siLLy puPPy PIKE 106 - FOREST OF BAMBOO is the 5th release by BUCKETHEAD in 2015. This release consists of only the 29:12 length title track. After a few releases that focused on hard rock mixed with funk and occasional leaning towards a classic 80s metal sound, FOREST OF BAMBOO finds BUCKETHEAD mixing all of that up with more experimental elements. The most obvious addition here is in the electronic department. At times the beat sounds like the kind you would hear on a big beat type of album by Prodigy or similar artists. There are also scratches, bloops, bleeps and electronic effects to make other instruments sound freaky. This album is also more progressive as it has some interesting breaks and strange time signatures but this isn’t used as much as i would like.

In addition to the big beat that is fairly steady with occasional deviations, there are funky guitar segments, hard rock that becomes actual metal at times and lots of weird synthesized keyboard riffs that help embellish the atmosphere. Once again this is a sort of extended jam type of thing with a repetitive beat but there is a wider variety of riffs that despite going on for long periods of time do alternate. Although it is a bit repetitive it has a lot more variations in tones, time signatures and techniques. It is also something that doesn’t sound like it’s been done before. This will probably only appeal to an eclectic crowd who can stomach the thought of psytrancy big beat electronica mixed with hard rock, a bit of metal and funk that carries on in an instrumental fashion for nearly a half hour. I actually kinda dig this one.