Extreme
Saudades De Rock

I have to admit it. Among all the reunions, I never would have expected the one from Extreme, a band that I had already deemed defunct after the excellent studio works they had delivered to us.

My favorite album by the Bettencourt - Cherone lineup will always be "Pornograffiti", an unmatched album of funky-heavy metal music. Actually, unbeatable in its genre, period.

That's why I was a bit skeptical about yet another reunion attempt from one of the many old glories of the past. Nuno Bettencourt, as a soloist, must not have been doing too well, given the unpleasant works he released, while Gary Cherone must have really hit rock bottom with the album "Van Halen III", not through his own fault, let's be clear, but due to a lack of inspiration in what could have been a good attempt at emulating heavy metal but ended up being, as we all know, an utter debacle.

And, at this point, when the money isn't enough, not even scraping it together to buy a kilo of bread to get through another day, that's when a reunion seems truly indispensable. And, even the Extreme are not exempt from this difficult decision. Extreme are back in the studio all together, Bettencourt on guitar, Cherone on vocals, and the trusty Pat Badger. However, they find themselves missing an important piece, drummer Paul Geary, who is now more comfortable in the role of manager than drummer. A loss that's not felt (what luck!) because the new drummer, Kevin "Figg" Figueiredo, demonstrates technical prowess that absolutely compares well to that of his predecessor.

Speaking of the album... well, it is exactly what one would expect from Extreme. There's everything; it ranges from dynamic and funky-heavy "Star" (the album's opener) where the technical skills of the musicians stand out magnificently, to songs where the test of excellence is offered by the monstrously impeccable skills of Nuno-Piovra (listen to the amusing country-flavored "Take Us Alive", where our favorite guitarist indulges in his pyrotechnic tricks) and from the good Gary "golden voice" Cherone who delivers a couple of high-class performances in songs like "Lost Hour" and "Ghost". Ballads are not missing either, although the times of "More Than Words" and "Song For Love" are unreachable. I'm referring to the bluesy "Peace (Saudade)", a tear-jerking song trying to echo "When I First Kissed You".

In conclusion: is it an excellent work? We’re in the middle, because, in the long run, the album gets a bit lost in its own broth and the soup, while well-made, risks becoming too exuberant in its ingredients. To be clear: the soup might be liked or disliked. In this case, it’s not that it’s disliked but it’s not a masterpiece of high culinary art either.

Deep down, maybe I remain too attached to the old Extreme, perhaps the urge to attempt a reunion at all costs is not always synonymous with high quality. However, I don’t feel I need to be so ruthless as to wreck the album with hatchet blows, also because the boys bring out all their potential and show that, when they whip out the skills, you can sense and see them even from those who are deaf, mute, and blind.

A pleasant album that won’t tire you out after the first listen but that, perhaps, given the too many songs (14, including a demo track), will make you feel a bit heavy (still on the theme of soup) right after the middle of the album.

Sufficient.