RICHIE FAULKNER Praises NUNO BETTENCOURT's Rise' Guitar Solo

In a new interview with Ken Vantour of Let's Rock, JUDAS PRIEST guitarist Richie Faulkner was asked if hearing the guitar solo in EXTREME's song "Rise", which has been described by Guitar World magazine as "one of the 21st century's finest", makes him try harder to up his game. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I think there's always an element, always has been, especially since I've joined PRIEST. You go from becoming a mediocre guitar player in a cover band to a mediocre guitar player in a real band. You know what I mean? So you've gotta think, like, 'Well, I can't do that stuff anymore. What am I gonna say? What's my fingerprint gonna be — a literal fingerprint? What's my voice gonna be?' So Nuno, Glenn [Tipton], K.K. [Downing]… I remember [PRIEST's] first 'Epitaph' tour, we were out with BLACK LABEL SOCIETY and THIN LIZZY. So it was Scott Gorham, Damon Johnson, Zakk Wylde. How can you not raise your game or try to…? They raised the bar and you've gotta keep it there and keep it up there. And Nuno [Bettencourt, EXTREME guitarist] is no exception."

Faulkner continued: "We were just out with [EXTREME] — we played a couple of shows with them in Europe. And I watched from the side of the stage. And we were on right after them. So we have to go and get our [outfits] on, our leather and studs. So I couldn't watch the whole show. And I wanted to see the 'Rise' solo, but they put it at the fucking end of the show, so I couldn't see the solo. And that's what I wanted to see. But we met up with them after, and Nuno was very complimentary."

Circling back how he gets inspired by watching other guitarists play, Richie added: "I think everyone's got their own fingerprint, whether you like it or not. Even if you consider yourself a mediocre guitar player, you've got something that no one else has got, and that's my saving grace, anyway. You've got your own voice somewhere in there. But yeah, those guys always raise the bar. I was at a Joe Bonamassa gig last night, and Joe, along with Nuno, one of the best guitar players in the world, bar none. He knows his audience, he knows his band, he knows his instrument. And I've known Joe for a while now, maybe 15 years now, and he never ceases to amaze me. The mastery — you walk away from there and you wanna get back in the studio and it fires you up to raise the bar, to do better. That's what inspiration is — it's pure inspiration. That never ends, really.

"So, yeah, Nuno — without a doubt, without a doubt."

"Rise" was the first single to be shared from EXTREME's latest studio album, "Six", which arrived in June 2023 via earMUSIC.

Nuno played "Rise" live with his bandmates for the first time on May 1, 2023 during EXTREME's concert aboard the Monsters Of Rock cruise.

"Rise" has seen unprecedented success following its debut on March 1, 2023 alongside a fiery music video which has received nearly five million views to date. The critically acclaimed song has earned praise from international top tier media outlets, including Consequence, Classic Rock, Music Radar and Guitar World, in addition to accolades from such fellow musical peers as Brian May (QUEEN) and radio personality Howard Stern while peaking at No. 3 on the classic rock charts.