Extreme is back with perhaps their best work to date. Waiting for the Punchline is stripped-down, funky Extreme at their best.

This time around you won't hear huge, slick, fake sounding double-tracked guitar songs, but rather, funky, almost live, Fender Vibroverb cranked to 10 guitar tones coming from the hands of one Nuno Bettencourt.

The first single "Hip Today" is an up-tempo tune about the ups and downs of the music industryÉ"Hip today, you'll be gone tomorrow." Extreme knows this scenario all too well. Hopefully, this time they'll get the respect they deserve from radio and that damn video channel.

Providing the beat on three tracks is new drummer Mike Mangini, who's played in the Boston area for years, and more recently the metal band Annihilator. His style is similar to ex-Extreme man Paul Geary, but Mike opts to add a little more fire to the rhythm than his predecessor (check out "No Respect").

Overall, Extreme has managed to put aside the 80's stigma that many wrongfully place upon them and release a strong collection of songs that showcases what the band does bestÉplay live.

Reviewer:  Mike Doyle, courtesy of Flash Magazine.