There seems to be a clique within the British melodic rock community these days. Nearly all of the bands that are active within the scene have a connection somewhere along the line. Pulse are no exception to this. Guitarist Vince O'Regan has, in the recent past toured and recorded with Bob Catley and, of course, added his guitar parts to the Hodson album 'This Strange World'. Now, with this, the second Pulse album, O'Regan takes centre stage. As well as contributing guitar, keyboard and vocal talents to the mix, he co-wrote all the material and produced and engineered the record to boot. 

Album opener 'Nothing I Can Do About It'   rocks along from the moment the guitar kicks in after and ethereal keyboard introduction.  Abbotts, in particular, turns in a stellar vocal performance, and with a slightly retro feel the song evokes memories of the classic days of AOR. Next up is 'Living Worlds Apart', which is slightly darker and slower than the previous track. The story depicted through the  lyrics is certainly not the most optimistic and again Abbotts manages in his vocal delivery to capture the angst apparent.

Indeed most of the lyrics written for the album seem to be composed from a very depressed place, 'Price Of Loving You' being no exception. As with the previous track the song is moody in the extreme. The song is melodically very good, with excellent harmonies employed both vocally and via the instrumentation. 'Talk To My Heart' almost the feel of early Whitesnake about it. Primarily a ballad the song is a blues based lament and features some of the best work O'Regan plays on the album. The solo has an emotional quality and, by employing a less frenetic approach, sits perfectly within the overall feel of the track.

'Lost Without You' heads firmly back into rock territory. The song is more up-tempo  than the previous tracks, but still has the same dark lyrical intensity to it. 'You're Not Alone' is perhaps the best number on the album. O'Regan laying down some neat rhythmic licks to compliment a great melody. The chorus is understated, yet memorable and overall it is simply a damn good song.

'Feels Like The First Time' & 'Break The Chain' are both adequate, if not stand out tracks on the album. The former is another mid-tempo rocker, whereas the latter is another keyboard dominated ballad. 'Do It All Again' is a more guitar orientated number that echoes O'Regan's work with Bob Catley. The song has a definite Magnum tilt to its composition and arrangements. 'In Your Eyes' contains a great chorus with exceptional harmonies and as with 'You're Not Alone' O'Regan has laid down some fantastic guitar work.

Rounding out the album is 'No Turning Back'. For some reason this track does not appear listed on the back cover of the album that I have (oops).  Which is a pity as this another great song that draws heavily on Magnum for its influences. With a slow brooding introduction leading to a more upbeat chorus, Abbotts turns in yet another superb vocal performance and the acoustic, restrained guitar flows nicely with the pacing and feel of the son.

Pulse are a band with all the right ingredients to shine out on the melodic rock stage. The talent and ability of the band stands out throughout the album. The problems with Worlds Apart are almost totally in the production. For an album that lyrically has such depth and emotion built into it, the tonal qualities used throughout the record appear harsh and cold. Where songs needed a warmth and empathy to showcase their quality, you instead get a clinical approach.  It almost appears as if the low range frequencies have been cut from the mix, and instead of having the bass and drums driving the music, you are presented with a high end attack on your senses, which at louder volumes is somewhat irritating.

However next time around, and with the potential this album shows there certainly deserves to be a next time, hopefully the band will employ an outside producer to help with the sound deficiencies that this album portrays. Worlds Apart had the potential to be a great record and, production quibbles aside, in most aspects it is indeed just that.

Let us know your views on 'Worlds Apart'

Track List

Nothing I Can Do About It
Worlds Apart
Price Of Loving You
Talk To My Heart
Lost Without You
You're Not Alone
Feels Like The First Time
Break The Chain
Do It All Again
In Your Eyes

Line Up

Simon Abbotts - Vocals
Vince O'Regan - Guitar/Keyboards/Vocals
Andy Mills - bass Guitar
Scott Barrow - Drums