Bryan Woolley

Longtime fan here. This is a good album but definitely different for them. I find myself missing the Funk aspect that has always been so dominant in Extreme’s music (Waiting for the Punchline being an exception). That aspect has been great for them and Dan Reed Network - who also seem to have lost their funk. Too bad for both camps. There are some great songs here (rebel, banshee, rainbow, small town, rise). All of these have great hooks, great lyrics, killer guitar parts and they just go somewhere. But there are some tunes that don’t land that well for me. Beautiful Girls- while I get the Van Halen tip of the hat, and realize the tongue is firmly in cheek, the song seems overly basic for Extreme. Just not that interesting to me. Like Journey’s step into that genre (Baby I’m Leavin You), this one makes me hit skip (something I rarely do with Extreme). This Ones For The Losers - I’ve never been a fan of these bar sing along types of tracks. The Stones did it, Bon Jovi did it, others too. This one has the obligatory crowd sing along at the end that breaks into applause. It just seems so beneath this band to me. But there’s plenty to love elsewhere on the album. I’m sure the whole album will grow on me, it IS Extreme after all and I am very glad they are still out there. The positives here outweigh the negatives- of course. Garys pipes sound great. He’s hitting some very high notes and for my money is still the best live singer Van Halen ever had. And Nuno… is still from another planet. Dayum. One thing that is still intact is their great harmonies. Thank God. It seemed at one time they’d moved past them (again- punchline), glad they didn’t leave them behind. For my money, nothing will top 3 Sides. That album is a damned masterpiece in its execution and depth. I never get tired of it. Welcome back.