Interview by Kris Peters
Extreme are truly a band who need no introduction. Since their debut self titled album in 1989 Extreme have been on a rock and roll path to success which has continued unabated over the years, culminating in their new album Six which will be released today (June 9). Most people hear the name Extreme and immediately think of the song More Than Words, which, despite being a cracker of a tune, showcases only one side of Extreme's musical personality. Their DNA lie more in the rock side of things, with Six aiming to set the record straight on just how much of the bands blood is coated in rock. Guitarist Nuno Bettencourt joined HEAVY on the eve of the albums release to talk more, starting with how he is feeling with the album less than 24 hours away from being unleashed. "Terrible," he smiled. "I'm completely embarrassed by it (laughs). Look, if there's an album coming out or music coming out, then it's for a reason and it's usually a good reason for me. It actually means that we wrote something that I think is worth something to share." With Extreme being around since the late 1980s we ask if the anticipation for new music releases is still as exciting as ever. "Yeah," he nodded. "As I said, I don't think... there's a reason why we don't put out a lot of albums. It's because the excitement has to be there, you know? I told Gary (Cherone, vocals) at a very young age that I never want to put any music out for the sake of putting music out. It's probably not the smartest thing financially for a band to do that (laughs), because every time you put an album out you make money, you get advances and you tour the world but it has to be something that you're really proud of. What I mean by that is it has to be successful before it even comes out. Meaning that you're super proud of it, you're excited and you put your head on the pillow regardless of if everybody hates it or loves it. It doesn't mean anything to you. It's always a bonus that they love it, but at the end of the day there's nothing worse than people loving what you do if you didn't like what you did in the first place." In the full interview, Nuno talks more about the musical side of Six, what they were going for with the album, making music for yourself first and foremost, their use of electronics on two of the songs, producing the album himself and how difficult it is to separate yourself from the music, their upcoming tour with Living Colour and what to expect, why those two bands make good touring partners and more.