siLLy puPPy PIKE 104 - PROJECT LITTLE MAN is the 3rd release by BUCKETHEAD in 2015. Another digital release only. This one only has two long tracks: the 18:32 title track and the 10:28 “Thorne Room”. Unlike the previous two albums that focused mostly on a hard bluesy rock a la Jimi Hendrix, this release finds BUCKETHEAD returning to a harder metal sound found on earlier albums complete with the more virtuosic guitar solos he is known for. The instrumental blues aspect has not been jettisoned however, it has only been more metalized.

The title track is first and basically a long drawn-out jam session that takes a blues oriented metal riff and extends it. The guitar solos augment the melody but the whole thing seems a little repetitive. I have seen this album referred to as progressive metal but i wouldn’t call it that at all simply because the tracks are long. This is only a traditional metal type of sound that loops on and on too long for its own good, at least for my liking but it is true that there are interesting guitar solos occurring here and there while not being in the least bit innovative or experimental as his earlier works, still showcases his ability to shred like the best in the field.

“Thorne Room” is the second track and utilizes the same formula of track one except that the metal is a little more thrashy. This one reminds me of Steve Vai’s lesser moments on later albums where we get a basic metal riffage mixed with intermittent guitar solos. The beat is steady and never deviates from the same tempo. There are some echo effects and other BUCKETHEAD trademarks but nothing that hasn’t been done before.

PROJECT LITTLE MAN is better than the previous two releases but nothing on here compels me to listen to this again despite showcasing some nice metal riffage and soloing techniques. It’s all been done before only better and much more interestingly. There just seems to be no effort into song structures. It’s just repetitive riffing for all 29 minutes.