Scott's Song By Song #2-- Extreme: Six
Originally posted September 9, 2024
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Time for installment #2 of Scott’s Song by Song (#scottssongbysong). For more information, see the following thread:
NOTE...THE REST OF THE REVIEW IS POSTED IN THE COMMENTS BELOW (Parts, 2,3,&4).
Today I’ll be delving into the most recent album by the band Extreme, “Six.” This is conveniently their sixth album since 1989. After the mid 90s, Extreme albums have been few and far between; Six was released on June 9, 2023 while its predecessor “Saudades De Rock,” came out in August of 2008, nearly 15 years earlier. Six is the second Extreme album to feature drummer Kevin Figueiredo (AKA K-Fig, which I’ll use), who was a student of his predecessor Mike Mangini (later of Dream Theater). The rest of the line-up is rounded out by the three original members, Gary Cherone (Lead Vocals), Nuno Bettencourt (Lead Guitar and Vocals, occasionally singing lead), and Pat Badger (Bass & Harmony Vocals). While Extreme are best known for their first 3 albums which featured Paul Geary on Drums, “Six” has been a major comeback for the band. Eight of the album’s 12 tracks have music videos on YouTube, with lead-off single “Rise” getting over 1,000,000 views in the first week of release. Most people would categorize Extreme as Hard Rock/Melodic Metal, which is a nice fit. They have the ability to cross into other genres effortlessly. I even consider the 1992 album “III Sides to Every Story” to be a bit of a heavy prog album. But let’s dig into “Six!”
Track 1 - Rise.
This song’s music video caused quite a stir when it hit YouTube on March 1 of 2023 (3 months ahead of the album’s release). YouTuber Rick Beato featured the song on his channel to talk about the guitar solo, and off we went. More on the solo a bit later. The song begins with a fairly straight-forward rock riff with a dropped-D tuning (tuning the lowest string on the guitar down a whole-step from an E to a D). After a few reps, K-Fig enters with a slammin’ hard rock beat. Badger’s bass & Cherone’s lead vocals enter at 10 seconds, and we’re off and running! This is a great up tempo rocker. There is a pre-chorus starting at around 30 seconds and at 43 seconds we hit the first chorus which has a half-time feel. With “gang singing” and Cherone in a call & response, Nuno plays a nice melodic ostinato (repeating pattern) in the background which helps to propel the song forward. The next verse follows in a similar (but not exactly the same) vein to the first one, with a pre-chorus and chorus following. I believe there are more vocal harmonies this time around. At 2:05, we hit the short bridge in which Gary’s vocals and Nuno’s guitar do a call and response of 2-note patterns. Then comes “THE SOLO!” Starting at 2:17, Nuno is playing a tremolo picking pattern somewhat reminiscent of Eddie Van Halen (one of Nuno’s heroes). The rhythm section plays accents only, so that Nono’s guitar really stands out. While this is excellent playing, the first half of the solo is NOT what all the fuss is about. After a dive-bomb and some other whammy bar tricks, he goes into a very well-executed, flashy, fast solo, which is STILL not the big story here. Anyone familiar with Nuno’s playing expects that from him. However, it’s the section that begins at 2:50 that had all of guitardom’s collective jaws hanging open. Nuno launches into a palm-muted, quickly played extravaganza that must be heard, or even better, seen to be believed. This solo falls into the game-changer category. While Nuno is doing this there are chord changes and vocal harmonies that really are integral to the full effect of the solo. Following the solo, Nuno plays a variation of the melodic ostinato he’s been playing during the chorus and then the band kicks back in with the chorus. The chorus repeats a few times with variations in the instruments and lead vocals as we go along. No cut & paste production jobs here. This is a veteran band doing it old school. At 4:06 the opening riff returns and the band ad libs a bit until the end at 4:28 and then the final cymbal crash fades out. Brilliantly-done classic hard rock song with some head turning twists! The old guard coming back to show the new guys how it’s done!
Track 2 - #REBEL (Pronounced Hashtag Rebel.)
After some sound effects, which fade-in, Nuno kicks us off again with another great rock riff, this time in standard tuning. The rhythm section plays a few accents, Gary gives us a grunt, and we’re off and rockin’. K-Fig has a nice syncopated double-bass-drum pattern here. The verse begins with the bass & drums doing accents while Nuno basically palm-mutes a chord, so that Gary’s vocals really stand out. The chorus uses the intro riff as the backdrop, while Gary sings: “Hey! You got something to say? You’re talking to me as you're walking away!” The riff and a Nuno fill using harmonics takes us to the second verse, but this time the band plays steadily. The second chorus is similar to the first, but this time there are more vocal harmonies. This time Gary sings a mockingly, sing-song, “Na na na na na na na.” over the main riff.. Pat plays a nice fill to lead us into the bridge on the bass. Only Nuno’s chunky guitar accompanies Gary here as he sings “Instigator-Agitator, Rebel-Rouser, Trouble-Maker.” Then there is a series of descending vocal harmonies that lead us to the guitar solo. The solo begins at 2:25 with Nuno doubling Gary’s voice on some long sustained notes, then it opens up into some wonderful Nuno cacophony, including pick-hand tapping and some great licks. Nuno and Gary play call and response again coming out of the solo. A chorus follows with nice 3 part harmonies in the vocals. Following that, they keep the riff going, with the mocking “na-na-na…” part. There is a nice turn-around riff on the guitar, and then Pat plays the bass fill again. There is a variation of the bridge and then Gary holds out the word “rebel!” a cappella to close out the song. Great hard rockin’ tune!
Track 3 - Banshee
Time for a bit of an 80’s hair metal groove with this one. Once again Nuno kicks off the festivities with another cool hard rockin’ riff. This song, to me though, has a bit more of a Motley Crue type of thing happening (a bit in the style of “Girls, Girls, Girls”). The band hits accents , then settles into a groove before Gary starts singing. The song also reminds me a bit of “Alive and Kickin’” from Mr. Big. The chorus has nice sustained notes with harmonies. “Sheeeeeee. Bansheeeeee…” etc. Another verse & chorus follows, with more vocal harmonies on the verse this time around. Gary ad libs more on the second chorus. The song modulates down for the solo which has a very Crue-like rhythm bed under Nuno’s playing. He’s a bit blusier here, not that he doesn’t play some impressive licks along the way! This one seems a slight bit dialed down compared to the first two in terms of Nuno’s solo–but even dialed-down Nuno is a force to be reckoned with. The riff returns following the solo with Gary & Nuno (possibly Pat as well) singing some notes in harmony that remind me of a siren on an emergency vehicle. We come back to the chorus with some variations on the structure and a nifty descending guitar riff closes out this rocker.
Track 4 - Other Side of the Rainbow
Time for a change of pace, with a 12-String acoustic based song that has a bit of a folk-rock feel to it. It begins with an arpeggiated chord pattern from Nuno, joined by the rhythm section leading into the first verse. The verse stays on the intro pattern, then the chorus kicks in with big open strummed chords, and a breezy rhythm from the rhythm section. The vocal harmonies sparkle on this one, accented by lead vocals from Gary. Another verse follows with a nice melody. A second similar chorus follows. The bridge takes over at around 2:06 with higher-up-the-neck chords and even higher vocal lines from Gary. His voice is in great shape for being over 60 years old and singing hard rock for more than 30 years professionally. Some harmony “ooos” join in behind him for the second part of the bridge. The arpeggios from the intro return, and this leads us to the guitar solo. Nuno switches to electric for the wonderful Brian-May-inspired solo, which is beautifully structured. (Note, this was a really cool moment live when Allison and I saw them last March. Nuno had the 12-string on a stand with his electric strapped on. At the solo time, Gary seamlessly took over the chords on the 12-String while Nuno soloed. Well done!) Another chorus follows the solo. This song has such positive energy that one can’t help but feel good while it plays. A quick snippet of the intro closes out the song. This may be my favorite on the album.
Track 5 - Small Town Beautiful
OK, so this is another acoustic based one. It's a slow tempo ballad. For the first minute or so, it is just Nuno on a 12-String and Gary’s vocals, with harmonies from Nuno. Gary’s voice is extremely beautiful as well as Nuno's chord changes. Pat & K-Fig kick in around 1:12 with an almost Beatle-esque beat for the chorus. Everyone but Nuno drops back out between the chorus and verse 2. The rhythm section and Gary join back in for the second verse. Lovely harmonies begin with the word “inside” It sounds as though Gary & Nuno trade-off on vocals for a few phrases in the pre-chorus. At 3:00 on the nose, Nuno begins a solo that is mostly melodic in nature on the electric guitar, with some complicated flourishes, of course. It reminds me a bit of Brian May’s solo in Queen’s “The Miracle”. Another chorus follows with fantastic harmonies and some variations thrown in. The short ending is almost country-flavored. Fantastic track!
Track 6 - The Mask
Another favorite from the album, this one is down & dirty blues-rock. Nuno sings Lead vocals on much (but not all) of this one. He claims to be copying Jim Morrison’s voice, but it’s a little closer to Billy Idol to my ears. But the song kicks off with Pat & K-Fig establishing a blues-rock shuffle. Nuno begins singing with a sneer in his voice: “We’re all sinners & we’re all saints…” Gary takes over at 43 seconds on the chorus of “Take off your mask and show me who you are…” softly at first with only bass accompaniment , then much louder when the full band including Nuno’s guitar at 57 seconds. The second verse follows at around 1:12, with Nuno once again on vocals, but this time, there are guitar accents between lines. The second half of the verse has guitar harmonics behind the vocals, then Gary starts singing with Nuno before he takes back over on vocals for the chorus. This time the chorus comes right in heavy! At about 2:10, Nuno takes over vocals a cappella on “I’ll take the blame for all my sins, but I won’t take the hate…” then Gary joins in with Nuno on the rest of the line “...for what you imagine!” Some harmony “oohs” join in following some repeats of “for what you imagine,” (nice bass fill from Pat, BTW). Next, there is an instrumental break that reminds me of a riff in Journey’s song “La Do Da.” This leads to the guitar solo, which is a bluesy wah-wah affair. Gary begins the next verse in a higher register before he and Nuno trade lines vocally, following the solo. At 3:40, everything but the guitar drops out and Nuno sings “show me who you are,” a few times, before the band returns full-force with another chorus. This time, the lyrics are “Take off my mask, I’ll show you who I am.” After the final time there are 2 short beats, then two notes to close-out the track. Great track.
Track 7 - Thicker than Blood
The band took the name of this year’s tour from this song. After a snare hit, the band comes in with a slightly funky riff that sounds like there is a synth bass sound in the mix. Gary joins in with lower range vocals. At around 30 seconds, Pat is solo on the bass with fuzz and vibrato effects. Then Gary comes in with a highly-processed vocal sound on “love is all, all you need…” etc. The full band kicks back in for the chorus “Love is thicker than blood!” Another similar verse follows, but with variations in the guitar fills and backing vocals. Old school bands like this rarely do the things exactly the same as sections repeat. It keeps the music more interesting.. Another highly effect-laden pre-chorus follows. The chorus follows with more harmonies this time. Then we go back to the funky intro beat to set up for the solo. The solo is probably my favorite part of the song. Nuno begins with some high-pitched, relatively-simple, licks. Then he begins to get more tricky as he goes, adding in an octave effect of some kind. By 2:35 or so, the licks become insanely difficult. There is a bridge following the solo, which has some guitar fills between phrases. Then another effect-filled pre-chorus comes in, this time with crowd noises and a long-held Robert Plant style note leading back to the chorus. There are some “Love, Love Love, Love,” backing vocals which actually end the song a-cappella.
Track 8 - Save Me
(Not to be confused with the Queen song of the same name.)
This is another one I don’t know as well as there is no video for this one. It begins with a kind of mysterious guitar tone and wordless harmony vocals that kind of overlap one another. However, at 24 seconds, a heavy guitar riff takes over by Nuno, joined by a bass drum beat and more wordless vocals (aahhhs) by Gary. The drumbeat then establishes itself fully and the riff is highly syncopated. The first verse begins at around 54 seconds. The riff changes slightly at what I’ll call a false pre-chorus, because it turns around into another verse rather than a chorus. Then we hit the chorus without a pre-chorus. So a bit of song-structure trickery from the guys here. I don’t think the bass entered until the chorus. It drops back out again, along with the drums, for the next verse. Halfway through the verse the rhythm section returns. This time the pre-chorus does lead to the chorus! There are cool backing harmonies on the second verse. Nuno rips into a solo following the chorus at 3:22. A bit of wah-wah and some EVH style tapping licks. Wow, what a sequence of runs starting at 3:48! The solo closes out and we return to the riff and ahhs from the beginning. The song ends with another chorus that ends kind of suddenly with the word “die”. A hard rocking tune with some interesting twists and turns.
Part 3, tracks 9-12
Track 9 - Hurricane
Got ‘em?
OK, let’s proceed.
As you might have guessed, this one is a real tear-jerker. It’s inspired by the loss of one of Nuno’s friends in a motorcycle accident. Nuno quietly counts the song in then plays a fingerstyle six-string acoustic pattern with a descending bass line. Nuno then sings first and trades lines with Gary. Each voice is panned to one side or the other (Nuno on my left, Gary on my right). Each are singing lines reminiscing about a lost loved one. Then one sings a solo, haunting “oohhh” between verses. Gary starts first this time. Then Nuno, but they finish that line in harmony (“you’re calling out my name”). Another “oohhh”, but this time there is a second in harmony. Then they start by trading shorter phrases, then join in harmony. Nuno plays an acoustic solo at around 1:50. Harmony “oohhs follow and they are hauntingly beautiful. The chorus comes in with light strings in the background.
My heart is in a Hurricane
a gust of emptiness and pain
is this the storm before the calm
Where the moon spills through the trees
and the crow calls out to me
In harmony to sing along
Nuno then sings the first half of the chorus by himself and the pain in his voice is palpable. Gary completes the chorus but leaves out the final line and a final guitar strum ends it. Take a moment to get yourself together, it's ok.
Track 10 - X Out
Radio and TV personality Eddie Trunk says that this is his favorite track from the album. It’s one of the ones I don’t know as well, but I remember thinking it was not what I am looking for from Extreme, but let me take another listen. It’s the longest song on the album at almost 6 minutes.
It starts with what sounds like a synth riff (Nuno is credited with keyboards as well, so I suppose it is). Gary comes in after a few seconds, along with drums and bass. The drums have a slightly Kashmir feel, but the synth riff does not. The rhythm section drops out at around 55 seconds and the sound is smoother on the synths. Gary sings some beautiful vocal lines and then Nuno (I think) whisper-sings “X Out, X Out….” The heavier synth riff returns following that and the groove comes back for the next verse. The softer chorus returns again. This time the “X Out” phrase returns and is sung by more voices and the rhythm section joins in. Nuno begins to solo around 3:30, with a middle eastern flavor. The solo ends at 4:07 and it's the smooth part again. This time there is a melody along with it either on a gentle keyboard tone or possibly with acoustic guitar, kind of hard to tell the way it’s mixed. Nuno comes in with low register vocals with the sustained synth sounds continuing. Gary then joins him. There is a crescendo then the rhythm section returns. That melody returns with the X Out phrase being repeated and Gary ad-libbing vocals over the top when the song comes to an abrupt end. I have a feeling that with a few more listens, I'll come to love it, as it's kind of proggy in nature. I just haven’t fully wrapped my mind around it yet.
Track 11 - Beautiful Girls
(Not to be confused with the Van Halen song of the same name.)
OK, time to grab the sunscreen and have a Margarita! A few timbale taps bring us into another acoustic based song, but this one has a Caribbean flavor. The lyrics begin with the chorus in harmony– “All around the world, there are so many beautiful girls.” The verses are in a call and response style between Gary and harmony backing vocals. The whole song is in a reggae vibe and it's just a bit of fun. But there are a lot of interesting things, arrangement-wise. At around 2:28 Nuno plays an electric solo, with (once again) a bit of a Brian May feel to it; albeit with a shredding run at the end. Following the solo, the vocals are nearly a-cappella with minimal backing. The rhythm of the words is rapid and there are trade-offs between solo and harmony vocals. The rhythm section and guitars come back at around 3 minutes. Between the solo and the next chorus they are describing various “types” of girls, but in a positive way. I believe that the point of the song is that really, all women are beautiful in their own way regardless of ethnicity, body types, etc. The music video reinforces this. It has a positive vibe all around it. The song ends with the phrase, in harmony, “Beautiful, beautiful girls,” a-cappella. Not my favorite song, but a fun song with a positive message, for sure.
Track 12 - Here’s to the Losers
The final track is another one I am not as familiar with. It begins with an arpeggiated acoustic guitar part. Gary starts singing after about 6 seconds. The guitar changes to a strum pattern at around 32 seconds. The rhythm section enters at around 1 minute in for the chorus. There's a bit of “gang singing” but the vibe is totally positive. The theme of the song seems to be “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.” As is well established by now there are some wonderful harmonies along the way. The second verse begins with the rhythm section along for the ride. Nuno starts playing lead guitar phrases at 3:00 but the vocals alternate singing the title line. The actual guitar solo begins around 3:20. Following the guitar solo, they do the pre-chorus, then there is a key change (!) going back into the chorus (a whole-step up, I believe). At 4:07 Gary sings the title phrase, but holds the note and the band drops out. It seems like the end, but there is nearly a minute left. (I smell a hidden track…) After about 20 seconds, the chorus of the song fades back in, a-cappella style. It sounds like an audience singing along. There are cheers then the song concludes. Nice track!
Part 4/TLDR Version
OVERALL IMPRESSIONS:
An excellent album indeed! It starts with 3 hard rockers, but then gets more diverse. The arrangements are great! I don’t believe any song section repeated in exactly the same way throughout all 12 tracks. There are no songs that I flat-out don’t like, but I do like some a little less than the others. The album did well on the US charts and around the world:
In the U.S., SIX sold an impressive 15k units in its first week and charted on five different Billboard charts: Top Hard Rock Albums, #2; Top Album Sales and Top Current Album Sales, #10; Independent Albums, #14; Artist Top 100, #42 and Top 200, #67.
If you like eclectic hard rock with some unexpected twists & turns, I HIGHLY recommend this one! It is EXTREME-ly good! I give it a 4.75 out of 5 stars!
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