Mourning Widows
Furnished Souls For Rent

"Souls for Rent": this is the meaning of the title of the third solo album by Nuno Bettencourt (yes! He is the guitarist of Extreme). "Fournished souls for rent". It is his second album under the name Mourning Widows, whose logo is also tattooed on the good Nuno's arm.

It is a raw and somewhat angry rock album, at times violent and at times more subdued. If you're angry with the world, it will definitely suit you. The dominant element is almost always the "big riffs" of the guitar doubled by the bass, all seasoned with the masterful drumming of Jeff Consi. The lyrics are quite well-crafted, although sometimes the author indulges a bit in nonsense.

The album opens with the title track "Fournished souls for rent": a violent riff in drop-D, a very rhythmic vocal that explodes into a very melodic chorus. The solo is mind-blowing, both for technique and sound. The song speaks of a woman, perhaps a prostitute judging by the lyrics, who with her violence, her sweetness, manages to lend us her soul for a while.

The second song, perhaps the most beautiful, perhaps not, is "No Regrets". This is a truly ROCK track! The riff instantly gets into your head and Nuno's voice is used to perfection. Shouted when needed, melodic in the bridge. The short solo picks up a bit of the chorus melody before closing with a very fast tail. A great track indeed. Also in drop-D (a somewhat monotonous feature, if you will, of most of the songs on the album). It is a song that incites rebellion against what in our life doesn't work, all those habits that block us, make us conform: ("Don't obey the teacher, quit your job Tomorrow, quit your job today").

The intro of "UpsideDownside" opens with some lo-fi chords followed by the usual riff. The vocal is rhythmic, almost repeating the same words over a somewhat pedantic bass line, which however flows into a powerful chorus. After a slow part, an instrumental break leads to a very particular solo. A song harder to assimilate compared to the others. Also because the lyrics are a bit nonsense. But the last chorus really takes you on a journey.

The first three songs can excite, anger, depress, excite. In short, the atmosphere needs to calm down. Here comes "Monkey Paw", a somewhat Extreme-style song, with a catchy funk-rock riff and an ultra-melodic romantic chorus. Perhaps the most melodic and catchy piece. Beautiful. But neither praiseworthy nor blameworthy.

"667". This track seems like a caricature of tracks praising Satan. Right from the title. It is also a rather "cheerful", "carefree" piece. It talks a bit about people's attitudes towards religion, the afterlife. But in a totally light manner. (Speaking of hell, "don't you smell there's something burning?").

Even in such an album, there is room for a slow, romantic piece at times. "Space" is a very beautiful track. The first part is very brit-oriented, reminds me of something by Oasis. But after the chorus, the classic Bettencourt riff returns. Perhaps it talks about love, perhaps about a story that ends and causes suffering until it "bleeds". But perhaps it talks about something else, who knows. The most charged part of the song (before and after the solo) is perhaps the most beautiful part. I daresay this is the gem of the album. It is romantic but not sentimental and maintains that "rude mood" present throughout the album. This is perhaps the most successful song for the voice, also considering the falsetto in the tail of the piece.

"The Swing" is perhaps the most Extreme-oriented track of the album. The riff is typically that of Nuno with the Boston quartet. The chorus especially, where for the first time one can strongly feel the offbeats and vocal harmonizations. Who knows what the lyrics refer to...

The last three songs unequivocally take us back to the first three. "Fuck You" is perhaps a bit more "minimal" and raw, but very loaded and angry. A fast-paced tempo, which opens with the drums and bass carrying a somewhat monotonous line that, however, is functional to the song; after the verse, the chorus arrives with the explosive force of the guitar. The intro of the solo is in pure Bettencourt style. It is a track probably speaking about the problems of being a rock star, about people hungry for money whom one might mistakenly surround themselves with.

The "War Paints" are the facial paintings tribes use to face enemies. In fact, this song talks about Native Americans and how their culture and tradition were annihilated. It opens with the sound of a busy phone (made with the guitar). The main riff is somewhat predictable, to be honest; even the vocals don't differ much from other Nuno songs. However, a twist comes with the chords of the bridge and the chorus. The song takes a much more violent turn.

The song that closes the album is as if it closes a circle. It could be the first track, but placed at the end it manages to almost give a key to reading. What could "Angerexia" mean? Probably it refers to being always and forever angry (anger-exia, resembling anorexia). The riff is granite and plays a lot with natural harmonics. The lyrics are also very well-crafted ("you got a scratch but you can't reach the itch"). Perhaps the angriest track of the album and surely one of the best. Very solid even in sound. The chorus is truly compelling.

To conclude, it is an album for angry people. It could, in the long run, tire due to the latent monotony of the pieces, all with the same tuning, the same mood. But precisely this homogeneity could also make one fall in love. It is an album that certainly provides (besides souls) a different view of Nuno Bettencourt's sound, less technical (but not so much) and much more direct, "in-your-face!".