Pike #30: Mannequin Cemetery
Seems appropriate that after the full-on noodling in
Splatters that we should return to a full-on rifffest with the follow-up. I actually think that a good number of the tracks on
Mannequin Cemetery are among the best heavy material I’ve heard from Bucket. Since about 2020 I’ve really taken a liking to fat, chugging riffs with squeals and screams and shit, so this was right up my alley. Not every song here fully grabbed, including the title track at the end, but the majority of it is a lot of fun to rock out to.
B
Pike #31: Pearson’s Square
After a streak of mostly heavier-oriented Pikes, Bucket pulls out the acoustic guitar for a really nice breather. It’s always good to hear the softer side of the Bucket Man and this is a really worthy addition to the discography. Certain parts of it run a little overlong, but the base elements are all super good.
The title track is super chill, autumnal in a way, filled with a bit of wanderlust. “Eagle’s Nest” and “Eagle’s Flight” seem to flow together, encapsulating the freedom of nature and travel. The root ‘riff’ keeps repeating in here, with Buckethead just changing his leads over top it, until the end where things shift gears a bit for a satisfying closure. “Eagle’s Flight” is a bit long, over 11 minutes, but it’s pretty good throughout.
“Hearts Delight” is really the star of the show here. Again, a bit overlong but oh my god is it beautiful. Some of Bucket’s most soulful playing.
I could’ve used a little more variety and some bits could’ve been cut down but overall this was a positive release. The great parts are super good and it’s a wonderful change of pace as the Pikes progress.
B
Pike #32: Rise of the Blue Lotus
A continuation of the previous Pike, but even better. This is one of those Buckethead releases you can get lost in, sucked into the rhythms and the serenity. There’s a melancholy to this Pike that’s completely devoid of any sorrow that oft accompanies that melancholy; no, this is melancholy in its most joyous fashion. Sometimes you need to sit with your twilight-tinged emotions and let them well over inside of you to grasp the happiness covered under the moss in your soul.
“Mountain Cabin” is simple and to-the-point, exactly what it says on the tin. This is music I would 100% play in my mountain cabin as the smoke wafts over my chimney, as the brook streams by my door, as I sit and watch the daisies from my rocking chair, all alone in the breadth of the woods with nature as my only companion. Meanwhile, “The Flooding of Pain” seems to coax joy to bubble to the surface, to embrace your mortal weaknesses and to just let go and drift with the music. And the title track shifts gears, keeping the serene sounds going but adding a much-needed aspect of empowerment to the mix. As the little chorus rolled over me it really made me want to start fighting off the tyrants of the woods to free all the little flowers and bees.
Basically, this is Buckethead’s mellow side perfectly embraced and executed incredibly well. These songs are also longer but more focused than on the previous album, and seem to expand on what “Hearts Delight” was only hinting at. Beautiful, gorgeous stuff.
A
Pike #33: Pumpkin
And now for something completely different. Credit where credit is due, this Pike really sounds like a haunted rollercoaster in Bucketheadland. I appreciate what it’s supposed to do, and it’s not bad per se, but damn, it just goes on and on and on. It’s fairly chaotic too, with eighteen tracks adding different aspects of the theme park attraction. As a one-off I don’t really mind it too much (thirty minutes is about fifteen too much, though), but it did have me thinking that if those 32 Halloween Pikes from 2015 are going to be like this, I might have to eject from the ride. At least the banjo playing at the end was neat. I guess.
D
Pike #34: Pikes
The circumstances surrounding when you listen to music can change your appreciation of that music, and that might be the case with Pike #34, simply entitled
Pikes. I decided to take a bit of a detour home to give this record a listen. The sun had set hours before; there was no moon to be seen; fog was rolling in; and as I drove through silent and quiet backroads, I found that I had picked as my sole companion the perfect album for the drive.
Pikes is a continuation of
Pumpkin, obviously, from number to cover to title (
Pumpkin Pikes). But instead of just continuing the wild barrage of spooky sounds from the previous Pike, this one is way more subtle, a lot more focused, and lets the atmosphere take complete hold of the reins. If #33 was a haunted rollercoaster, then this is a haunted tunnel. But it also brought to mind children’s TV shows, like
Thomas & Friends or
TUGS, and how they would use music to intensify ghostly escapades.
It’s almost like a photo negative-negative to Pike 33 in the way that it uses time to build the tension. There are some moments that actually made me jump. Pike 33 had one track that randomly started playing weird telephone-ish noises; this one repeated that slightly but made it really feel like the sound of a signal as a train navigates through the dark. So much better. So much more investing.
One other thought I had was that some of these elements almost remind me of Tool. And if I can sit through four minutes of bug zapper noises and actively enjoy it, then there’s no reason why I can’t sit through thirty minutes of amusement park ambience and actively enjoy it.
The chaos comes out a little bit towards the end, but as the ride comes to an end I’ve actually found that I’ve loved the journey. For a Pike that I was really dreading, I was absolutely floored to find that not only is it good, but I fucking love it. Sure, I fully admit that I might be biased because of my experience while listening to it, and returning to it in the future might change things, but right now I will say that it’s among the best Buckethead releases I’ve heard to date. Very different from his usual stuff, but surprisingly right up the alley of my inner spook-obsessed child.
S
Pike #35: Thank You Ohlinger’s
After some tinkering with haunting ambience Bucket returns as the riff-god to slay all posers, and may I say, what a thoroughly enjoyable experience from start to finish. This one eschews a lot of the chugging from previous Pikes for a higher-end, looser metallic sound that never breaks into solos per se but often feels similar. And he is absolutely on fire here, every single track is killer, and it only gets better as it goes along.
One thing that stands out to me about this release is that it does not feel unbalanced like some, where the lengthy title track dominates over the shorter remnants. No, every song here feels like they’re all part of the bigger puzzle. The nine-minute title track is only the start; it doesn’t really feel much longer than the others. One thing that helps is the way it’s arranged - it feels like Buckethead had a bunch of different pieces that he seemlessly stitched together to create one long song. It’s pretty great.
But again, the record only gets better as it goes along. Starting from “Alphabetical Order” each song tops the one before it. There’s weirdness arranged in methodical fashion, heavier moments, almost soul-screaming ones, but they always keep in line, ready to march with the slunks into the great wide open. There’s also a lot of moments that seemed reminiscent of Iron Maiden (the beginning of the title track is pretty much “Fear of the Dark”, awesome to hear) and Metallica (with a little bit of their usual clunkiness mostly ironed-out with Bucket’s sway). Meanwhile, the beginning of “Shoe Lock” felt like a hard rock / glam metal riff, until it transformed into a Dream Theater-style explosion. Really cool.
Overall? Awesome Pike, one of the best in the series so far. This is the kind of Buckethead riffing I am all-in for, and I think that as time goes on it’ll become a great favorite of mine.
A
Pike #36: The Pit
I’d heard of this Pike before I even started listening to Buckethead thanks to the Edgar Allan Poe story, and it seems like it’s a really popular one among the fanbase. I can see why. The six-part title track does not feel its 20-minute length at all, and is incredibly engaging throughout. I love the quiet, ominous intro that drops the drums when it gets reprised as the outro. Well-rounded stuff.
Between the beginning and end we get a lengthy stretch of powerhouse riffing that feels like you’re falling through the pit. Whereas the intro and outro section dip their toes into some horror vibes, everything in between, I think, is more akin to
Alice in Wonderland, with new stuff to see as you pass through each layer, none of it frightening but all of it odd. Part 4 is the best, with a lot of tension being built up throughout it.
I do think that the payoff doesn’t quite hit the way I’d like it to. Part 5 is solid, but the previous parts were better and when it switches into the outro in Part 6 it feels a little sudden. Maybe this is just stuff that will be ironed out on a further listen, though - the majority of this track is great.
Then you’ve got an eight-minute coda in the form of the entirely acoustic “The Pendulum”. It’s incredibly serene, like you’ve gone through the pit and emerged on the other side and can now take in the sun again. It’s a little long but it’s very peaceful music.
Put it together and I can really see why this one is so beloved. There’s a lot of focus in here, and perfectly weighted. The light balances the dark, the soft balances the heavy. Very good Pike.
A
Pike #37: Hollowed Out
We’re in a really good stretch of Pikes now, and
Hallowed Out is a big standout for me. This one has riffing, but places a bigger emphasis on guitar leads than other Pikes have done. There’s also a ton of melodic playing on here as well. The seven-and-a-half-minute opener “Low Rolling Hills” kind of sets the tone for the rest of the Pike. It opens with some of his most incredibly emotive lead work and is truly spectacular. I wish he built on this even more, but always one to dodge expectations, the song instead dives into some Megadeth-esque riffing instead, and switches through more melodic and more heavy bits until the finale.
The rest of the Pike is really well-balanced in this regard as well. You’ll have “One Foot in Front of the Other”, which has some awesome mellow playing, and then “Sideways Jaw Trap”, which is more typical iconic Bucket work, with guitar notes in a flurry. “Trading Post” is a major highlight; never stagnant, always moving but filled with power and style; love the leadwork in this song.
The best track is saved for the very end, though. A complete deviation from everything that’s come before, “Hallowed Out” is a completely acoustic affair, with an ominous backing track giving it structure. What shocked me, and what I’m surprised few people comment on, is how this track reuses the backing track to “The Pit Part 1”. I really like the choice though, and it gives the title of the song new meaning. I think “Hallowed Out” is an even better track than its predecessor too; the acoustic playing is amazing and it’s an incredibly somber way to end out the Pike.
As a whole there’s so much to love here. Not all of the sections flow as well as I’d like, but every track is filled with great moments, all culminating to a spectacular ending. Well worth your time.
A
Pike #38: It Smells Like Frogs
A solid Pike, but not quite as good as the four that preceded it. In the same vein as
The Pit, this one opens up with a multi-part epic, this time almost 25 minutes in length. What separates “Gold Dragon” from “The Pit”, though, is that it definitely feels its length. There’s not to much variety in style, it’s pretty much just an assembly line of riffing. Good riffing, but it feels a lot more aimless than I want it to. There are moments that come back at the end, but largely it’s just a blur.
I appreciate the title track stitched onto the end, and the way it utilizes some of Bucket’s wackier playing to really make it smell like frogs. As a whole it’s a good Pike, and his playing is sharp as always, but it doesn’t grab me in the ways that especially the last three do.
B
Pike #39: Twisterlend
The first track on
Twisterlend is a phenomenal stand-out from Buckethead. “The Closed Triptych” is over 11 minutes long, and none of it feels like time wasted. There’s a ton of soloing here, but it doesn’t really dive into the typical Buckethead noodles, instead opting for soul-soaring swings and ascensions. It’s fucking awesome.
I don’t think the rest of the Pike matches this track, though. The other tracks make up for the lack of noodles in “Triptych”, and it’s all very strong playing, it just doesn’t grip me as much. The closing title track is cool though, with some dark mellow bits between the heavier parts. Definitely feels like an amusement park.
Strong album, but not perfect.
B
Pike #40: Coat of Charms
Now for a much milder affair all-around. The first two tracks here are fully acoustic, a reprieve from the heaviness of the previous Pikes. There’s some incredibly playing on them, too. But then we’ve got another twenty-minute, multi-part track in the form of “Jettison”, which brings back heaviness and balances it with the acoustics. I love the back-and-forth here, and the playing is really cool. Much better than “Gold Dragon” and honestly a lot of this is even better than “The Pit”. It’s a better-weighted track that knows where it’s going and where it wants to go. Great Pike all-around.
A
Pike #41: Wishes
And if
Coat of Charms wasn’t mellow enough for you, then
Wishes should do the trick. The opening track “Ascending Soul” is exactly what it sounds like, featuring a flurry of acoustic playing that is absolutely incredible. It’s just under three minutes in length and is the highlight of the Pike.
Unfortunately the other three tracks are just too long with not enough variation to keep me focused. They’re not bad, they just drag. The playing here is really good, but they all have a similar shuffling rhythm underlying them that, especially for eight- and fifteen-minute tracks, does get old. I think this would be a great Pike to play during a massage or when trying to fall asleep, but as focused listening it just doesn’t do enough for me.
C
Pike #42: Backwards Chimney
Pretty ugly cover to this Pike, but fortunately the music is really good. This is another mellower Pike, but it takes a lovely, bluesy approach that really brings out Buckethead’s incredible playing super well. Each track here is super strong, and the melodies and soloing are fabulous. My one problem is that arguably the best track, the closing “Other Paths”, ends way too soon! Otherwise there’s nothing much to add here, just a very strong release.
A
Pike #43
The thing with Buckethead’s untitled works is that you never really know what to expect. I certainly was not expecting the sheer amount of quality on display here. This isn’t a Pike I’ve seen heralded online, but my god was I absolutely floored. It continues what Bucket has been doing over the past few Pikes and really expands on it in incredible ways.
Thing is, you don’t expect that from the first track. Four minutes of quiet, somber, mellow guitarwork; it’s great, but you don’t really need a whole thirty minutes of that. And on this Pike, Buckethead really understands that. Track 2 is a lot more lively and has more pep in its step, building and building in glorious fashion until a proper, mind-blowingly emotive guitar solo erupts from the speakers. Glorious. This has to be one of his best tracks.
We come down from those heights for more peppy world-building in soothing, happy fashion. The big epic of this album is Track 5, ten-and-a-half minutes of quiet, contemplative playing that brings back the slow methodical rhythms from
Wishes but improves on what that album only hinted at. I was a little unsure of this track at the start but it does not disappoint. It’s music to get lost in and it doesn’t drag at all.
That’s the thing about
Pike 43; it doesn’t drag. A lot of Bucket’s work will have small sections where you’re like “okay, I get it”, and some will get ridiculously lost under their own weight. This one knows how to build to where it wants to go and not only reaches those heights but then goes even higher. Definitely some of the most incredible playing I’ve ever heard from him. Even Tracks 4 and 6, which are short little interludes if you will, I would have loved to hear him expand on. They’re awesome, but man imagine if he’d continued what they started.
And ultimately that’s the biggest thing about this Pike. With a lot of others I’m okay with their 30 minute runtimes, and there are some that I think could’ve been cut even shorter. With
Pike 43, I would have loved to hear Buckethead expand this into a proper 40+ minute album like before the series began. It’s just so good. This is easily the best Pike in the series so far. In spite of the lack of titles or the faceless cover, you’re not getting a simply churned-out Buckethead recording with zero thought put into it. Rather, with this release Buckethead uses the following philosophy:
The music speaks for itself. S
Been cramming Buckethead into about any moment that I can, add yesterday on my day off I went and knocked out a full seven. It's been a really good stretch for him, with only one C-Tier album (which still had its own merits) and one D-Tier album (rollercoaster ambience); and then two very different Pikes that left me really astounded and which I think rank up there with his best work for vastly different reasons. Curious to see how long he can keep this standard up and if/when the quality will start to drop. Right now I'm still very much enjoying these Pikes and I think they bring a lot of different stuff to the table.
Also glad that
@Mosh did this already because his notes and reviews are a nice grounding point for me. Looking forward to when
@CriedWhenBrucieLeft started reviewing the reviews (around Pike 60 IIRC) so I can get his thoughts too.