ENTER THE CHICKEN
Just when you thought the term 'guitar virtuoso' was dead, gone, cliche, or otherwise non-existent, BUCKETHEAD delivers
Enter The Chicken, a diverse collection of collaborative efforts with the likes of SYSTEM OF A DOWN's Serj Tankian, and a slew of other guests.
The first songs that Tankian appears on, "We are One", sounds like a
tribute to SOAD, and "Coma" couldn't sound more opposite in its
influence. Buckethead is not only eccentric (anyone who wears a chicken
bucket and face mask immediately gets that moniker), but his ability to
draw on a variety of influences is impressive. His songs are kind of
all over the place, so you shouldn't be expecting a rock album when you
pick up
Enter The Chicken.
Sure, there are rock influences (Buckethead DID after all do time in
the latest incarnation of GUNS 'N ROSES), but they're peppered
throughout his far-reaching compositions. "The Hand" sounds like a
soundtrack to a freak show or a slaughterhouse.. try to imagine the
music that would be playing in a room with cows being killed by the
dozen.
There aren't any 'singles' so to speak of on
Enter The Chicken.
While the talent and the ability is definitely present with every
performance on this disc, there's nothing mass-appeal here. It's like
an oddball opera, with hints of familiar crooning and technically
precise guitar solos. The closest thing to a single would be "Three
Fingers" which featurs Saul Williams on vocals, but even that's a bit
eclectic sounding. "Running From The Light" is another potential
single, with it's haunting melody and vocals courtesy of Gigi and Maura
Davis.
Buckethead makes music to zone out to; the kind of music that you would
put on late at night when you're just about to have some drunk monkey
sex with that special someone, and you need a soundtrack to accompany
that spinning sensation you're experiencing.
