BUCKETHEAD — Pike 79 - Geppetos Trunk (review)

BUCKETHEAD — Pike 79 - Geppetos Trunk album cover

Album · 2014 · Alternative Metal

4/5 · 2016-11-10
siLLy puPPy

BUCKETHEAD - PIKE 79 - Geppetos Trunk 38th album out of 60 in 2014 and 108th overall All sounds brought to you by Buckethead and all instrumental This one has 7 tracks that clock in at 29:32

“Geppetos Trunk” (11:29) starts with a staccato power chord metal stomp with bass in unison and choppy drums and then breaks into funk metal. It continues by changing between heavier, funkier and mellow passages. This one has a nice proggy flow to it. The tempo changes it up as do the dynamics and timbres of the instruments. It has a roller coaster feel like the album cover depicts. Each turn is a new wild ride. Sometimes the metal and funk play together as the instruments are rather playful. At times the bass is super funky and has a wild tone to it. Nice changing it up of distortion effects on the guitar. This one is pretty cool. I love how it has a strut to it like a chicken prancing in its pen and occasionally scratchin’ for some nice ground grubs. There are some heavily slow and doom wrenching parts as well. Very well laid out mix of things with some cool sound effects and general pacing. Ideas are allowed to play themselves out a while before moving on

“Yellow Brick Mold” (2:47) has the same swagger and a unique way of mixing a funky bass with a percussive beat and metal guitar. This one is catchy as hell but also utilizes a series of different styles and passages. Actually wish this one would last longer

“South Chamber of Pit” (2:44) continues the spookier aspects of the slow parts and has a deep guitar / bass type of unison in the heavy distortion. The lead guitar has a nice effect that fits perfectly. This one is also has heavier and subdued parts. The instruments are playful together and there are nice surprises. Another cool track

“Solar Sled” (2:54) continues the distortion sound of the guitars and has a nice steady beat in the mid tempo range that gets heavier and then has a slow mellow section in the middle before it picks up the speed again with that special distortion effect has a rather medieval jumpy ending

“Landlakes” (3:40) is a lot more grungy and faster metal than other tracks. It has a nice groove to it but has relentlessly fast parts as well as little guitar squeals. Nice and down in the bass range

“Eyesblink” (2:00) alternates a bass heavy guitar riff with a weirdly distorted guitar in the higher ranges. The bass and drums pretty much keep a steady groove

“Emotion Detecter” (3:58) continues the heavily distorted guitar riffs that play slow and gallop but the drum pretty much nonchalantly marches along with the bass. It has some nice time changes and effects at the right moments. I love the dirty filthiness of the distortion. Very sludgy

This one is quite the pleasant listen. I love how it all hangs together. There are moments when it wanes towards the end but overall this is a very unique and brilliant PIKE