Buckethead is a very prolific artist. He has released music that spans a plethora of different genre. He began his “Pikes” album series in 2011 and has released a barrage of entries over the past couple years.
It’s Alive is the first Pikes record to see the light of day. It’s safe to say that
It’s Alive allows this enormous body of work to start off on a strong note. While it contains a couple heavier tracks that hardcore Buckethead fans would possibly deem as generic or by-the-numbers for his standard, the album seems pretty inspired as a whole. The fun and energetic riffs, healthy doses of experimentation, and numerous noteworthy moments make the overall experience a memorable one.
The album opens up on a decently enough. “Lebrontron” is a more traditional metal cut that wouldn’t have been out of place on 2008’s
Albino Slug. A couple of the sections seem a little bit phoned-in with their overuse of simple power chords, but the thrash-influenced playing and lead work is enough to keep any fan entertained. The ride does not let up with “Tonka”, which utilizes weird guitar effects in a restrained way and operates at a much faster pace than the album opener. “Peeling Out” is also a nice little addition, being a 15 second blast that showcases Buckethead’s skills on the fret board.
This time around, Buckethead treats us to just the right amount of variety to keep the album interesting. From the aforementioned mini-song “Peeling Out”, to the awesome bass performance in “Backyard Banties”, the heavy-soft dynamics and overall restraint in “Crack the Sky”, and the pure insanity found in album highlight “The Hatch”,
It’s Alive ensures that its replay value won’t deteriorate much with age. However, this first Pike isn't without its weaknesses. 7th track “Brooding Peeps” is the weak link here, treading traditional metal ground that most of the other songs already did in a more interesting fashion and only really sporting a nice flash of lead work.
It’s Alive is a great start to Buckethead’s series, the ideas and style aren't’t exactly all new for our favourite guitar wizard, but he manages to package them in an enjoyable fashion this time around, without
too many of the pitfalls some of his other releases contain. The pure volume of music coming from this man truly speak to his dedication to the craft, and it’s quite pleasing (and perhaps a little mind-boggling) to see successful results.
