Schizophonic

Ex-Extreme sideman Nuno Bettencourt’s debut isn’t nearly as self-aggrandizing as most guitar-hero solo efforts; at least he attempts actual songs. The faster cuts on Schizophonic (”Karmalaa”) might get you bouncing, but his protest ballads are more dippy than deep; and his updates of Extreme’s New Age art-metal try to pass off fussiness as funk.