MANNEQUIN CEMETERY

PIKE 30 - MANNEQUIN CEMETERY is the 20th album released by BUCKETHEAD in 2013 and 60th overall. This album has NINE tracks and clocks in at 30:28 aAnNdDd all instruments are played by BUCKETHEAD but production is by Dan Monti and is a heavy rockin' album that take an alt metal feel and unleashes new forces. Overall an OK but brilliant album

"Melted Glasses" (2:45) begins as a rather industrial metal sound as heard on Ministry's "A Mind Is A Terrible Thing To Taste" but then becomes a groove metal riff thang. The riff is hard and heavy and has a nice grungy effect but nothing OMG

"Purse of Holes" (3:29) is yet another heavy and fast groove metal track that has a bass edge with hard riffs and grunge groove distortion. It eventually develops into a cool Pantera-esque "Far Beyond Driven" type of vibe

"Cobwebs in the Calf" (3:46) starts out with a only slightly distorted bluesy riff and then becomes a really heavy bluesy riff. It changes into a really distortion heavy alternative metal riffage kind of track

"Faded Fingernail Polish" (3:24) is basically a continuation of the groove metal riffage of the previous track. Nothing new and innovative but grungy and groovilicious for sure! :O :P :Y

"Hat That Smells Like an Old Bookstore" (2:28) is another heavy grungy alternative metal rocker that sounds a lot like previous tracks. OK, but nothing OMG

"Where Rings Were" (3:33) is very grungy, down tuned and chord oriented. There are also speed oriented riffs that rock the house in fastulous ways

"Piles of Parts" (3:19) is a totally different track as it has a very Van Halen feel to it. "Ain't Talkin' Bout Love" comes to mind but then becomes a heavy metal riffage behemoth in the same style but more progressively laid out. Pretty cool although simply rhythmic and although there are somewhat proggy developments is pretty much a heavy metal rocker that slightly deviates from the norm

"Shoes Without Socks" (3:08) is the reason i keep getting sores on my feet! Musicallly this is a heavy alternative metal rocker that is very fast in tempo, highly distorted in tempo and likes to get ahead of itself in the riff department

"Mannequin Cemetery" (4:36) is probably the most interesting track on the album as it starts out with a strange alternative metal riffage but continues that riffage as it picks up steam and creates a slightly altered take on alt metal. It's fairly by the books but has just enough mojo to create a pleasant down tuned distortionfest that creates the ultimate alt metal celebratory feel

All performed well but nothing on here is exciting or catches me off guard. There exist too many other PIKES that are truly interesting and innovative to consider this one anything special. Basically this is an alt metal feast that has some groove metal inserted into the overall alt-ness of the whole thang