BUCKETHEAD — Pike 254 - Woven Twigs (review)

BUCKETHEAD — Pike 254 - Woven Twigs album cover

Album · 2017 · Alternative Metal

3.5/5 · 2017-03-22
siLLy puPPy

BUCKETHEAD (as Bucketheadland) / Pike 254 - Woven Twigs / 11th release of 2017 / All instrumental / Contains 9 tracks all titled “Twigs” / Clocks in at 30minutes 02seconds / everything played by Buck-buck-buckethead

“Twig 1 (3:10) begins with a quickened brooding bass line with a guitar creating textures above it while a drum slowly joins in and then the guitar becomes heavy metal riffage before breaking into a sizzling solo and alternates between creative riffs and solos. The guitar parts are quite interesting as it changes up the general melodic patterns with different time signatures, tempos and patterns. The weak part is that the drums sound canned from a machine. As it goes on funk guitar enters the picture as do those clean echoey arpeggiated fills against a silent backdrop. Towards the end classical guitar even enters the soundscape

“Twig 2 (3:30) as with many of these PIKEs that use a single title for all the tracks, these run together imperceptibly and could qualify as one continuous album run. “Twig 2” simply continues the change-it-up approach as this one enters funk territory, blues licks and heavy metal riffs with hyperactive solos. As time elapses, the styles change up more often and sometimes metal riffs are accompanied by clean funk guitar or squealing solos

“Twig 3” (2:54) although imperceptible as a new track does begin with a heavier riff and then starts changing around with clean sections alternating with heavier ones. The usual suspects as heard previously only mixed up in different orders and new creative touches with soloing and time frenzied tempos

“Twig 4” (2:13) likewise bursts back into metal riffs with some clean guitar licks filling in the cracks. This one is short but has some amazing guitar workouts with speed-of-light solos accompanying jazz guitar chords and tripped out licks that come and go

“Twig 5” (2:48) also changes the previous track into a heavy monstrous crusher of metal and then floats on with a rather ordinary riff but abruptly turns to funk with some grungy slide guitar behind it. Of course nothing plays out too long anymore so after a few measures it’s time for some slower doomy type of metal only with some frenetic solos along for the ride and then time for some clean freaky echoey guitars again and so on and so forth

“Twig 6” (3:24) continues the tradition of beginning the track with a return to metal riffs but soon becomes rather progressive with all kinds of guitar antics whizzing around like a decapitated beast in the throes of battle. It continues with funk, blues, metal and slinks around like a caffeinated cobra in a tent filled with vermin

“Twig 7” (3:23) continues as slow creepy echo guitar with some pick slides for extra tension. It picks up steam but remains dark and mysterious until it erupts into metal riffs with some funk chords thrown in and then solo time! Towards the end the different guitar styles play together and then plays chameleon again often

“Twig 8” (4:19) continues as a heavy stomping riff monster with the same cheesy drums but then turns into a solo and then changes into the echo guitar thing and then changes again and again and again! This one is nice as it changes the melodies, the tempos, dynamics and everything

“Twig 9” (4:21) continues as a heavy metal rocker with those same cheese drums and i think you can safely assume by now that things change it up and often! And you would be correct to do so and this last segment of the “Twig” tales predictable follows the unpredictable with all the usual suspects juxtaposed into twisted tales of sonicity.

This is the type of album i love most by BH as he displays his guitar playing skills and why he is in the top of his game however this one has particularly annoying drum machine percussion that really needed some attention paid to the dynamics and playing for that matter since the guitar parts are well executed as is the bass with some creative tricks oozing out as well. My favorite type of BH style PIKE but not balanced enough to get the highest honors