The heavy rock band Extreme was formed in the ‘80s, by Nuno Bettencourt who created a sound with his band that is peculiar and difficult to classify. The band had its heyday in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, giving the world a sound of heavy metal shot with lounge music and a flavor of Beatles pop. The band had their original run from 1985 to 1996, when they disbanded because Bettencourt left to pursue his solo career. The band, which started out with the lineup - Nuno Bettencourt, Pat Badger, Gary Cherone, Paul Geary and Mike Mangini enjoyed several years of fame before they broke up. With two of their first albums peaking in the top 10 on The Billboard 200, and their singles peaking at key places on The Billboard Hot 100, the band did very well in their first run.

They were broken up for 12 years, from the release of their last album in 1995 until they were reunited again in 2007. They released their most recent album Saudades de Rock on August 4, 2008 thirteen years after the release of Waiting for the Punchline. It was received with enthusiasm, hitting the charts at key places, it also scored at number nine on Top Independent Albums. The band is now, once again going strong and promises another solid run in the realms of music. The current line-up of the band has Gary Cherone as the lead vocalist, Nuno Bettencourt is the guitarist, Pat Badger is on bass and Kevin Figueredo is the drummer. The group is definitely going strong once more and fans are looking forward to the promise of more to come from them. To date the band has been nominated for Grammy awards, they have produced a greatest hits album and are once again going strong.