles an epic Queen track? I hope so but for now we’ll just have to wait and rock out.
These are exciting new releases that show Extreme are a band that never stand still and in the musical Olympics, Extreme compete with no one.
‘Six’ drops June 9.
Pre-order now at: www.Extreme-Band.com
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