BUCKETHEAD — Bermuda Triangle (review)

BUCKETHEAD — Bermuda Triangle album cover

Album · 2002 · Metal Related

4.5/5 · 2017-03-27
siLLy puPPy

The year 2002 was the beginning of the prolific years for BUCKETHEAD as it was the first time he released more than one solo album within a 365 day period and after dipping his toes in the fertile ground of metal meets electronica cross-pollination in the 90s he finally went full force with “Funnel Weaver” which included metal guitar riffs and licks mixed with drum sample loops, sound effects and electronic accoutrements. On BERMUDA TRIANGLE he takes those ideas and evolves them from the initial stages that made “Funnel Weaver” sound like a rough draft for something greater. Add the turntable and hip hop extraordinaire Extrakd to the mix and you have a recipe for one of the coolest avant-electronica tinged metal, rock and folk this side of that scary sector of the Caribbean where planes and ships have been vanishing from the face of the Earth for eons.

BERMUDA TRIANGLE indeed has a theme going on, well at least as far as the titles are concerned which all correspond to the sea, sailors and all things associated with the mysterious sector of the inner Atlantic Ocean. Everything about BERMUDA TRIANGLE is a major step up from “Funnel Weaver.” The tracks are more developed even though not necessarily longer however a couple do top the four minute mark. Also they are more diverse in style, mood and dynamics with lots of genres being jostled around like an empty bottle of rum on the poop deck as some like “Flight” are raucous filthy metal guitar riffs with hyperbolic drum tempos while others such as “Seas Of Expanding Shapes” consist of acoustic guitar chords strumming along with twitchy glitchy electro-beats bobbing up and down like a buoy in a stormy night. Also included are wildly freaky electronic effect tracks such as “The Triangle Part 1: Extrakd” which utilize all kinds of tricks and trinkets for bizarro mondo electro-dynamics.

What’s also cool about this one is that the music consists of a diverse sonic palette as well lots of vocal samples. Out of the 19 tracks you will here metal, blues, rock, funk, folk and healthy doses of avant-garde. The creativity is off the charts on this one and despite this being highly experimental in nature has the right kind of hooks to sink in deep from the first listen. Oh, and the production is top notch as well! BERMUDA TRIANGLE remains one of my favorite early BUCKETHEAD albums since it is consistent, varied and really takes the listener on an uncharted journey. The electronic parts are just as clever as the compositions and skillfully utilized that everything seems to fall into place. With few stumbling blocks i find this to be a highly satisfying release that shows BH at his peak in the electro-fusion world. Many of my favorite early albums are when he collaborates since he tends to hook up some of the most fertile musical minds in the biz. BERMUDA TRIANGLE has it all. Plenty of mysterious, awe-inspiring freaky types of tracks and nice subdued somewhat “normal” types to pacify the listener’s jittery nerves. This one makes me want to book a cruise from Miami to Bermuda and watch episodes of Gilligan’s Island today!