PIKE 309 - COSMIC OVEN

The PIKE series seems at times like a never-ending variation on a single alternative metal / rock theme with a few curve balls thrown in for shock value. BUCKETHEAD has unleashed some amazingly clever and innovative music onto the world but it seems these days he's very much back to those subtle variations on the same old riffing with only minor variations with some sounding like completely recycled material.

PIKE 309 - COSMIC OVEN features only two tracks with the opening title track squeaking past the 19-minute mark followed by the 9 minute and 22 second "Hollow of the Furnace." OK, the title track is one of those been there done that before lengthy sprawlers that to my ears offers little in terms of variations that sets it apart from a gazillion other tracks that have emerged previously in the PIKE series. The one exception is that BH offers some hammer-on guitar antics but basically the compositionally flow has been done to DEATH. WTF is up with this Groundhog Day scenario? Geez. Basically i find this track boring AF :/

"Hollow of the Furnace" is slightly better but still nothing to get overly excited about. Nicer riffs, nicer ambience, nicer production and more forgiving time endurance but still nothing even remotely different than a gazillion other PIKE tracks that have been recycled a million times over and over and over again. I'm getting jaded with this at this point granted but since i started as one of the few brave souls to review every BH release i guess i have to keep going.

I'll keep this short. Basically i find this PIKE competent but rather boring. Granted being in the right mood helps with some of these but as a music critic i can instantly determine if a given BH experience delivers something enjoyably different. This one does not. If you can't get enough of this formula, i'm sure you'll like it more than me, if you tired of it then probably not. At this point it seems that BH is in a race to release more albums than other artists and F.U.C.K. quality. Booo ~!!!!