BUCKETHEAD — Pike 16 - The Boiling Pond (review)

BUCKETHEAD — Pike 16 - The Boiling Pond album cover

Album · 2013 · Alternative Metal

3.5/5 · 2016-06-24
siLLy puPPy

PIKE 16 - THE BOILING POND is the 6th album released by BUCKETHEAD in 2013 and his 46th solo studio offering overall. Yet another that began as a limited CD-R with hand drawn album cover that got repackaged and officially released. The untitled tracks have all been given proper titles. On this one there are 10 and the overall time is 30:05 with BUCKETHEAD handling all instruments while Dan Monti and Albert help out on the production.

"The Boiling Pond" (4:37) starts out with slow jangly guitar and then breaks into alternative heavy metal riffing. Rather down tuned and grungy dirty metal guitar. Kinda monotonous as a single chord is repeated but some sliding variations and riffs add some variety. Kinda just repeats the crunchy metal riffs and alternate a few passages

"Conductor" (3:04) starts out with a cool clean guitar riff that becomes accompanied by a cool distorted guitar riff and heavy bass and drums. Alternates with clean guitar passage and then back to thrashy metal riffs. Has some nice off kilter time sigs thrown in

"Ancestors" (3:57) starts out like a grungy Soundgarden track with sliding distorted guitars, bass and drums. Turns into a riff. Changes riffs up a bit but is basically a heavily distorted alt metal track

"Piledriver Impact" (2:33) is a bit more mellow as it starts out slower with echoey semi-distorted guitars and a slowed down drum and bass, well until it turns into a heavy alt metal rocker with fast riffs and then staccato chordage. A nice melodic guitar solo erupts from the din.

"Subterranean" (4:04) sounds more like a funkified Hendrix song on steroids. Very distorted and heavy but bluesy ballsy metal rock with alt metal riffage. Kinda repetitive though

"Punmul" (1:07) starts out slow with distorted guitar arpeggio and then erupts into a fast and furious classic heavy metal assault. Very 80s with 90s alt metal touches. It’s pretty much over before it even begins

"Flesh Tearing Cliffs" (3:07) is a down-tuned doom metal track with thrashy riffs. Nice guitar slides and arpeggiated passages. Starts slow but picks up speed especially with blastbeat drumming that pops in. Basically a mid-tempo down-tuned grungy dirty filthy metal track that alternates slower parts with faster ones

"Life of a Fly" (3:05) is a groove metal riff delight. At least at first until it becomes a staccato chord thang with off timings. It likes to change up the riffs every few measures but basically the same melodic flow. Reminds me of various aspects of Pantera

"Screaming Skull" (1:09) is a high register screaming riff as the title suggests. Fast and furious and totally cool. Wish it lasted longer. My favorite track

"Subterranean Part 2" (3:13) is like Part 1 a slow and distorted guitar track that has down-tuned chords and drum beat. The riffs alternate with non-guitar measures. Doesn’t sound like any bass participates in this one. Simply a recurring guitar riff on mid-tempo with a steady drumbeat. This one is fairly satisfying but not ridiculously original or anything of the sort. Nice guitar tones, nice reinterpretations of alt metal riffs and all kinds of nice down-tuned guitar action. Satisfying but OMG so. 3.5