Pulse EP (2014) — Sithu Aye

Pulse hails as the fourth work from Scotland-based one-man show Sithu Aye. As with his previous albums, the progressive metal backbone remains front and center, but supplemented with splashes of rock, acoustic, and funk. That final genre is amplified and passionately displayed across the album in bright streaks, dazzling the viewer with forceful riffs, virtuosic tricks, and multilayered tunes for the discerning listener.

The chunky rhythm sections are fine marriages of bass and lead guitar. Passages like the main groove for “Shiny” are formidable forces, and listeners shouldn’t resist the urge to tap feet, bob heads, or flat out dance. There isn’t a better example than 1:53-2:06 of “Pulse Part I”, showcasing measured beats and soulful sparks, before culminating into an electric shimmy of bass and lead. Taking the album’s pulse will produce a reading of lively funk layered atop of furious breakdowns that are strongly featured in heavy metal works. 1:46 of “Pulse Part II” interweaves groove with blastbeat drumming — a hefty punch from both genres.

Sithu Aye’s lead guitar licks are fluid and quicksilver, squeezing in between tight rhythmic bars with clean and smooth fury. Yet such liquid expressions are more similar to oil than water, catching fire and setting the soundscape ablaze. The solo at 3:53 in “Shiny” bursts forth from an entire minute of build — which repurposes the delicious funk that forms the track’s backbone in mischievous, sneaky spurts — at breakneck speed, yet midway cuts the tempo in half to enamor the listener with a firm flame. These slower moments won’t throw listeners off from the shredding, but complement these fiery passages with rich, wholesome embers. The colorful lick at 1:23-25 in “Lights! Camera! Explosions!” sums this up perfectly, and you can really hear Sithu Aye polish that guitar string with his sliding fingers.

And in the aftermath of such blistering solos comes the denouement — softer, yet no less center stage. 3:37-4:27 of “Pulse Part II” fades into the near absence of percussion, but allows the lead to sing in a violet spotlight — blending sharp artificial harmonics with round notes that quiver in vibrato. Such phase-outs really showcase Sithu Aye’s ear for contrasting volume, tempo, and expression: it’s in these softer phrases where a confident voice arises — one unafraid and unexhausted from combining the mellow with the metal. The artist’s previous works equally emphasize this blend — and with Pulse, he further solidifies an inter-genre alchemy that produces a tasty, elegant, and hard-hitting sound worth revisiting.