LAST CALL FOR THE E.P. RIPLEY

Another eclectic release where all the titles are "Stop" and they are numbered 1-9. Right away on "Stop 1" we get some funky metal thrown at us. The bass is fully funkified and heavy metal guitar riffs supplement it with distorted angst. There also some nice solos and lead fills that augment the metal part of the equation otherwise when the guitars drop it's pure funk!

This is another one of those where all the tracks seamlessly blend into each other so in effect this is one of those long drawn out non-stop roller coaster rides at BUCKETHEADLAND. Despite them running together there are some abrupt changes in style like on "Stop 3" that suddenly changes into a strange dungeon synth run for a while before bringing back the funky bass but this time it is more progressive in how the instruments have syncopated timings that are slightly off. It eventually comes around back to straight funkiness again and this is only the 8 minute mark!

This is simply one of those varied recipes where styles, sounds and tempos are introduced, overlap, one fades out while another changes it up. This is pretty much the style for the entire run of the album. Personally i find this style very effective. The funky bass and steady drumbeat keep the whole thing slightly light-hearted while the guitar and other effects bring a bizarre layer of avant-garde dancing around the funky backbone but the bass does go off on many tangents here and there leading to periods of extreme strangeness. It always resolves itself in a more accessible sound after some über-weirdness!

Once again i like a PIKE! BUCKETHEAD usually wins me over when there's funk involved because he has a very gifted grasp on how to make it work in tandem with all kinds of sounds, styles and ideas. I have to say that i am willing to take the wild ride with E.P. RIPLEY again while many of these PIKES won't be getting a second chance :-P

3.5 rounded down