Extreme More Than Words

Extreme's music was never easy to classify, since it rarely confined itself to heavy metal, hard rock, or pop. The Massachusetts-based band formed in 1985; guitarist Nuno Bettencourt had already played in a local band with bassist Pat Badger, while singer Gary Cherone fronted his own group with drummer Paul Geary. The two bands eventually merged, and Cherone and Bettencourt formed a songwriting partnership that would soon place Extreme atop the Billboard charts, if only for a short period…

To some listeners, An Accidental Collocation of Atoms? may not seem necessary, since Extreme's two hits were already on one album, yet for casual fans who don't have Pornograffitti, or want highlights from the other records, this is a strong, representative collection. Sure, dedicated fans will find some favorites missing – after all, these are pulled from records that were designed as albums – but all the singles are here, including such European releases as "Get the Funk Out" and "Tragic Comic," along with such strong album tracks as "Decadence Dance." There's only one semi-rarity to snag the faithful – the "Horn Mix" of "Cupid's Dead" – but these fans are likely to stick with the original albums, no matter what. And, truth be told, there's some relevance in that, since the albums were cohesive works, but An Accidental Collision of Atoms remains a first-rate sampler that proves Extreme were better than the vast majority of their Bush-era hard-rock and pop-metal peers.

Boston-based Extreme are back with Six, their first studio recording of new music since 2008 and the album is one pleasant surprise. The album was recorded at guitarist Nuno Bettencourt’s home studio in Los Angeles and features 12 songs that are nothing less than spectacular.
It's good timing for Extreme to return, as the band's 1989 song "Play With Me" appeared on the Stranger Things 4 soundtrack, which gave them a push of popularity. The band is best known for its ubiquitous early '90s ballad "More Than Words," as well as harder-rocking singles like "Hole Hearted" and "Rest in Peace."