Buckethead: Pike 126 - Tourist

Artist: Buckethead
Album: Pike 126 - Tourist
Release date: April 10, 2015
Label: Independent (Bandcamp release)
Genre: look, it's Buckethead, he'll do whatever he wants. In this case, it's kind of alternative rock.









WHAT THIS IS ABOUT
Buckethead is the guy with a bucket on his head. He also happen to be one of the best, most innovative rock guitarist of his generation. You might remember him from the time Guns'n'Roses tried to evolve. I remember him for Pandemoniumfromamerica, one of the best albums you've never heard, an experimental take on spoken word in collaboration with Viggo Mortensen. Now, good ol' Bucky here never rests. The number right there is not an inside joke, this is the 126th album in the Pike series, which started in 2011. Tourist is guitar experimentation - you're either fascinated by it or not, I guess.

WHAT IT DOES RIGHT
The only song you can stream on Bandcamp without buying the full album (which you should) is the centerpiece of this piece of work. Glow Worm is the kind of musical journey you can expect from Buckethead, and I have to say that it's both deep and pleasant - you can kinda leave it in the background and it'll do good things to your mind, or you can dive into it and find the meaning behind every note. This double layer approach has alway been Buckethead's main strength, so it's not surprising to see it here. I found Ticket to Extinguish to be the album's other high point, but it's a pretty cohesive work anyway, enjoyable as a whole. It's a lossless release, so it sounds great.

WHAT IT DOES WRONG
You have to be a fan. I hate when people say, "it's an acquired taste", but it's true that you might not appreciate Buckethead if you're not already into him. I don't think he cares, but I do. So do yourself a favour and check some of his stuff online, listen to the 14-minutes song from this one and choose.

VERDICT
Buy it. At $8.99 it's a bit pricey, so you might be tempted to wait until it pops up on other streaming services, but it's not guaranteed to happen and you'd risk losing this chance just because you're a cheap bastard. Don't be a cheap bastard. Then again, if you're looking to enter the world of Buckethead, keep in mind that this is a fine album, but not his most memorable effort.

Depraved Murder - Remnants of Depravity

Artist: Depraved Murder
Title: Remnants of Depravity
Release date: April 10, 2015
Label: WAAR Productions
Genre: Brutal Death Metal. Cookie Monster in a b-movie.









WHAT THIS IS ABOUT
Bunch of Indonesian kids playing loud music. Their drummer is called Yogy, which I imagine sounds funnier in this hemisphere, but whatever. This is their first album, published by a tiny Indonesian label which appears to be doing the right things.

WHAT IT DOES RIGHT
These guys are competent. It truly is one of the greatest testaments to death metal. They live 10,000 miles away from the place where death metal was born, and they play it well. Some tracks (like Neurological Brain Disorders) show interesting guitar work, which in my opinion stands out as the true highlight of the album. The vocal aren't bad - they lack some emphasis at times, and I think that constant growling has ran its course. When it's alternated with some screaming, like in Torso Rotten Flesh, it's definitely refreshing. It also sounds pretty well, in the sense that you can hear everything well (except for the bass, which I had to intentionally look for every time) and it's all well distributed.

WHAT IT DOES WRONG
All of the above being said, this album is formulaic as hell. Which is not necessarily a bad thing, especially in an underdeveloped metal scene like the one in Indonesia. But it might not satisfy an American or European fan. The audio from horror movies is cheesy beyond words, but it ties in with the art and general themes. I was not impressed with the drumming - it's the only true weak point, in my opinion. It partially depends on some sound design choices (half of the drum kit sounds fine, the other half is messed up), but it's ultimately due to playing style. It adds nothing to the songs, and at times it detracts a bit from them.

VERDICT
If you're Indonesian, it's a big deal. Like, really big. If you're not Indonesian (which sounds more likely, if you're reading this blog), it's still not bad, so you might want to give it a try. You can stream it in its entirety on Bandcamp, which gives you the chance to check if I'm bullshitting (I'm not).