Extreme announce first album in 15 years, unveil video for new single Rise

(Image credit: Jessie Lirola)

Funk metal legends Extreme have announced their first album since Saudades de Rock was released in 2008. Six will hit the shelves on June 9 via earMusic, and is preceded by the single Rise.

“Musically, it’s aggressive,” says frontman Gary Cherone. “Lyrically, it’s a cautionary tale on the rise and fall of fame. You get seduced into it. Once you’re on top, they’ll rip you apart and tear you down. That’s the nature of the beast.”

The video comes with a video directed by Bettencourt, most recently spotted enjoying his other role as Rihanna's guitarist during this year's Super Bowl half-time show. Bettencourt also produced the album, which was recorded at his home studio in Los Angeles.

“When Eddie Van Halen passed, it really hit me,” says Bettencourt. “I’m not going to be the one who will take the throne, but I felt some responsibility to keep guitar playing alive. So, you hear a lot of fire on the record.”

“With Extreme, there’s always a lot of passion and a little piss and vinegar,” confirms Cherone. “We’re not in competition with anybody else, but we strive to outdo ourselves. There are some moments on this album where we did. We’ve managed to stay together after all these years. We feel like we have something to prove when we get on stage or in the studio. Because of that, I believe some of these songs are among the best we’ve written.”

“Whatever you think an Extreme album is after two or even three songs, it’s not,” adds Bettencourt. “That goes for every record we’ve ever done. True Extreme fans know to ‘expect the unexpected.’ I feel like we need a good old-school rock album. Six is definitely modern, but you can put on headphones and go on a journey from top-to-bottom. It’s like ‘Extreme 2.0’.”

Six is available to pre-order now. 2023 tour dates will be announced in due course.

Extreme: Six tracklist

1. Rise
2. #Rebel
3. Banshee
4. Other Side Of The Rainbow
5. Small Town Beautiful
6. The Mask
7. Thicker Than Blood
8. Save Me
9. Hurricane
10. X Out
11. Beautiful Girls
12. Here’s To The Losers

Extreme - Six cover art — (Image credit: earMusic)

Online Editor at Louder/Classic Rock magazine since 2014. 40 years in music industry, online for 27. Also bylines for: Metal Hammer, Prog Magazine, The Word Magazine, The Guardian, The New Statesman, Saga, Music365. Former Head of Music at Xfm Radio, A&R at Fiction Records, early blogger, ex-roadie, published author. Once appeared in a Cure video dressed as a cowboy, and thinks any situation can be improved by the introduction of cats. Favourite Serbian trumpeter: Dejan Petrović.