UMUR "Core" is the debut full-length studio album by US, California based hard rock act Stone Temple Pilots. The album was released through Atlantic Records in September 1992. Stone Temple Pilots were formed in 1985 by lead vocalist Scott Weiland and bassist Robert DeLeo under the Swing monicker (they later recruited drummer Eric Kretz), but changed their name to Mighty Joe Young (after Robert´s older brother guitarist Dean DeLeo joined in 1989 and suggested a name change). The band recorded a demo under the Mighty Joe Young monicker and made a name for themselves on the San Diego club scene using that name, and Atlantic Records eventually took notice and signed the band. While in the studio with producer Brendan O´Brien recording the material for "Core", the band were told that a blues band existed using the Mighty Joe Young name, and the band were therefore forced to another name change. They settled for Stone Temple Pilots.

Stone Temple Pilots are often lumped in with the contemporary Seattle scene and artists like Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, and Alice in Chains (and were often criticized for it by the contemporary music press), and while there is certainly some truth (ok, a lot of truth) to that Stone Temple Pilots were not a worsphipping clone act. They had a enough original musical elements to stand out and it´s predominantly the voice and singing style of Weiland which point toward Seattle (and especially Alice in Chains lead vocalist Layne Staley). The songwriting is also top notch and "Core" features many standout tracks and it´s through and through a high quality hard rock release.

Radio/music video hits like "Plush" and "Sex Type Thing" are among the best known tracks off the album, but there´s not a single sub par track on the album and I could just as well have mentioned tracks like "Dead & Bloated" or the 8:25 minutes long "Where The River Goes" (which are the two tracks bookending the album), or the hard rocking and faster-paced "Crackermann" as some of the highlights. Stone Temple Pilots can also do melancholic ballads which they prove with "Creep", but their greatest success is actually the tracklist flow. Even the two shorter interlude tracks "No Memory" and "Wet My Bed" serve a breather purpose and work well in transitioning the album to the next phase.

"Core" features a professional, powerful, and detailed sounding production, which suits the material perfectly. The performances are also strong on all posts. hard rocking and sometimes pretty heavy guitar work, organic and powerful drumming (and some pretty nice percussion too), clever bass lines, and the strong voice and passionate delivery by Weiland in front. This does not sound like a debut release at all. There are no odd experimental tracks (save for "Wet My Bed", but that one fits the concept and atmosphere of the album), inconsistent songwriting, or unpolished musical ideas, which don´t fit in. This is an album which works from start to finish and a 4 - 4.5 star (85%) rating is deserved.

siLLy puPPy Although BUCKETHEAD has slowed down in recent years, he still cranks out more releases than many other artists out there. While hundreds were released back in 2015 now in 2022 the chicken lover is only on his fifth album in 2022 which is titled PIKE 307 - MERCURY BREAK.

Like all PIKEs, this one is all instrumental and a one-chicken show. This one is short as it only clocks in over 27 minutes. This one features only two tracks, the 23-minute plus title track and the tiny-in-comparison “Echoing Unicorn.” Ah, i love it when unicorns echo echo echooooo.

For the majority of these PIKEs the chicken lover hovers between angsty alternative metal and a softer form of heavy alternative rock of course those are hardly the only genres he covers but the vast majority fall into either of these. This one is more on the heavy rock side of things.

The cool sounding title track is a nice break from some of the monotony of recent PIKEs. Yeah this one has the same repetitive guitar riffs and accompanying bass and drums but the atmosphere and production is a bit airy with even a bit of processed vocals in the mix.

The guitar tones are pretty cool and some synthesized sound effects are just what the doctor ordered to keep this from being too repetitive. Even the drumming is a bit more complex than the usual canned drumbeat. It actually sounds as if a live being is pecking away on percussion.

Yeah, perhaps the title track is longer than i needs to be with the same receptive riffs chugging along after each breakdown but it is more interesting than normal with some nice processed guitars, a few time signature and tempo deviations and overall atmospheres. Decent.

“Echoing Unicorns” insinuates a psychedelic space rock with trippy reverb and fantasy fueled freakiness but is in fact another one of those heavy alt rock guitar riffing sessions in the vein of the title track with processed talk box vocals in tandem with the guitar. The sound effects are pretty cool but not OMG so. Unlike the title track, this one is the perfect playing length.


Overall this PIKE is a nice subtle shift from previous ones. BH has been ramping up the production values and this one has some interesting atmospheres and cool sound effects. Now he needs to work on more interesting compositions overall. It’s still just repetitive riffs on overdrive. This is a decent PIKE but it’s been a while since i’ve been blown away.

Unitron "The time is right for sonic infusion"

Since We've Become Translucent is one of those albums that makes you wonder why this wasn't a transition into a new sound. The first and last songs both show Mudhoney displaying some classic Hawkwind influence, but with their own grungy attitude to it. It's intense and fiery space rock with a great horn section on Baby Can You Dig the Light?, and fits in with the sound the band already had.

The rest of the album is pretty standard Mudhoney, so basically The Stooges meets Blue Cheer, with Crooked and Wide being the best of that bunch. However it ends up being slightly disappointing with the strengths of the bookends. They could've evolved into a great space grunge band, but I guess they decided to stick with their old formula.

siLLy puPPy BUCKETHEAD has been quite erratic in releasing PIKEs in the last couple of years but it seems like 2022 is when the chicken lover is turning on the spigot once again to let the PIKEs flow! PIKE 304 - RAINBOW BRIDGE features four tracks and only reaches over the 27-minute mark. This one is the second release in 2022 and is the typical PIKE of being digitally downloadable and featuring BH playing all instruments.

The opening title track is a rather generic affair featuring one of those heavy rock riffing sessions and sounds like pretty much a gazillion other eggs that have already hatched. Some of BH’s PIKEs are heavy enough to qualify as metal but this one is a little bit more laid back and should be considered heavy alternative rock. The title track is a throwaway in my book. I’ve long grown weary of redundancy. 
“Toy Museum” is quite a different story however and is quite refreshingly new. Something about the combination of the atmosphere, the guitar tones, the unique style of riffing and steady beat that makes this one a real treat. It has some nice gurgling guitar effects which sort of replicate turntablism. It’s also the longest track at over 10 minutes. BH’s instrumentals are so hit and miss. This one is a hit.

“Water Molecule” is a funky hard rock number that sounds something like the Red Hot Chili Peppers may have conjured up in the 1990s only without the bass guitar antics of Flea. The guitar riffs though are more rooted to 1970s bluesy hard rock like Aerosmith, Robert Trower or UFO. It’s officially OK but nothing outstanding either. It’s a little feistier and fast tempoed than 70s hard rock and this track straddles on the line of being metal and hard rock.

“Invisible Trees” continues the bluesy hard rock riffing but a bit calmer than the previous track. Basically same pattern with guitar riffs, muffled bass and uninspired drumming. This one is probably the most authentically 70s sounding hard rock track. The problem with this is that the lack of vocals make this sound a bit empty. That’s the problem with many of these PIKEs actually. If there are trees somewhere i can’t see them!

Another mediocre PIKE here. Once again, nothing offensively bad or unlistenable but nothing that will blow your mind either. “Toy Museum” is the best track and the only one that offers something a bit different otherwise this sounds like one of those assembly line PIKEs that will be quickly forgotten at least by my ears. Oh well, i’m sure another PIKE will hatch soon. Until then, hasta la vista!

siLLy puPPy Well hello, kiddies! Are you ready for another trip to BUCKETHEAD’s FunHouse in BUCKETHEADLAND? Tickets are selling fast so hurry up and get yours! For those of you who already have a special pass, please follow me! It’s time to board the PIKE 299 Express and today’s destination is to the THOUGHT POND. Oh yea, you know of what i speak. The place where contemplation results in heavy doses of instrumental alternative metal where the Lord Supreme Chicken Lover plays every last instrument! Buckle your seat belts and please keep you hands in the ride. Some of the chickens have turned a bit nasty lately and we certainly don’t want you to lose any limbs.

This PIKE experience will last approximately 28 minutes and transverse five distinct regions. The first stop will be “In The Vases” which showcases BUCK BUCK’s slide guitar juju. Oh it’s so bluesy and all before turning into a more standard alt metal type of tune that true fans will already be familiar with. To keep things from getting too overly weird, the following title track pretty much follows suit. Yeah, sometimes we have to keep things from getting TOO out there or we’ll have another incident where our patrons jump out of the car while it’s moving and end up as chicken fodder. This is horrible for the insurance policies.

And be careful, kiddies! Our next stop may appear to be the “Shit Reflection” but look more carefully as you will see it’s really the “Stilt Reflection!” Even stilts need to reflect sometime and never forget it. Another tasteful dose of amplified slide guitar with some tasty guitar riffs, bass and drums. Lately BH has really gotten into the classics. Recently he did an AC/DC styled instrumental PIKE and now has gotten this bluesy rock hair up his ass! Must be ticklin’ something up there! Hehe. Anyways, another decent track from he who escaped the coop so long ago. No stilt!

Now just because the next stop is a tune called “Times For Tears,” do not worry! You will not be pummeled with tear gas! We promise we fixed that problem a month ago! Also we won’t make you cry with a sappy done-before ballad that makes you want to pull your hair out, commit suicide or go bowling instead! No, kiddies, this is yet another heavy rocker with some riffy guitar workouts and a few breakdowns. I swear i must be having a breakdown. I could’ve sworn that yesterday the next stop was called “Vulcan Stroke” which made me think about Mr. Spock from Star Trek playing with himself all inappropriately but i see now it’s actually called “Vulcan Stoke” so either i need to get my mind out of the gutter or increase my meds. Anywayz, this track is sorta Led Zeppelin-y in a “Kashmir” sorta way but with those BH cluck plucks of the guitar strings. Nah, i take it back it’s just another riff based guitar dominant track. This one has some atmosphere however but not anything tooo overly different from previous PIKEs.

Well, ladies and gents, that concludes another adventure in BUCKETHEADLAND. We hope no limbs were lost and that sanity has been maintained! While this ride may not be the top attraction at this here theme park, it nevertheless was an honor to take you on this ride and we do hope you stick around for another PIKE is, well, just down the PIKE! Hehehehehe! That will conclude today’s services. Please do mind the gap upon exiting and see you on the next chicken’s wild adventure! Oh and don’t forget to stamp your merch tickets. Buy four KFC bucket head covers and get the fifth one totally free!