BUCKETHEAD — Pike 149 - Chickencoopscope (review)

BUCKETHEAD — Pike 149 - Chickencoopscope album cover

Album · 2015 · Alternative Metal

2.5/5 · 2015-11-25
siLLy puPPy

PIKE 149 - CHICKENCOOPSCOPE is the 48th album released by BUCKETHEAD in 2015. Guess what! All instrumental! Everything played by BUCKETHEAD! Clocking in near the 1/2 hour mark! This PIKE has 5 tracks with everything relating to……… chickens! Clucking exciting.

The first track is the title track and it is the longest. It clocks in at 8:58 and starts out with a nice echoey guitar and is immediately accompanied by a drum machine beat. The echo effect is a dreamy one despite the riff alternating between slow and aggressive. This is another one of those slow building jams where the intensity grows at a snail’s pace and eventually is joined by a guitar solo around the repetitive melody. It goes on and on and on and never develops into anything remotely interesting. Meh :/

Track two is “A Rooster’s Eye View” and clocks in at 4:15 and starts with a heavily distorted guitar riff and then joined by a speedy guitar solo and a nonchalant bass and drum machine. Guitar solo is going for broke with speed while everything else stays steady. This is very metal. The riffs are crushing and thrashy but the drum machine keeps it in the cheese zone unfortunately. The soloing is off the chart and there are some electronic freakinesses occurring. Kinda interesting but only half-assed so.

Track three is “Chicken Fountains” and it clocks in at 6:20 and is a slow metal rocker that has staccato guitar chords and somewhat of a melodic development. Basically one of those jams that totally relies on rhythmic variations and has not much else to offer. It does slowly change into one of those echo effect guitar riffs but still it’s repetitive and well, meh.

Track four is “Wire Reflections” and this is a sort of alternative funk bizarreness. This is actually interesting. I swear i’m not a funk freak but it seems to me that BUCKETHEAD is and it’s these tracks where he shines most of the time. Gawd, has he really been possessed by James Brown? I dunno but i like this one. Just has soul and strange sonic explorations on bass, guitar and well not drums. Goddamn drum machine. Hire a freekin’ drummer cheapskate. Great bass riffing on this one. I like it! Woo hooooooooo ;O

Track five is “The Wonders Of Feathers” and this one DOES have an interesting drum track. Somechicken has taken control of the monotony! It starts out with a slow intro but quickly picks up speed. There is an echoey grungy guitar, bass and then guitar solos. This one has a strange feel as it jumps around in sounds but is still basically a jam that alternates between one idea and the next with neither being OMG brilliant. This one only clocks in at 5:06 but has a few things going on. It’s ok but nothing so wonderful that you have to hock the family jewels to accumulate.

Overall, everything extremely well played but ideas in short supply, however there are some brilliant moments but nothing so wonderful you have to run out and hear this release NOW!