The sound of Velvet Hammer/Atlantic recording group Pulse Ultra's debut album is that of rocks amped up and taken to the next level. "HEADSPACE" is a stirring mix of cerebral and aggressive hard rock, melding complex musical constructions with dramatic melodies and harrowing, introspective lyrics.
Tracks like "Build Your Cages" and "Glass Door" reveals the Montreal-based quartet's multi-faceted sonic approach, with an array of unstoppable hooks, ethereal atmospherics, and ambitious arrangements.
Best friends since childhood, Cifarelli and bassist Jeff Feldman have spent most of their lives playing music together. Their high school band gigged at local parties and the occasional Battle of the Bands, but the band's lineup was in frequent flux, leading to a temporary parting-of-the-ways in 1997. The addition of drummer Maxx Zinno brought a new sense of direction and increased focus.
"It was a very weird time," Dominic says, "but then we got with Maxx, and the first day we jammed, we wrote three songs! It was really immediate."
While Montreal is widely regarded for the diversity of its dance and electronic-based music, it is not exactly known as a hotbed of dark and mysterious rock 'n' roll. Cifarelli, Feldman, and Zinno envisioned a band that could not be imprisoned by confinement of the city's trip-hoppin' club scene.
"Raves are huge," Cifarelli says. "There's not much room for a rock band, and the ones that are here don't usually stick together."
The band rehearsed and wrote with a fervor, going so far as to cut a few demos, but something was still missing. The missing piece of the puzzle fell into place at a 1999 Halloween party attended by the band members as well as a local singer by the name of Zo Vizza.
"Some kid put our CD on," Cifarelli recalls, "and Zo starts singing along. I'm listening to this kid's voice and I totally freaked out. The next day I called him and said, 'Let's write some songs.'" "I was about to join this French band," Vizza says, "which was like my last resort. Then Dominic called and it all started up from there."
Cifarelli and Vizza clicked immediately, penning a number of gripping, acoustic-driven songs, blending the power of Dominic's prog metal influences with Zo's evocative Doors-inspired melodies.
"We just kind of shed all the crap," the guitarist says. "We thought, 'Let's make the heavy stuff heavier and the light stuff lighter.' We want to push all the boundaries, without forgetting that it's all about the song." In the summer of 2000, the guitarist made a connection that led to the band finally getting out of the garage and into the studio. A big fan of Velvet Hammer/Atlantic recording group Taproot, Cifarelli decided to visit the band's tour bus when the Michigan-based band came to Montreal for a show.
"Taproot is very special to us," Dominic says. "So when they came to Montreal, I went over to where they were playing with a six-pack of beer and I just fuckin' knocked on the bus. (Guitarist) Mike (DeWolf) came out and I said, 'I bought you some beer, man. Congratulations on your fuckin' success and shit,' and he said 'Come on in.' I just chilled out with him and the rest of the band for a couple hours and they were fuckin' totally cool." Cifarelli passed over a CD of the latest Headspace demos, and a blown-away DeWolf handed back his manager's phone number.
"I thought, 'I'm not going to call. I don't want to ruin how special the day was,'" Dominic says. "The next day, which was my birthday, the manager e-mailed me! So I called him, we started talking, and the rest is history." Taking on the new moniker of Pulse Ultra, the band inked a deal with Velvet Hammer Management and soon found them signed to Atlantic Records. In July of 2001, Pulse Ultra left the chilly climes of Canada for sunny Los Angeles in order to work with producer Neal Avron (Everclear, Seven Mary Three).
"Neal had never done anything really heavy before," Cifarelli says, "but he was totally excited about us. When we finally met him, we loved his vibe. He was totally amazing – an amazing ear, an amazing engineer, an amazing producer, just a musical genius all around."
The sessions proved to be the most wrenching emotional experience of the band members' lives. As if recording their major label debut wasn't stressful enough, Zinno was diagnosed with an extreme hernia early into the process. Worse, Vizza's father passed away one month into the recording, sending Zo into a spiral of anxiety attacks. Pulse Ultra ultimately spent six long months in Los Angeles, but unlike many bands in a similar situation, they didn't take advantage of the many opportunities the city offers to musicians.
"We never really went out," Cifarelli says. "We were like, 'Let's work hard now, and then we'll fuckin' go crazy.' So we hid out in our rehearsal spot six days a week, practicing, and having anxiety attacks."
The resulting album – dubbed "HEADSPACE" – is fraught with the raw emotions and difficult circumstances that fuelled the recording sessions. Psychologically visceral songs like "Build Your Cages" and "Finding My Place" express Zo's refusal to sacrifice his dreams, even as the pressures built up within and without.
"I'm not a great believer in heaven and hell," he explains. "I believe you should make your heaven on earth. And a lot of people aren't doing that. They're living their lives through other people's expectations, so it's a struggle to do what you want to do. Like the fact that like I was good in school, people always kept on telling me not to sacrifice something good for music. Well, I just think you should just do what you love, period."
With their extraordinary debut about to be unleashed upon an unsuspecting world, the band are excited to take their explosive live set to the fans, starting in the summer of 2002 with a prestigious slot on the annual Ozzfest. "From the lowest lows you get the highest highs," muses Vizza.
For Pulse Ultra, things are about to get even higher...
==Band Members==
* Zo Vizza (Vocals)
* Dominic Cifarelli (Guitar)
* Jeff Feldman (Bass)
* Maxx Zinno (Drums)
Slip In Sin
Pulse Ultra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
come to take me way
I feel like something has
done away with me
I am your victim
Feels like you're using me as prey
Lights getting dim
Feels like your're causing me to pay
Slowly slip in sin
I can't handle
Living freely in manufactured lives
I can't handle
My face has been molded by defeat
I can't handle
More lies breeding hatred in disguise
Maybe if I cared then you would sense my grief
I'm so washed over that nothing penetrates
Can't cut the strings
Feels like I'm rotting at the core
Stepped out of rhythm
And now it's causingme to pay
Patience, conscience
Slowly slip in sin
I can't handle
My face has been molded by defeat
I can't handle
more lies breeding hatred indisguise
Expiring in bitterness
Patience, conscience
Slowly slip in sin
I can't handle
Living freely in manufactured lives
I can't handle
My face has been molded by defeat
I can't handle
more lies breeding hatred indisguise
The song Slip In Sin by Pulse Ultra is about the feeling of being taken advantage of by someone else. The lyrics describe a sense of victimhood and being used as prey, while also feeling a deep sense of defeat and hopelessness. The singer is unable to handle the manufactured lives that they and others are living, and they feel like they are slowly slipping into sin due to their anger and bitterness towards the lies and hatred that they see breeding all around them.
Throughout the song, there are references to a lack of control and a feeling of being manipulated by others. The lines "can't cut the strings" and "feel like I'm rotting at the core" suggest a feeling of being trapped or stuck in a situation that is toxic or harmful. Additionally, the repetition of the phrase "I can't handle" throughout the song emphasizes the overwhelming sense of powerlessness and frustration that the singer is experiencing.
Overall, Slip In Sin is a powerful and emotional song that deals with complex themes of victimhood, manipulation, and the struggle to maintain one's sense of self in the face of adversity.
Line by Line Meaning
I feel like something has come to take me way
I have a feeling that something is taking me far away
I feel like something has done away with me
I have a feeling that something has destroyed me
I am your victim
You have made me your victim
Feels like you're using me as prey
I feel like you're treating me like prey
Lights getting dim
The lights are getting dimmer
Feels like your're causing me to pay
I feel like you're making me pay for something
Patience, conscience
I need to have patience and listen to my conscience
Slowly slip in sin
I am slowly falling into sin
I can't handle
I am unable to handle
Living freely in manufactured lives
I can't handle living in artificial, fake lives
My face has been molded by defeat
I feel defeated and my expression shows it
More lies breeding hatred in disguise
There are more lies that are breeding hidden hatred
Maybe if I cared then you would sense my grief
Perhaps if I showed more care, you would see how much I'm hurting
I'm so washed over that nothing penetrates
I am so numb that nothing affects me anymore
Can't cut the strings
I am unable to cut ties
Feels like I'm rotting at the core
I feel like I'm deteriorating from the inside
Stepped out of rhythm
I stepped out of sync
And now it's causing me to pay
Now it's leading me to pay the price for it
Expiring in bitterness
I am quickly losing my spirit and becoming filled with resentment
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
turbulus
Used to jam this on my 94 c
GMC with a system and interior blacklight. That was 20 years ago. And I am now in my mid 40s, divorced single dad.. song brings back so many memories.. and melancholy. Still rocks!
Mark Brzozowski
one of my favorite albums all time
blackghost1791
such an underrated song
music lover93
this album is stellar for its time and still is
manu cenoz
Amo esta cancion 2021 la sigo escuchando saludos desde Argentina
THE
I've come back here for so many years. This song is genuinely appreciated. I wish I had a physical copy of the original..
PunchDrunkLizzy
So glad I found this song. It's been a while since I heard this. Love the lyrics most of all but the music is pretty good too. Sad to hear that they only made one album.
Kräuterseuche
One of THE best bands I had the joy of listening!! So much thanks!!! They were so unique!
David Chivers
Saw these guys with Taproot in Birmingham,UK some many lots of years ago with a school friend. They blew us away so we bought the CD, burned it and passed copies around to our circle of pals. They made it BIG in the village of Purton, Wiltshire.
Scarlet Heavens
amazing song!!!! great band!!!