Post by jaerockets on Jan 12, 2021 21:21:55 GMT -5
Decoding The Tomb of Bansheebot/Ghost Host - Released 2007 by Buckethead [re-released 2020 as "Ghost Host."]
Track 1 - Materializing the Disembodied jumps right into it with some neckbreak drums and pumping guitar. Immediately setting the tone of this album as energetic and having more of a rock feel, I'm really diggin' this track. Short and sweet at two minutes, Bucket keeps it pretty simple on this one, utilizing only a couple riffs and ideas, for the most part, with a couple breakdowns towards the end. Solid opener.
Track 2 - Asylum of Glass has a more subdued opening, opting for a slow buildup to the crescendo. As expected, Buckethead executes this flawlessly, gradually building up the tension with long drawn out chords and chugging rhythm, before dropping a thousand ton weight that is the breakdown. This gets me every time. Just such an awesome feel to it. After a bit of jamming, we get another breakdown of sorts, with some absolutely wicked hammer-on jamming, before returning back to a more melancholy, calming feel. These moments of low intensity do an amazing job of hyping and building up to the faster parts, which are always played very well. The last 30 odd seconds of this track are simply amazing. Pure, unfiltered guitar awesomeness.
Track 4 - Killing Cone has the coolest intro! With a sort of mega-phone filter over it, we get this step by step intro that has that signature Buckethead alt metal creativity. The little bleeps and bloops playing in the background during the bridge are very intriguing to listen to. As the song breaks into it's speedy alt metal chorus, Buckethead executes every note flawlessly, allowing you to really immerse yourself in the music. This album makes it clear that we are here for Buckethead to do some straightforward alt metal jamming. No-nonsense keyboards, crazy drums, any of that. Just some JAMMING. And it does an excellent job at achieving that goal. Throughout the track we get several interesting sections and ideas that prevent it from getting stale or repetitive. One of my favorite tracks on the album.
Track 5 - Bloodless opens with some more alt metal power chords + catchy lead riff. A tried and true combo that Buckethead knows well. I think what makes all his stuff so interesting to listen to, even when it usually follows pretty much the same basic formula, is that he's just so good at coming up with fun ideas and catchy riffs that it never really gets old. Every song just has its own feel that you just can't quite describe. Anyways, this song does an excellent job at providing us with funny little guitar licks that spice up the music between the more straightforward sections.
Track 7 - Circarama is delightfully bizarre. We get a lot more experimental sounding guitar in this one, frantically switching up sounds and ideas left and right. It's a nice break from the relative monotony that we've had so far. The song is aptly named, as the various riffs and licks presented throughout do in fact sound like circles looping around a fret board. Super cool track!
Track 8 - Disecto comes in with a lighter feel after the bizarre contents of Circarama. This predictably breaks into an alt metal jam sesh. While I can't say the musical ideas put forth here are anything crazy or exciting, we do get some fun stuff towards the end with a mini-solo that makes good use of the kill switch, and some twangy power chords.
Track 10 - I Can Only Carry 50 Chickens At A Time. Lmfao I love this song name. One of my all time favorite track names. Solid piece of metal too. Nothing really all that much different from the other tracks on the album, besides a really weird ending that's very entertaining, but still enjoyable nonetheless.
Track 11 - Stretching Lighthouse uses pretty much the same formula. Not much to say here. Solid stuff.
Track 13 - Sail On Soothsayer is nothing like the rest of the album. A beautiful, melancholy tribute to Aunt Suzie [Rest In Peace]. One of Buckethead's most magical, well played songs. You can feel the emotion pouring out of the speakers. I really don't have much to say about this song because the experience of it is so visceral and emotional. You can't explain that sort of thing. It captures emotion like only Buckethead can.
Overall, a very solid album. If you like Buckethead's alt metal jamming stuff, this is right up your alley. Nothing too crazy or new presented, but a pretty enjoyable listen. Great for car music, as you can just pick up on the main riff and jam out to it without trying to catch every little thing and be a super active listener.
★★★★
Track 1 - Materializing the Disembodied jumps right into it with some neckbreak drums and pumping guitar. Immediately setting the tone of this album as energetic and having more of a rock feel, I'm really diggin' this track. Short and sweet at two minutes, Bucket keeps it pretty simple on this one, utilizing only a couple riffs and ideas, for the most part, with a couple breakdowns towards the end. Solid opener.
Track 2 - Asylum of Glass has a more subdued opening, opting for a slow buildup to the crescendo. As expected, Buckethead executes this flawlessly, gradually building up the tension with long drawn out chords and chugging rhythm, before dropping a thousand ton weight that is the breakdown. This gets me every time. Just such an awesome feel to it. After a bit of jamming, we get another breakdown of sorts, with some absolutely wicked hammer-on jamming, before returning back to a more melancholy, calming feel. These moments of low intensity do an amazing job of hyping and building up to the faster parts, which are always played very well. The last 30 odd seconds of this track are simply amazing. Pure, unfiltered guitar awesomeness.
Track 3 - Ghost Host comes in with a sort of lullaby intro, slowing things down. After this we break into a brief power chord section, which leads into the breakdown. The BREAKDOWN. I love it. So simple and yet so entertaining and energetic, as he flawlessly works his way around the fret board. Then we go back to the calmer sound, which inevitably builds up to the first real solo of the album. At first it's not anything crazy by Buckethead standards, but it's still a kick ass solo. Then it suddenly goes super-shred guitar prodigy mode for a few seconds that wish lasted just a bit longer. This wonderful track closes with another rendition of the breakdown.
Track 4 - Killing Cone has the coolest intro! With a sort of mega-phone filter over it, we get this step by step intro that has that signature Buckethead alt metal creativity. The little bleeps and bloops playing in the background during the bridge are very intriguing to listen to. As the song breaks into it's speedy alt metal chorus, Buckethead executes every note flawlessly, allowing you to really immerse yourself in the music. This album makes it clear that we are here for Buckethead to do some straightforward alt metal jamming. No-nonsense keyboards, crazy drums, any of that. Just some JAMMING. And it does an excellent job at achieving that goal. Throughout the track we get several interesting sections and ideas that prevent it from getting stale or repetitive. One of my favorite tracks on the album.
Track 5 - Bloodless opens with some more alt metal power chords + catchy lead riff. A tried and true combo that Buckethead knows well. I think what makes all his stuff so interesting to listen to, even when it usually follows pretty much the same basic formula, is that he's just so good at coming up with fun ideas and catchy riffs that it never really gets old. Every song just has its own feel that you just can't quite describe. Anyways, this song does an excellent job at providing us with funny little guitar licks that spice up the music between the more straightforward sections.
Track 6 - Checkerboard Incision builds up the tension with some slowly trodding drums and a spooky bit of guitar, before entering more of that alt metal area. The song continues to switch between these two modes throughout. While a simple formula, it's quite interesting to listen to. The main riff is spicy, and plays well off of the spooky vibe. Towards the end we get a nice, short-but-sweet solo that kicks some serious ass. The lead tone plays really well off of the rhythm tone, and gives the song that extra little kick that it felt like it was missing.
Track 7 - Circarama is delightfully bizarre. We get a lot more experimental sounding guitar in this one, frantically switching up sounds and ideas left and right. It's a nice break from the relative monotony that we've had so far. The song is aptly named, as the various riffs and licks presented throughout do in fact sound like circles looping around a fret board. Super cool track!
Track 8 - Disecto comes in with a lighter feel after the bizarre contents of Circarama. This predictably breaks into an alt metal jam sesh. While I can't say the musical ideas put forth here are anything crazy or exciting, we do get some fun stuff towards the end with a mini-solo that makes good use of the kill switch, and some twangy power chords.
Track 9 - Pickwick's Lost Chapter is a mini little 30 second track that's super cool! Just builds up slowly into
Track 10 - I Can Only Carry 50 Chickens At A Time. Lmfao I love this song name. One of my all time favorite track names. Solid piece of metal too. Nothing really all that much different from the other tracks on the album, besides a really weird ending that's very entertaining, but still enjoyable nonetheless.
Track 11 - Stretching Lighthouse uses pretty much the same formula. Not much to say here. Solid stuff.
Track 12 - Hall of Scalding Vats changes it up a little bit. While still sticking to the alt rock genre, we get a little bit more build up and release, going through a wider array of sounds. I like the diversity here, as the album can seem to drag on a bit when all the songs are relatively similar. A few minutes in we get an interesting section with what sounds like a power drill in the background with some bells and spooky guitar, before going back into a similar sounding section to what we heard previously. It's not spectacular, but it's enjoyable nonetheless. This track gets some bonus points over the others for mixing it up and being a bit more original.
Track 13 - Sail On Soothsayer is nothing like the rest of the album. A beautiful, melancholy tribute to Aunt Suzie [Rest In Peace]. One of Buckethead's most magical, well played songs. You can feel the emotion pouring out of the speakers. I really don't have much to say about this song because the experience of it is so visceral and emotional. You can't explain that sort of thing. It captures emotion like only Buckethead can.
Buckethead opted to re-record Ghost Host and Asylum of glass for the digital release of this album, and included them as bonus tracks at the end. They aren't all that much different from the originals, but they do sound a bit cleaner, with a few stylistic changes as well. Definitely worth checking out on YouTube if you're not interested in buying the album.
Overall, a very solid album. If you like Buckethead's alt metal jamming stuff, this is right up your alley. Nothing too crazy or new presented, but a pretty enjoyable listen. Great for car music, as you can just pick up on the main riff and jam out to it without trying to catch every little thing and be a super active listener.
