Deli Creeps — Dawn Of The Deli Creeps

The debut CD of this band was on its way to become Buckethead's own Chinese Democracy (although the much rumoured Disney album also applies, Kaleidoscalp might've fulfilled that obligation to John Zorn which may mean it will never materialize). Anyway, what reportedly delayed this album so much was Buckethead's fear of singer Maximum Bob.

Not entirely unimaginable, as Bob surely does come across as a maniac killer on the loose. Even when he sings a seemingly middle of the road rockballad about a Found Body or the equally romantic Time, there's madness lurking around every corner. Madness that comes out in full glory in tunes, some true classics as this is Buckethead's first band and demo's and liverecordings have been circulating for years, like the opening Can I Have A Ride. Although there quite a few tracks that should be familiar from the demo's (Dream Girl, Boom Ch Ka, Random Killing, Chores) surprisingly the classic Feast Of Freaks is missing. To make up for that the fantastic Flesh For The Beast, titletrack of the horrorflick of the same name, is included. This new track, just like the insane Buried Deep Stays Buried Still and the deranged bluesrock of Buns Of Steel, promise much for future compositions by this group (which I hope will make a second album some day, without holding my breath of course).

As straightforward as the songs by the Deli Creeps may seem, there's lots of detail in the production. Scary soundtrack-like noises, sometimes almost inaudible, augment the subliminal (or overt) madness. Think of films like Texas Chainsaw Massacre, no surprise to those familiar with Buckethead, but without any literal samples or something.

The old/new mix prevents this album to sound a bit too familiar to a hardcore follower like myself. Of course the soundquality is much better than any earlier recording and Buckethead's guitarplaying has changed since the early days, but that wouldn't take the feeling away of getting old stuff. Now it's well balanced. Actually, this is a hard hitter, because after all: you don't mess around with kitchenitems and utensils when it comes to splitting the hog.