siLLy puPPy PIKE 170 - WASHED AWAY is the 69th album released by BUCKETHEAD in 2015. While like the other PIKES it is exclusively played by BUCKETHEAD, all tracks are instrumental and clock in near the half hour mark at 29:46, this one stands out in not in that it has only two tracks but because the title track takes up most of the album with the second track only a tiny bit. However at this point anything goes at BUCKETHEADLAND where only the unexpected should be expected.

The title tracks begins things and hogs most of the album at 24:56. This track begins with a very slow tempo and has a very airy guitar, bass and drums that move like a thick maple syrup flow down a stack of fluffy pancakes. This is my least favorite type of style from the chicken lover and even though this has some different melodic developments and tries to keep it interesting, i’m just bored by these slow and same-tempoed ballads that seem to be trailing a snail all the while keeping the tones to a minimum and well everything to a minimum and ugh i don’t like it even for this style. Basically this goes on and on and on and on for over 24 minutes and doesn’t do hardly anything in the process. In short, unlike this behemoth gargantuan unstimulating procession of semi-stock-still infused mediocrity, i find this a major contributor to consopition and enervator of ennui. Me no likey! Mommy make it go away!

After that long stretch of nothing we finally get “Spike” which is a tiny little track that only lasts a mere 4:50 but in stark contrast to the title track this is a crushing thrashy metal number and a much welcome relief for someone who likes a bit more energetic delivery in their music, however despite this being more a style of my liking i can’t say this is anything more than a well played but generic thrash metal piece. The thrash metal album “Twisted Branches” was much more innovative in this department and this could possibly be a leftover track from those practice sessions.

Sorry but too little too late to save this from being one of my LEAST favorite PIKES. Zero stars but that isn’t possible so as little as is possible given the parameters of this site. Really, there should be a ZERO STAR option. Some albums really deserve it.