Extreme II: Pornograffitti

Yes, “More Than Words” is a goddamn abomination, but don’t judge this book by its ballad (or its cover, actually). Guided by the fleet fingers of Nuno Bettencourt, these latecomers to the party metal party leaned hard into the funk – so much so that one of these songs is called “Get the Funk Out,” a Parliament-level terrible pun for sure. “When I’m President” didn’t beat every band to rap metal but it sure beat a lot of them. Meanwhile, “Decadence Dance” and the title track meld the heaviness and booty-shaking effectively. You can hear why Van Halen hired Gary Cherone when the David Lee Roth reunion didn’t work out.