As I wrote about yesterday I’ve been binge-watching the hell out of sets from “Back To The Beginning” which was Ozzy Osbourne’s final live performance of his career. It’s been a helluva ride and an incredible celebration of heavy metal music. One guitarist that really stuck out to me through the day was Nuno Bettencourt, who was basically a mainstay during a lot of the supergroup sets and sessions throughout the day. The dude is legitimately a guitar legend, one of the best to ever do it, and it was incredible watching him absolutely shred with perfect clarity throughout the day. Nuno was the primary guitarist of funk-metal group Extreme during their heyday during the late 80’s and early 90’s and still does a lot of touring with the band and session work with numerous big-name artists.
What I loved most about Pornograffitti was the sheer scale of genres the band covers. It’s almost bewildering at times. You have the gorgeous acoustic ballad of “More Than Words” which sounds like the perfect soundtrack for a Hawaiian wedding sitting alongside the infectious energy of “Get The Funk Out” (that guitar solo is one for the ages) and the glam metal party track “Decadence Dance” all on the same album. It’s one of those albums that reminds you music at its core is ultimately meant to be fun and a damn good time. Extreme captured that perfectly here, with Nuno’s talents giving the band the ability to traverse across a massive sonic palette.
Standout Songs: “More Than Words”, “Get The Funk Out”, “Decadence Dance”
