BUCKETHEAD — Pike 108 - Collect Itself (review)

BUCKETHEAD — Pike 108 - Collect Itself album cover

Album · 2015 · Hard Rock

3/5 · 2015-10-19
siLLy puPPy

PIKE 108 - COLLECT ITSELF is the 7th album released by BUCKETHEAD in 2015, which pretty much continues the long drawn-out instrumental approach with BUCKETHEAD playing all the instruments. On this one we get two long tracks that add up to 29:09.

The beginning title track clocks in at 18:04 and is a hard experimental rocker with a metal edge. It begins with bombastic riffing and solos. It quickly changes into a funk riff and then back to borderline hard rock / metal. This is pretty much a long jam session but there are several parts that change it up and added electronic effects to keep it from getting too dull. The soloing shows BUCKETHEAD really in a caffeinated mode as he is on fire wailing up and down the scales with finger tapping, bends and all the virtuosic goodies. There are a few time signature changes here and there.

Track two “Garden Mold” clocking in at 11:05 begins less aggressively and has a funk aura although the guitars are highly distorted and the beat has a strange electronically hued ambience to it. There are slow keyboard parts that are slightly out of sync with the main beat and rhythms which gives this track more of a progressive feel. There are some strange industrial “tinny” guitar solos and slightly bluesy riffs. This one is hard to describe as there are so many elements weaving around each other and trading off but one of the more interesting tracks i’ve heard from this year’s hatchlings.

Overall, a decent album but not enough to warrant more than 3 stars. Some interesting parts but too much redundancy.

more than 2 years ago
Permalink
Report #313828

Share this review

Review Comments

Post a public comment below | Send private message to the reviewer

Please login to post a shout

siLLy puPPy wrote:

more than 2 years ago

Most is mediocre. There are a few gems here and there. I'll be reviewing more when I have some time for such things

voila_la_scorie wrote:

more than 2 years ago

Well, it would be nice to hear something that got a little love and attention and is not the soup de jour. I mean this guy is putting out so much material I wonder how much time goes into making it really something personal and special.

Unitron wrote:

more than 2 years ago

"Monsters and Robots" is an excellent album, that's one worth hearing.

voila_la_scorie wrote:

more than 2 years ago

Thanks. I won't go rushing in then.

siLLy puPPy wrote:

more than 2 years ago

Don't waste your money. These are all available on YouTube. He only has a few excellent albums worth owning

voila_la_scorie wrote:

more than 2 years ago

I've never heard any of his stuff but it seems he lives in a studio and just releases material like dandelions release seeds. Certainly a tough artist to follow if you want to hear everything he releases. And I thought Devin Townsend was prolific. This goes beyond prolific and becomes profuse. I will keep my distance. I'd hate to think of how much money I'd spend if I ever got into Buckethead.