Sometimes, a band only gets one chance to make a first impression. Whether that’s because of changing tastes in the music industry, a band splintering apart, or something else entirely, the fact is that many bands and musicians only get to prove themselves once. A couple more times, if they’re truly fortunate.
Essentially, this is the story of Canadian alternative metal band Pulse Ultra. Their one shot in the spotlight came on July 16th, 2002, when they released their only album Headspace. The album was produced by Neil Avron, who also went on to produce and/or mix records like Linkin Park’s A Thousand Suns and Yellowcard’s Ocean Avenue. This album is the definition of underrated, overlooked if anything. The album’s alternative metal/nu-metal leaning sound maintained a progressive atmosphere in terms of songwriting and composition.
The album landed Pulse Ultra on 2002’s Ozzfest, yet lower than expected album sales caused major label Atlantic Records to drop the band prior to the release of their sophomore album. Such a fate happened to many nu-metal and alternative metal bands of the era as well (like Atomship, who have a lot in common with Pulse Ultra), so it’s a shame that a sophomore record never materialized.
Headspace adeptly bridges the gap between alternative metal, nu-metal, and the aforementioned progressive tendencies the band has. “Build Your Cages” was easily the closest thing the band had to a hit single, as it was actually featured in Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit 2. While it’s the standout song on the record (and easily the most accessible song off of it as well), the fact is that Headspace is a great album front to back. Much like Atomship and Taproot (the latter of which helped get the band signed initially), Pulse Ultra was led by Zo Vizza’s stellar vocals, which proved to be impressively diverse more than anything. Backed with some quite technically proficient musicians, this is an album that bridges the gap between more progressive bands and alternative /nu-metal bands. That’s probably why it was overlooked by many – Headspace’s diversity may have been difficult to market. But if you’ve ever listened to this record, you know how quality it is.
