There are some melodic moments that are really sparse and creepy sounding. He's really come a long way since then, this is by far the best noise album he's made. Pike 270 - A3: A noise Pike? If I'm not mistaken, there hasn't been one of these since the 31 Days Til Halloween gauntlet. Not sure how this stands out among nearly 300 other contenders for vinyl release. It's a good Pike, but Sonar Rainbow is much stronger. This is a very weird selection for vinyl. One of those Pikes that has something for everyone, although I wish there was a bit more mellow stuff. I'm usually not fond of that sort of thing but it's pretty cool in this context. I really like the last track where he piles on a bunch of overdubs. Some crazy atonal shredding but also some melodic stuff (mostly in the first track). Pike 269 - Decaying Parchment: Lots of variety here. Very dynamic track.Īnd a very dynamic Pike overall. Venomous Fog is back to the atmospheric melodic style of the title track, although there are still some heavy moments sprinkled in. One of his best compositions in recent Pikes.ĭebris continues the mood of the previous song but with a more syncopated angular riffing. The riffs are brutal and the melodies are sinister. The Maddening of Mercury is even better though. Lots of great atmosphere before Buckethead really gets going with a ripping guitar solo (he played a similar sort of solo during Animal Behavior at the concert and it was awesome). Love the buildup in the opening title track. Pike 268 - Sonar Rainbow: Going back to a longer song format. I could absolutely see this being the soundtrack to a rollercoaster, much like the previously mentioned Roller Coaster Track Repair (although not quite as good). This Pike had that and for the most part it worked. Buckethead's albums in general are usually especially good when there is a sort of theme. The closing track was also atmospheric Buckethead at its finest. Nerve Stability at T6 had a really awesome build, one of the Pike's highlights.
Some shreddy/noodly moments, I think I enjoy those more now that I've taken some time off from his music. I liked the short song format, the sudden endings were pretty abrasive but then again it fit the material. His rollercoaster themed Pikes tend to be pretty exciting and this was no exception. Pike 267 - Throacic Spine Collapser: What's with the sudden endings in the tracks?