Nuno Bettencourt
Schizophonic

After the breakup of Extreme, the four members of the band decided to go their separate ways: some fell almost completely into anonymity in the music scene (bassist Pat Badger), some joined a historic hard rock band, Van Halen (singer Gary Cherone, who released the CD "III" with them), with results better left unspoken; and others, like Nuno, the most charismatic figure of the Boston quartet, decided to embark on a solo adventure.

Released in 1996, a year after the commercially neglected "Waiting for the Punchline," the last Extreme album to date, this "Schizophonic" encompasses the many facets and influences of Nuno's career; musically, it is a very varied CD, where each song is almost completely different from the previous one, the only common thread being the Portuguese's skill on the six strings.

While it's difficult to classify this work within a single genre, it can be divided into two clearly separate sections: on one side, the songs solely by Nuno, on the other, those created with Anthony J. Resta, producer, sound engineer and multi-instrumentalist (who also worked with Duran Duran): the former are purely rock with some punk influences ("2 Weeks in Dizkneelande"), while the latter veer into the fields of psychedelia and electronics ("Fallen Angels", "Karmalaa", featuring abundant synth inserts, sampled drums and various effects). Among these are two works co-written by Nuno and Gary Cherone, likely dating back to the last periods of the Boston combo's life and discarded during the making of their last CD; Gary also lends his voice on a track, simply titled "You".

On one hand, this diversification indicates a great ability to adapt and knowledge of different musical genres and styles, and also a certain desire for innovation, but on the other hand, it ends up being one of the album's weaknesses: too much fragmentation, too many influences that end up clashing with each other, resulting in a product that's not bad, but certainly not a masterpiece, making the glorious days of Extreme more and more missed.

Among some good tracks, like the opener "Gravity", a raw and direct hard rock, the AOR "Fine by Me", both melodic and engaging at the same time (which also features Mike Mangini on drums), and "You" itself, characterized by the contrast between the catchy chorus and the hypnotic, mellow melody of the verses, there are frankly useless tracks and, in some cases, even bad ones: "Confrontation" is a bland melodic rock, which nevertheless reveals some self-reflection, so dear to Nuno since the days of Extreme's "III Sides to Every Story"; "Fallen Angels" proves irritating at times, with its melody based almost solely on sampled sounds and synthesizers; even where there are good hooks in the choruses or solos (as in "Severed" or "Note on the Screen Door"), the artificial sound ends up ruining everything.

The entire CD is a sequence of ups and downs: among the former, a mention definitely goes to the sweet "I Wonder", a melancholic look from Nuno at his parents' lives, and the hypnotic and melancholic "Got to Have You", with simple but touching lyrics. The sugary "Crave", also chosen as a single, the engaging "What You Want" with terribly childish lyrics, the fast-paced "Swollen Princess" (again featuring Mangini on drums) and "Hop the Train" (another single) and the country beat of "Pursuit of Happiness" close the album, adding nothing but not taking away either.

A work with neither glory nor shame, therefore... honestly, some choices left me puzzled, but Nuno's true attitude might be just this—not so much what comes through in his works with the band that made him famous, and some later works have shown this: the Portuguese seems to always want to explore the various influences and contaminations of music, rock in particular, but also from other fields; certainly, he gets the best results when the part most connected with his instrument takes over, from which he is always able to draw irresistible riffs and thought-out solos, never merely showcasing technique.

Recommended only and exclusively for fans of the character or collectors, as it is almost impossible to find; for others, much better to turn to his latest work with Dramagods or wait for the outcome of the Extreme reunion, coming out this year: maybe less room for experimentation, but more room for his funk-rock, now a true trademark.