What makes EXTREME - RISE so good?

What separates Nuno is that where many guitarist get lost in "Look what I can do" playing is that he puts the music first and plays for the song. With a world rife with cookie cutter shredders, Nuno sets himself apart by playing within the context of a given song. His playing is utterly brilliant and beautiful to listen to.

I'm a nearly 60 year old guitar player and seeing Nuno playing on "Rise" made me really excited and feel like the guitar solo is important again. Nuno kicks some serious ass!

Fantastic return from an underrated band. Bettencourt is a phenomenon. Not just technically great, but his playing always enhances the song.

I love, LOVE that Nuno didn't hold back. I love that the band is on fire! Rock is NOT dead! 🔥🤘🔥🤘

The guitar community is going strong because of you guys. The generations of axe players becoming one nation is awesome.

Nuno is the real deal. Always has been. And he gets it. He really gets it. He’s not just an amazing guitar player he’s an amazing musician. He gets that that there needs to be a good song to be remembered. There are many technically proficient players out there today but they aren’t been heard because they are playing music that’s not accessible to most or the songs just are memorable 🤷‍♂️. Some of it is just technique for the sake of it. Nuno comes from a time where the song comes first and then the solo basically lifts the song up and takes it to another place. And this is what he does here. Many people think the song is just ok, but the solo definitely elevates it

I’ve been going back to bands like Extreme and Mr. Big lately, bands that weren’t as big as Guns ‘n Roses and Metallica at that time, but have amazing musicians and songs. Underrated at that time, because they became famous with ballads and Grunge was on the rise. Their music has aged well. I feel a retrospective review and re-evaluation is in place for these bands.

Nuno has to be the most underrated guitarist ever… Ask people who the greatest players are and his name almost never comes up.. yet he is without a doubt one of the GOATS

Awesome guitar playing. I love how honest Herman is. He has no problem admitting when other guitarists are amazing.

Herman you nailed it👍 It is a solo that makes a musician want to play, learn and create!

Absolutely amazing! I feel like that first few seconds of the solo was a tribute to Eddie, then the rest was Nuno showing the world that he hasn't been slacking off for 15 years since Saudades de Rock. He's definitely giving this generation a run for their money.

they were such an underrated talented group. they remind me of Van Halen in so many ways. not just being great guitar work, but how they group just dynamically worked off of each other. Synergy and talent. Lead singer was amazing vocals, and the entire group just synergized so well together. And they were never afraid to explore different aspects of their music.

I’ve been an Extreme fan since ‘89. I’m in my second year of playing guitar. Hell yeah I’m excited about this album.

Nuno has always been a legend on guitar. I felt the beginning of the solo was like an Eddie van halen tribute with the tremolo picking like in eruption. Plus nuno was great friends him. The other two released songs are very cool too & love the solos on them also. Can't wait to hear the whole album while driving.

Great break down Herman! You put the feeling I get from this song and Nuno's guitar into words. So cool to see this vid. Thanks again

I was blown away by this new Extreme stuff ...If this was released 30 years ago it would be a double platinum album for sure ! ..These guys actually sound better then they did in the 80s and 90s and that is unbelievable! ....Thanks extreme we all needed this!

I'm with you, Herman. This song has great energy and feel. It's awesome and something to genuinely be excited about.

Phenomenal work from Nuno and all of Extreme as always! Of course, great commentary and proper admiration of work for a fellow musician Herman!

Absolutely love this review and I was so happy to hear Herman reference Play With Me! It was also exactly where I went when I first listened to this new song. Truly inspiring.

This is the best analysis of Nuno's solo I have seen yet. Thank you Herman for such a detailed and insightful analysis. And yes, I loved your interview of Nuno. If I remember correctly, he called you the Oprah Winfrey of rock. LOL Now will the mainstream rock stations play it?