After nearly three years of waiting, guitar-god Nuno Bettencourt and his fellow Extreme band members have finally offered us another funk-metal studio album. Extreme: Waiting for the Punchline marks the fourth studio release for this Boston-based band, and, sadly to say, in addition to losing their original drummer, they've also lost some of that hard edge and power that drew droves of budding guitarists to their fold during the late '80s/early '90s. Wait, does this mean that the band that gave us "Mor e than Words" and "Hole Hearted" had a hard, balls-out side to them? Oh yes! Those two songs remain the exception, then and now. Instead, the tempos today are slower, the groves are tighter and funkier, and the production is more polished. This means that it just takes that much longer for them to cut loose and rock.
Enough of a die-hard fan expressing some angst over his idols not meeting his three year-long expectations. The question is, "Is this album good?" Answer: yes. Extreme still hasn't lost its touch for writing good songs with extremely catchy hooks - exa ctly what radio and TV want. Pervading every number is numerous helpings of Nuno's stellar guitar work. In addition to his neo-classical and blues/funk based work, Nuno adds touches of Arabic and Slavic style modalities, giving a whole different dimension to each song. These guitar stylings are aptly complemented with consistently sarcastic lyrics by singer Gary Cherone. Cherone deftly weaves themes ranging from anti-religious fanaticism, fads, and the cynical nature of the world today without insulting y ou by making a heavy-handed call to action. Of course all the action doesn't just come from this creative duo, Extreme, it also comes from the rhythm section. Pat Badger (bass) and new drummer Mike Mangini really pound out all that anyone could ask for fr om a tasteful rhythm section.
I'm not a promoter, but if I were to decide which of the few gems on this album to release as singles, they'd be: 1) "Hip Today," it's already released so listen for it; 2) "Midnight Express," by far the best song on the album even though it's an instr umental; 3) "Leave Me Alone," a real treat for anyone who enjoys Smashing Pumpkins (can we say capitalizing on a style's success?); 4) and, finally, appeasing any saps who want another "More than Words," "Unconditionally" is required to be on the list. Do n't start moaning, you'll be pleasantly surprised by the unmarked song on the last five minutes and 45 seconds of this track (total length is about eleven and a half minutes, not five minutes, as it says in the liner notes). It ROCKS! Empirically, Waiting is a great album. Does it eclipse III Sides to Every Story or Pornograffiti? Maybe Pornograffiti. Regardless, it's still a good showing and will be successful.
-- Avi Dube
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