BUCKETHEAD — Pike 11 - Forgotten Library (review)

BUCKETHEAD — Pike 11 - Forgotten Library album cover

Album · 2013 · Alternative Metal

3/5 · 2016-06-14
siLLy puPPy

The year 2013 is where BUCKETHEAD really went off the deep end and started releasing an unprecedented amount of material. Whereas in 2012 he released six albums, the following year he would end up putting out a staggering 31 and in the following years would make even this seem like a tame number. PIKE 11 - FORGOTTEN LIBRARY is the first release of the year and perhaps a prognostic insinuating a huge hidden catalogue of unreleased titles of hundreds of albums that would come in the next couple of years. This one was released in two ways. Firstly as a digital download with the title FORGOTTEN LIBRARY with the due and BH in the library but also a CD-R with homemade stickman BH artwork simply titled PIKE 11. This one has seven tracks and clocks in at 31:26

"Disintergration" (4:59) starts with some clean guitar parts overlaid upon each other but after a minute or so it erupts into a classic 80s metal frenzy with an early Metallica type of thrash riffage with bass and drums. It reverts back to the mellow clean guitars only this time accompanied by percussion and then back to the metal. The two change parts at different frequency levels

"Corpse Be Animated" (3:43) begins with distorted guitar chords and form into an alternative metal riff that becomes more thrashy. A solo erupts soon. It changes into a mellow clean guitar sequence much like track 1. It then picks back up into an alternative metal rocker. Solos and riffs get more intense and then abruptly changes into an acoustic outro

"Faded From View" (8:48) begins right away alternating heavy metal and acoustic guitar parts but quickly becomes a heavy alternative metal rocker that splices in classical acoustic parts intermittently. A lead guitar line creates a classical musical expression that sort of reminds of Mozart but i can’t quite place it if it’s copying something. It then turns to arpeggiated acoustic guitar and then back to metal and well, the track continues these changes but also ventures into jazz-rock-metal territory. It incorporates all kinds of guitar tricks. Pretty cool track

"Yellowed Pages" (1:44) begins with a strangely echoed guitar sound that sounds like a creepy ambient sound where you would be playing guitar in a strange metallic room where the walls have different reflective qualities. Very avant-garde. No melodic developments, just strange wailing guitar licks

"Beginning Putrification" (6:10) is back to alternative metal territory with a guitar riff, bass and drums. Has slightly thrash leanings at times and also reverts to electronic effects accompanied by drums for moments. Solo is melodic and carries on with the repetitive riff but becomes more loose and lots of guitar sliding action occurs

"Decay" (4:29) has a funky bass and Stevie Ray Vaughnish bluesy guitar with a slight funky swag at times. Nice wah-wah action going on. The guitar solos become more Hendrix-esque and take his approach and turns it up to 11. Pretty cool blues rocker actually

"Forgotten Library" (1:28) is an arpeggiated acoustic guitar track that delivers a nice melodic development. It is short but sweet and has a slight classical overtone to it

This one is decent but not outstanding. It has both brilliant moments and mediocrity. Good only