Buckethead Pike Album Review

A Review of Pike 52 'Factory' by Buckethead, released March 13th 2014
Guitar Innovation and Creativity, Buckethead's Unsung Gem: 'Factory' (Pike 52)

Good evening everybody, today we're back with another deep dive into guitar hero Buckethead's Pike album series, with Pike 52 'Factory'. So, let's begin. Woo!!

Released March 13th 2014, Pike 52 was the fifth Pike album released that month, dropping way of sequence right after Pike 47 and 3 album albums before Pike 51. Buckethead aye.

The 10 track album begins with the albums shortest track, the 2.5 minute 'Factory Q'. What begins as an upbeat funkadelic jive descends into chaos 30 seconds in and doesn't let up. There's some electronica and hip hop style beats and surprisingly ends with a callback to 1998's 'For Mom' from the album 'Colma'. Not bad.

Track 2 is 'Factory R' and immediately the song locks you in with a fantastic beat and vibe. This could be used in any movie soundtrack, from a dystopian thriller to a western. A lot of cool stuff going on and an enjoyable track.

Track 3 is 'Factory S'. Another track that has a great overall vibe. And really a track that could only come from the mind of Buckethead. And again with the sudden shifts of tone and pace, this is one well suited for a movie soundtrack. Good stuff.

Factory T is next, the shifts in tone and styles and how they seamlessly blend into one another is both brilliant and bizarre. One minute we're chilling, the next we're in funk mode and so on. Each style gets 20 seconds and then moves on. Nicely done.

Track 5 is 'Factory U'. This is the albums best paced track so far, that despite changing style numerous times it doesn't slow itself down or get in the way of itself The albums most accessible track so far.

Factory V is next and the guitar soloing has arrived, and its rip roaringly glorious. With several short screaming solo's backed by some funk noodling, it's another enjoyable track that could only come from one mind,

Track 7 is 'Factory W' and its the albums most funk driven track yet. Another excellently paced song, the backing and rhythm are particularly strong on this one, and whilst there is a lot going on to digest, it's all good.

Track 8 'Factory X' has some excellent but subtle soloing, has an addictive lick around the 1.5 minute mark before ending with some chill vibes. Another one of the more accessible tracks, showing the genius of Buckethead and how he can blend genres together.

'Factory Y' comes next, there's more subtle soloing early on and absolute chaos around 45 seconds in that might well blow out your speakers. And you'll thank him for it. Again, the pacing is fantastic and of all the songs we've heard so far, this might be the one you come back to first.

The album concludes with 'Factory Z'. And what an excellent way to wrap up the album. The pace is slowed for the first 2 minutes to make it feel like an outro and then the guitar solo kicks in and gives us a final shot in the arm. Well played.

Overall Pike 52 is a very enjoyable album. The backing tracks, rhythm and drum beats deserve an honorable mention, being solid throughout, and for this style of album are as good as any of the earlier pikes. The constant change in styles, vibe and genres might throw some people off at first, but once you become aware of it, you begin to love it. And whilst I don't think any of the tracks are 4 or 5 star classics, the innovation and creativity is right up there. From start to finish, Pike 52 delivers and is one of the more unsung gems in the Pike album series.

After adding up the rating I gave for each track, It came to exactly 66.5%, which I'd categorize as Good. And for a 10 track album, that's pretty impressive. You can find my song ratings and breakdown on our website natternet.com

So, what's your rating for Pike 52?
To work out what percentage you'd give the album, rate each song out of 5 stars, add up your total and divide it by the total score possible, which for Pike 52 is 50. Then times it by 100.

Pike 52 'Factory' RATINGS (out of 5)
1. Factory Q   **¾  (2.75)
2. Factory R   ***½  (3.5)
3. Factory S    ***¼  (3.25)
4. Factory T   ***  (3)
5. Factory U   ***½  (3.5)
6. Factory V   ***½  (3.5)
7. Factory W  ***¼  (3.25)
8. Factory X   ***½  (3.5)
9. Factory Y   ***½  (3.5)
10.Factory Z  ***½  (3.5)

Album Length 29:47

Total = 33.25 out of 50 (Album = 66.5%, Good)

1-20 % = Poor
20- 40 % = Below Average
40-60 % = Average
60-80 % = Good
80-100 % = Awesome

Buy the album HERE