siLLy puPPy PIKE 113 - HERBIE THEATRE is the 12th album released by BUCKETHEAD in 2015. The album is comprised of four tracks and clocks in at 30:37. BUCKETHEAD’s getting funky on this one. It reminds me of his Praxis days.

The first track “Herbie Theatre - First Act” starts off nice and slow with a wah-wah funky guitar riff before it kicks into a harder funk metal groove. Once the riff is established the frenetic soloing kicks in and alternates here and there with the funky bass line. This basic pattern repeats itself for the 8:11 duration but has some spices added. Not a bad track. I seem to dig BH’s funkier side. Nice guitar effects towards the end.

Track two “Intermission” is short for a PIKE track at 3:23 and is a bizarre avant-garde electronic piece that wouldn’t sound out of place on a Throbbing Gristle or Coil album. There is a tad of guitar that is heard but mostly electronic manipulations of one sort or another that are rhythmic but not melodic. It has a hyperactive freakout ending.

Track three is “Herbie Theatre - Second Act” and at 11:29 is the longest of the four. It is what i’d call more avant-funk-metal. It has a funky bass line, frenetic guitar soloing with a strange string of electronic noises. While it’s obvious the bass is funk, there are lots of time signature changes here and there to add an extra layer of bizarreness to the overall effect at times. Despite the time length it doesn’t get stale unlike many of the lengthy PIKE tracks. Cool electronica ending.

The fourth track “Herbie Theatre After Party” clocks in at 7:34 and immediately moves on from strange electronica to hard and heavy guitar riffing with blistering solos and a little bit of staticky sounding electronic here and there. This is basically a heavy metal rocker that has an interesting way of keeping it interesting. It’s not too far removed from previous PIKES that bore me but there are just enough variations through time sigs, sound effects and surprises to keep me enthralled all the while never letting up in its intensity.

Overall i’m liking this one a lot more than the other PIKES. It has a lot more interesting twists and turns and could actually be considered progressive funk metal for much of it. BUCKETHEAD is clearly capable of making some highly inventive and original sounding music so it is quite the disappointment on many of these PIKE albums when they are repetitive and slumber inducing. This one actually satisfies my craving for daring, creative and experimental rock music. One of my favorite of the PIKES so far, but i have a ways to go!