Even if you aren’t particularly interested in guitar virtuosos, it’s been next to impossible not to have come across this one weird, American guitar-slinger who likes to perform wearing a KFC bucket on his head, and hence the artistic alias, Buckethead. If avant-garde or fusion jazz has been your cup of tea, you have probably heard his guitar work on John Zorn‘s or Bill Laswell‘s endeavors. If you’re into more mainstream hard rock, you may have heard him in action on that notorious GUNS ‘N’ ROSES comeback album “Chinese Democracy.” Then, if you have acquired the taste for the weird, you’re probably familiar with his solo work, too. Brian Patrick Carroll, a.k.a. Buckethead, boasts an insane discography spanning almost every conceivable genre; still, he is often associated with metal and pyrotechnical shredding. Released independently on June 17th, 2025, “Invisable Forest EP” marked the 148th installment in his gargantuan “Pike” album series, a collection of short EPs with its running number going somewhere over 600. Inevitably, such gargantuan body of work is bound to sound samey on occasion, what with all the guitar shredding over electronic beats, but this particular installment stands out from the usual shreddathons by implementing a more atmospheric, PINK FLOYD-esque approach; only few traits are giving away that the guitar motifs are not, in fact, by David Gilmour – the guitar tone and chord progressions that resonate with the melancholy air of 1990s-tinted alternative rock rather than vintage, widescreen prog-rock from the 1970s.
That said, the centerpiece in the selection, the 7-minute ambient epic entitled “Step 4,” plunges deep into the blues realm with such force that not only does the song pay proper homage to those proggy Britons but also to blues luminaries, such as Robin Trower. Next up, “Step 5” further explores the ambient blues terrain with a somewhat vintage-savvy approach. Okay, dive-bombing with the whammy-pedal was not yet a thing, back then, but those slow, phaser-drenched guitar arpeggios were all the craze at the time in certain blues-inspired prog-rock circles.
The closer, entitled “Step 6,” continues on the atmospheric footing, bringing an apt closure to the sonic journey with a somewhat Jeff Beck-ish vibe. Maybe the impression stems from the ingenious use of the volume pedal here and there, but, despite the vintage-prog paradigm, the melodic soloing oozes “’Cause We’ve Ended As Lovers” feel rather than “Comfortably Numb” or anything on “Dark Side of the Moon.”
As with quite a few other “Pikes” albums, the songs flow seamlessly together. You won’t even notice that the song has changed unless you check. The EP is obviously designed to be enjoyed in one go from start to finish. Of course, if you expected shredding, shit for luck – you’re in for a 30 minutes of ambient doodling. On the other hand, if you appreciate Gilmour-like, melodic solos atop atmospheric, almost meditative guitar arpeggios, you’ll love this EP. It is not by far the best instrumental album by Buckethead, to be honest, but it’s nowhere near the worst either. “Invisable Forest” is the perfect choice of music to put on when I need to concentrate on some dubious task, and music with lyrics would be too distracting altogether. This selection is easily among the best in the gargantuan “Pikes” series.
Written by Jani Lehtinen
Tracklist
- Step 1
- Step 2
- Step 3
- Step 4
- Step 5
- Step 6
Lineup
Buckethead – all instruments
Label
Independent
