BUCKETHEAD — Pike 242 - Hamdens Hollow (review)

BUCKETHEAD — Pike 242 - Hamdens Hollow album cover

Album · 2016 · Alternative Metal

3.5/5 · 2016-12-14
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B U C K E T H E A D P I K E 2 4 3 - H A M D E N S . H O L L O W 23rd album by BUCKETHEAD in 2016 (released on Dec 12) Clocks in at 30:03 ALL instrumental

Section 1 (2:01) starts out hard and heavy with blistering heavy metal and a hyperactive sizzling solo trying to break the speed of sound. The riffs are crushing and it’s a cross between thrash, classic 80s speed metal and alternative which comes in through irregular little breakdowns and certain riff sessions

Section 2 (2:33) marches on without distinction between the tracks. Melody remains more or less the same and rhythmic metal march stays in hyperdrive although the different riffing patterns trade off more often and the strange little breaks become more strange as even the drums and bass do weird things

Section 3 (2:54) likewise continues everything in the same form continuing imperceptibly

Section 4 (1:48) totally changes the sound. It’s very jazzy after a carnival sounding opening. Guitar is clean and then after a while jumps back into heavy metal with sizzling solo and then adds jazzy again

Section 5 (3:10) jumps right back into the frenetic metal and soloing that constitutes the first three tracks. The soloing is even more energetic if that’s possible as are the riffs. It’s all about speed and brutality on this one despite an energetic funk metal intermission

Section 6 (3:18) picks up the metal but totally changes the riff into a clearly noticeable difference. It’s still frenetic but sounds more like classic Eddie Van Halen riffage. It turns into thrash, alternative and funk metal again. It trades off and continues the frenetic soloing

Section 7 (3:19) continues the regularly scheduled program with all frenetic elements remaining. It includes some bizarre guitar riffs that whiz up and down the scale at strange intervals. Ends with Van Halen styles of riffing and then BH soloing all the way

Section 8 (2:46) begins as expected. Crunch hyperactive metal riffing and then frenetic soloing and then has a strange little intermission before changing the riffs up a bit. There are quieter little passages that pop in and out of long distorted riffing workouts and then more soloing

Section 9 (2:04) starts as frenetic as ever but slightly less distorted but then quickly jumps into a long winding solo session with some odd-timed riffs that pop in and out of soloing. Van Halen riffs come back into play as does virtuosic jazz scales in a cleaner guitar tone. It slows down and almost sounds like it’s going bluegrass before breaking back into metal soloing

Section 10 (3:28) slows down a bit into more subdued alternative metal riffing but still just as distorted but soon picks up a bit as sizzling soloing races out of control once again. It’s also a bit more dissonant than previous tracks despite it having a funk rhythm keeping it together. As always no matter what ideas are thrown into the mix it leads back to soloing and metal riffing

Section 11 (2:42) jumps back into the style of the early tracks and churns out caffeinated metal riffs with sizzling solos once again and continues the frenetic dizzying pace right up to the very last note

This one is an energetic ambitious beast with a non-stop metal outburst that never lets up. While i’m super impressed with the musical skills on board, it does present itself as a little samey as one track bleeds into the other without differentiating themselves enough. Still though, if you want to hear BUCKETHEAD just let loose and show off his amazing skills this is a great album to soak it all in