Greg Prato recently spoke with Extreme frontman Gary Cherone for Songfacts, discussing the band's forthcoming album, Six, and looking back on the Extreme's career. An excerpt is available below.
Songfacts: Let's discuss the new Extreme album, Six. How does the songwriting work now compared to earlier albums?
Gary Cherone: "As far as me and Nuno (Bettencourt / guitar), it's pretty much always been the same, most of the time inspired by a guitar first. And if something moves me, I'll write a lyric. It evolved after the band split up in '95-'96. We started writing separately and with other people, so there's some contributions from other people on this record. But as far as me and Nuno, it's pretty much always been the same. Sometimes I'll hand him a lyric that might inspire something, put him on the piano, and vice versa."
Songfacts: What was the lyrical inspiration behind the song, "Rise"?
Cherone: "We touched upon that on a few records. I think it's a sister to 'Hip Today' off of Punchline (1995 album Waiting For The Punchline), and we touched on that subject on the last record in 2008 (Saudades De Rock) with a song called 'Star'. As far as the theme, it's a cautionary tale on the rise and fall of fame. Or sacrificing yourself on the altar of success. The pitfalls of what comes along with having our dreams come true.
It's funny, the chorus is almost misleading in the sense that it's uplifting. 'We're going to lift you up, up. Rise.' But then the third line is, 'We're gonna raise you up, then rip you apart.' I see these reaction videos where new fans are watching the video and they're trying to explain, 'Oh, it's an uplifting song.' And then they hear that line and you see them twisting their heads, going, 'This isn't what I thought it was.'"
Songfacts: What's another new track that means a lot to you lyrically?
Cherone: "The first one that comes to mind is 'Thicker Than Blood'. It's a heavier theme. I don't think there's anything any writer can write new under the sun, it's just from their perspective. So, 'Thicker Than Blood'" you could say it's topical today with division going on politically, but I try to write in a general sense where it can relate to hopefully 10-20 years from now. 'Thicker Than Blood' is a critique of tribalism, and love is the vehicle to move you past that tribalism. In times of fear and anxiety, people withdraw to their tribes, and it's harder to love the neighbor, it's harder to love the stranger. This song is a critique of that, saying love is the answer to that."
Read the complete interview here.
“Musically, it’s aggressive,” says Gary about album opener “Rise”. “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.”
“When Eddie Van Halen passed, it really hit me,” shares Nuno. “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 the force of a wrecking ball, Extreme swing between unapologetic fits of fret-burning hard rock and intimately introspective balladry on the 12-track SIX, which also features such tracks as “Other Side of The Rainbow,” “#Rebel,” and “X Out.” For the recording of the Nuno-produced SIX, the members buckled down at his home studio in Los Angeles. Once again, they channeled the electrifying eclecticism that defined their seminal output with a 21st century twist.
This dynamic affirms the iconic Boston quartet as one of rock’s most unpredictable, undeniable, and unbreakable groups whose songs course through the very fabric of popular culture. They’re the rare band whose music has appeared in an actual cult series a la Bill & Ted as well as the Netflix juggernaut “Stranger Things.” They’ve sold 10 million records, topped the Billboard Hot 100 at #1, packed major venues on multiple continents, memorably performed at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert in London, and regularly average over 5 million monthly listeners on Spotify. However, their dynamic approach hits harder than ever on their 2023 full-length offering, SIX.
“With Extreme, there’s always a lot of passion and a little piss and vinegar,” says Gary. “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 of 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,” states Nuno. “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’.”
Pre-order SIX here.
SIX tracklisting:
"Rise"
"#Rebel"
"Banshee"
"Other Side of the Rainbow"
"Small Town Beautiful"
"The Mask"
"Thicker Than Blood"
"Save Me"
"Hurricane"
"X Out"
"Beautiful Girls"
"Here's To The Losers"
"Rise"
"Hip Today"
