BUCKETHEAD — Pike 313 - Vincent Price SHRUNKEN HEAD Apple Sculpture (review)

BUCKETHEAD — Pike 313 - Vincent Price SHRUNKEN HEAD Apple Sculpture album cover

Album · 2022 · Alternative Metal

3/5 · 2022-05-23
siLLy puPPy

PIKE 313 - Vincent Price SHRUNKEN HEAD Apple Scultpure 11th installment of 2022 Everything played by BUCKETHEAD Total playing time 27 minutes and 39 seconds All instrumental as always!

Whether you love him or hate him, you cannot deny that ole BUCKY has some of the most outrageously creative album titles! Here’s just the latest example. PIKE 313 is titled VINCENT PRICE SHRUNKEN HEAD APPLE SCULPTURE and features seven equally silly track names. Most find the words SHRUNKEN HEAD or have something to do with the theme. Of course with all instrumental tracks it’s just word games as the music itself has little to nothing to do with the theme but such is the life in BUCKETHEADLAND!

“Turn Apples Into SHRUNKEN HEADS” takes on a rather typical alternative metal guitar riffing style with that atmospheric backdrop that adds a smoothness to the guitar distortion. This general riffing session alternates with a heavier rock guitar heft without the atmospheric touches. Basically heavy blues rock mixed with alt metal. Nothing new under the sun in BH LAND. Generic and blah.

“Having a SHRUNKEN HEAD is Like Having Halloween All Year Round” is heavier with thrash metal chugging and accompanying bass and drum stomps. Then the guitar gets weird in a fast and furious way. Sounds like a buzzsaw gone rogue. The track keeps a Pantera-esque groove metal thrashing heft to it for the track’s entirety however there is a nice moment of the volume freaking out and the crunchiness of the guitar is overall quite pleasing.

“Apple Sculpture” starts a bunch of shorter tracks. This one is less metal and more blues rock with some funky bass grooves. Basically like a gazillion other BH tracks in the PIKE world. Nice funk guitar breakdown though.

“Create Your Own Collection of Delightful SHRUNKEN HEADS” jumps back into a heavier metal motif with aggressive guitar riffs and then a freaky distortion. This one is actually sort of clever and unlike other PIKEs. Nice freaky time signature changes. This is prog metal with the emphasis on strange knotty workouts.

“You'll Find SHRUNKEN HEAD Apple Sculpture Kits Wherever Toys and Crafts Are Sold” is a slower metal track with slower bass grooves and guitar chords but the distortion is loud and violent. Then it starts those spidery riffs that slowly build with the atmospheric backdrop adding some ambience. This could be considered a power ballad i guess. OK but less enthralling than the faster tracks it follows.

“Buy Your Kit Now and Get a Head-Start” is a short track barely over a minute but features a wild freakout of sounds and palm muted guitar riffs. Short and to the point but nothing terribly exciting.

“Vincent Price SHRUNKEN HEAD Apple Sculpture Kit” jumps into blues based hard rock / heavy metal that sounds like glam metal from the 80s. At least from a guitarist’s point of view. Would be perfect if there was a screaming vocalist along for the ride but no such luck. Not bad but also sounds incomplete.

Despite the cleverness of the PIKE titles and tracks, BH rarely lives up to the same creativity in the musical deliveries. This is an average PIKE with some great moments and many average. Overall this one is hit and miss with the strongest tracks being the most metal amongst them. After a few PIKEs that offered some insanity which i love the most, seems like BH is back to the “normal” PIKE sounds.