As far as snobbery goes, you have to check out Ulver, a lot of their albums sound completely different, so check out a few before deciding. I enjoy: Perdition City, Shadows of the Sun, Blood Inside, and Theme from William Blakes the Marriage of Heaven and Hell.
All of buckethead’s albums are awesome…I do agree with the slower music for certain styles…I love Buckethead…He is probably one of the best guitarists ever, and none of his albums sound even remotely repetitive. And that’s saying a lot, considering he has made 40 albums since 1992, and 5 eps/special releases.