siLLy puPPy BUCKETHEAD - PIKE 76 - CATERPILLAR 35th album out of 60 in 2014 and 105th overall All sounds brought to you by Buckethead and all instrumental This one has 8 tracks that clock in at 29:11 Originally titled simply PIKE 76, it added the secondary title CATERPILLAR in 2016 All eight untitled tracks were also given titles

“Reprint” (4:37) starts off with some funky rock guitar riffs and bass. It’s not too distorted and is borderline metal with power chords sounding at times more like AC/DC. It has a fairly generic melodic development and becomes more alternative metal as it picks up steam

“Fountain” (6:15) is another funky hard rocker with a slightly more interesting development but basically the same type of alternative rock laced with slight funk as the first track. Another one that’s ok but not OMG

“Hot Wheels” (3:46) is yet another hard rocker with crunchy riffs but this one is without the funk. There is some nice harmonic guitar action here and there but this another by-the-numbers hard rock instrumental

“Caterpillar” (3:11) is another instrumental hard rocker of the exact same ilk. Nothing really different

“Mr. Toad’s Wait Time” (1:10) is yet another hard rocker with lukewarm riffs and mediocre melody

“Ring” (3:31) finally starts something different. This one has clean guitars starting it out but then breaks into the all too familiar hard rock that every other track sounds like

“Dream Machine” (1:41) is….. surprise, surprise…. ANOTHER hard rocking instrumental! Nothing really to get excited about though

“Skizzy’s Hot Rod” (5:41) definitely sounds like AC/DC. In fact it kinda sounds like “Girls Got Rhythm.” Probably the most interesting track on the PIKE but not as good as Bon Scott and company. Unsurprisingly a tepid ending track on a tepid release. Nothing is bad on here but it’s fairly uncreative and for me quite boring