Buckethead
Population Override

Honestly, I have never liked excessive guitar solos, often they are just a
display of technique. But today, I'm here to change my mind because the album I'm reviewing is truly packed with guitar solos.

First of all, the character, an exceedingly bizarre man. How else would you define a guy who plays with a white mask and a bucket on his head and calls himself "Buckethead". He was even present as an actual member during the brief reunion of "Guns 'n' Roses". He refused to play with Ozzy Osborne because the latter insisted that he take the bucket off his head and appear in civilian clothes. A guy who claims to be the illegitimate child of a churchman and maintains he was raised in a chicken coop. Grotesque B-movie mythology.

Folklore aside, our hero is a guitar virtuoso of galactic proportions. He alternates between rambunctious albums with a metal-funk-crazed style and calm, semi-acoustic stuff. The same languid taste for solos filled with the blue-rock notes of Santana's "Abraxas." All mixed with touches of melancholy reminiscent of Jimi Hendrix. Stuff that's crazily demonic.

The unifying theme from the titles seems to be that of an overpopulated Earth that eventually bursts due to lack of resources, made sick by the man-virus. But when man disappears, nature heals itself. And the world of the future is populated by superhuman clones. It all seems like the plot of one of those latest-generation manga, which probably have the flaw of being too similar to each other. In reality, it's an excuse to unleash millions of rock-funk-languid flavored notes with hints of metal peeking through here and there.

Take this guy seriously. He may look like a fool with a bucket on his head, and you may smile at first glance. But if you listen to this gem of an album, you'll change your mind. Technique, but not only that, a lot of sensitivity and imagination too.