Multi-platinum hard rock icons Extreme have been steadily building the anticipation for their much-awaited new album SIX—due June 9th via earMUSIC—with three previously released heavy-hitting rock singles (Rise (listen here), Banshee (listen here) and #REBEL (listen here)). The band have today (May 31st) revealed a fourth single, Other Side Of The Rainbow, which shows off their more intimate side in the vein of previous singles such as the RIAA gold-certified, Billboard Hot 100 #1 hit More Than Words, Hole Hearted, and Seven Sundays. Other Side Of The Rainbow is one of Extreme’s most soulful journeys, taking listeners into the depths of the human heart. Stream/download it now here, watch the Other Side Of The Rainbow music video below.
“Every once in a while, we’ll harness some kind of magic, and I think we did on this one,” says frontman Gary Cherone. “It’s a universal theme. It’s about restoring someone’s faith in love…we feel that it’s the perfect marriage of lyrics and melody.”
Citing Brian May, Eddie Van Halen, and Neil Schon as particular influences, Extreme co-founder and guitarist Nuno Bettencourt asks, “How do you play a blistering solo, making it feel like a rainbow?” He goes on to share, “It’s a groove we’ve never done acoustically. It’s got my favorite guitar solo it’s an up-tempo, moving song.”
Extreme are currently gearing up to perform for audiences across the globe on their headlining Thicker Than Blood world tour. It stretches from August 2nd to December 16th and will see the band appear across the U.S., Australia, Japan, UK and Europe including specials guests Living Colour (U.S., Australia & UK only) and The Last Internationale (EU only). The tour has already sold-out dates in Hampton Beach, London, Melbourne, Tokyo, Amsterdam and more. Tickets are on sale now at extreme-band.com. See full dates listed here.
“Whatever you think an Extreme album is after two or even three songs, it’s not,” states 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. SIXis definitely modern, but you can put on headphones and go on a journey from top-to-bottom. It’s like ‘Extreme 2.0’.”
On SIX, Extreme swing between unapologetic fits of fret-burning hard rock and intimately introspective balladry. For the recording of the Bettencourt-produced 12-track album, the members–Cherone (vocals), Bettencourt (guitar), Pat Badger (bass), and Kevin Figueiredo (drums)–buckled down at Bettencourt’s home studio in Los Angeles to channel the electrifying eclecticism that defined their seminal output with a 21st century twist. Preorder “SIX” here.
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 BillboardHot 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.
SIX
The track listing is:
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
4 Responses
Glad to see Extreme (and Winger and some other 80/90s rock bands) are taking advantage of the lack of authenticity dominating the music scene. They know listeners want to see and hear real and skilled musicians making real and authentic music. I think this new album will be bigger and more impactful than they may be anticipating. Thank you, Extreme!
Amazing song with another amazing Nuno solo. These guys have not lost a step…this album is gonna be KILLER!!
In any other universe, where there weren’t just two or three radio conglomerates and super-targeted and limited playlists, this latest single would be a HUGE hit on multiple charts.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nx_b5nytSWA&t=291s
On a music nerd note, I love the middle eight in this song. Gary goes full Freddie Mercury in the notes that he hits. The song’s in a major key, but he’s doing all sorts of minor-ish things with the melody.
The promotion for this album is all over, the songs are absolutely fantastic, the performances flawless. I love Extreme. To me, they can do no wrong. Can’t wait to crank SIX!