Extreme will release a new album called Six on June 9. The Boston hard rockers are previewing the record with the first single, "Rise," which you can listen to below.

Six, which is indeed the group’s sixth album, also marks Extreme's first LP in nearly 15 years. In a press release, guitarist Nuno Bettencourt said he found musical inspiration for the record when one of his longtime heroes died. “When Eddie Van Halen passed, it really hit me,” Bettencourt said. “I’m not going to be the one who will take the throne, but I felt some responsibility to keep guitar playing alive. So, you hear a lot of fire on the record.”

Three decades into their career, singer Gary Cherone said the band remains competitive and driven. “With Extreme, there’s always a lot of passion and a little piss and vinegar,” he said.

“We’re not in competition with anybody else, but we strive to outdo ourselves. There are some moments on this album where we did. We’ve managed to stay together after all of these years. We feel like we have something to prove when we get on stage or in the studio. Because of that, I believe some of these songs are among the best we’ve written.”

Watch Extreme's 'Rise' Video

The band began discussing a follow-up to 2008's Saudades de Rock more than a decade ago. Cherone told Metal Shrine in 2010 (via Blabbermouth) that Bettencourt’s touring gig with Rihanna wouldn’t hold up progress on their plans for new music. “We're able to get together over the internet,” he explained.

Progress on the new record moved slowly, even though the sessions were prolific. “We probably have about three to four albums done,” Bettencourt later revealed to radio host Eddie Trunk in 2020. “Not 'done done,' but we did an album pretty quickly. One thing I always said to Gary, ever since we started this band, is I never wanna release anything that I can't wait to play to people, that I just can't wait to share. I don't wanna put out albums just for the sake of putting out albums.”

Extreme launched a series of social media teases in February featuring song snippets and lyric excerpts. Cherone has been openly effusive about the new material. “I think this is some of the best stuff Nuno and I have written. I think he would say the same thing," he told Trunk in 2022. “There’s only one Nuno and he outdid himself on this record, his solos blow me away. I’m proud of a lot of the songs on the record.”

Six is available for preorder on the band's website.

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Extreme, 'Six' Track Listing
1. "Rise"
2. "#Rebel"
3. "Banshee"
4. "Other Side of the Rainbow"
5. "Small Town Beautiful"
6. "The Mask"
7. "Thicker Than Blood"
8. "Save Me"
9. "Hurricane"
10. "X Out"
11. "Beautiful Girls"
12. "Here's to the Losers"

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