Song

Rise

Artist

Extreme

Extreme backstory

Formed in 1985, the Boston group’s quiet grind resulted in the release of the self-titled Extreme in 1989.

Among many highlights, Play With Me graced the soundtrack of Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure and re-emerged in the Season 4 opener of Stranger Things

Extreme II: Pornograffitti crashed the Top 10 of the Billboard 200 and picked up a double-platinum certification. 

Über ballads Hole Hearted and the generational smash More Than Words established Nuno Bettencourt and co. as bona fide MTV darlings.

The latter soared to number one on Billboards’ Hot 100 and remains one of the most popular rock songs of all-time with over half-a-billion streams and 633 million YouTube views.

More Than Words appeared in the blockbuster comedy Forgetting Sarah Marshall, while Jimmy Fallon and Jack Black famously covered the monster hit (and reimagined the iconic video) on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

The gold-certified III Sides To Every Story saw Extreme return to the Top 10 on the Billboard 200. 

Waiting For The Punchline (1995) and critically acclaimed ‘comeback’ Saudades de Rock (2008) kept the pot boiling.

But after a 15-year wait for new material, blockbuster lead single Rise suggests Six is the sound of a band reborn.

In Gary Cherone’s own words

“Musically, Rise is aggressive. Lyrically, it’s a cautionary tale on the rise and fall of fame.

“You get seduced into it. Once you’re on top, they’ll rip you apart and tear you down. 

“That’s the nature of the beast.

“With Extreme, there’s always a lot of passion and a little piss and vinegar.

“We’re not in competition with anybody else but we strive to outdo ourselves.

“We feel like we have something to prove when we get on stage or in the studio.”

The verdict on Rise

Following the runaway success of their noughties hits, Extreme had it all to do to hit those heady heights again.

And if 2008’s rock and soul masterpiece Saudades de Rock proved the magic was still there, then Rise represents a stunning rebirth.

Not only does the pounding chorus echo peak 80s arena rock (think Def Leppard, Bon Jovi and Van Halen) but Nuno’s axework is on a different level.

Neatly understated flourishes from Rihanna’s touring guitarist reintroduce one of rock’s greatest talents from the start.

But as Rise builds, so Bettencourt’s digits explode and Eddie himself would be mesmerised by the fret-melting fireworks that pace a blast of a track.

If this stunning single is a taste of things to come then Six could pack a punch not heard since the Pornograffitti era.

Welcome to Extreme’s new dawn: Rise and shine!

What’s next for Extreme

New album Six is set for release this summer with a June 9 date confirmed by label earMUSIC.

Live dates include April’s Monsters Of Rock cruise and May’s M3 Rock Festival.

But there are already rumours of a full tour — including UK and European dates — this autumn.