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Fifteen years is a hell of a long wait for an album, but ‘Six’ is totally worth it. The three singles that were released were already worth the weight of a full album anyway, and then we get another nine tunes on top of that, all the way through straight bangers that perfectly evoke the peak of glam metal while still keeping it fresh. ‘Rise’, ‘#Rebel’, and ‘Banshee’ blur past so quickly in a blaze of choice vocals from Gary Cherone and an unbelievably sweet little guitar solo from Nuno Bettencourt.
There’s so much energy in every minute of the album that we barely even have time for a ballad break in ‘Small Town Beautiful’, and even then, it errs more on the side of power ballad than anything else. The song is a great display of Cherone’s voice, a well-oiled machine with just enough of a rough edge to suit the music to a T. It also leads into ‘The Mask’, a thumping, low number with a heady rhythm and a heartfelt if a little surface-level lecture on the nuances of human beings. That’s then followed by my favourite on the album, ‘Thicker Than Blood’. It’s repetitive and anthemic and Bettencourt absolutely shreds through the guitar on the track and the message of getting to choose your family is one that really resonates.
The last few songs on the album are an eclectic mixture of genres and tastes, with ‘Beautiful Girls’ being a much lighter song than its heavy predecessor ‘X Out’, but both somehow suiting Cherone’s vocals perfectly. The former wouldn’t feel much out of place on a regular chart radio station, or on the soundtrack for a Caribbean-set romcom, and the guitar solo is a fun, more bouncy number than the structure on most of the other songs on the album.
We close out on ‘Here’s to the Losers’, a touching tribute to trying even if you don’t make it, that combines a sort of melancholic touch with an uplifting message. The false ending leading into the acapella choir chorus adds that extra lovely touch to make it all that more of an inspiration. Winning indeed isn’t everything, but this album is a real win anyway, and while it probably won’t suit everyone’s tastes, there’s something for everyone in there anyway, and all of it makes for a great comeback that showcases a lot of talent that hasn’t been diminished over the years by any means.
‘Six’ is available June 9th on earMUSIC
Review – El Vipond
Photo credit: Jessie Lirola
Extreme 2023 live dates:
September 2023
Wed 06 – Astor Theatre, Perth #
Fri 08 – Hindley Street Music Hall, Adelaide #
Sun 10 – Forum Theatre, Melbourne #
Tue 12 – Enmore Theatre, Sydney #
Wed 13 – Fortitude Music Hall, Brisbane #
Sun 17- Sendai GIGS
Tue 19 – KT Zepp Yokohama
Thu 21 – Tokyo Hitomi Memorial Hall
Mon 25 – Nagoya Shimin Kaikan Hall
Tue 26 – Osaka Zepp Namba
# with Living Colour
November 2023
Mon 27 – UK, Newcastle – o2 City Hall
Tue 28 – UK, Glasgow, o2 Academy
Thu 30 – UK Manchester, Academy
December 2023
Fri 01 – UK, Wolves Civic
Sun 03 – UK, Bristol Academy
Mon 04 – UK, London, Forum
Thu 07 – France, Paris – Salle Pleyel
Fri 08 – Switzerland, Pratteln/Basel – Konzertfabrik Z7
Sun 10 – Germany, Berlin – Huxleys
Mon 11 – Germany, Cologne – Live Music Hall
Tue 12 – Holland, Amsterdam – Melkweg Max
Thu 14 – Belgium, Antwerp – Trix
Sat 16 – Italy, Milan – Alcatraz
Living Colour support for the UK, The Last Internationale support for the EU.
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