Elle Tea is a solo project working independently on the scene. The mastermind behind this project is Leonardo Trevisan and he handles all instruments, vocals, and illustrations. Based in Italy, but clearly influenced by metal worldwide, this is an incredible project with a promising future.

The EP “Pain and Vengeance” was released on April 19, 2024 and features one exclusive track along with 3 others that will carry over to their anticipated second full length release. The upcoming release is titled “The Past from Which I Ran” and will be available on June 21st, 2024. This is a solo project directly from the wild imagination of the creator. He has a deep love of the rock music of the early 80’s and the fantastic art and imagery of the same period. There is a deep well of talent and creativity bursting forth from his soul, and it’s well worth a listen.

Here’s the track listing for “Pain and Vengeance”:

1. Pain and Vengeance
2. Deep in Love
3. In Memories I Roam
4. No Saviour

Let’s go through this track by track. It’s a great effort for a solo artist, and there’s tons to discover.

1. Pain and Vengeance – Wow! This is an incredible opening track with a lot of appeal right from the start. This is a fast hard rock gem that is overflowing with slick guitar work and great vocal harmonies. There are clear influences of Rainbow, early Judas Priest, and a dash of Blue Öyster Cult are present and playing nicely together. There is a great pop sensibility that takes shape in the music and in the lyrics. It’s infectious how good this is and it belongs on any classic rock radio station.

My favorite lyric here is “…into darkness you have faded/and I’ll take you even deeper/on the black wings of my hatred”. While these words have weight, it’s being delivered in a fast song with that pop feeling. It works quite well.

2. Deep in Love – Who doesn’t love a good love song? This opens up with a slow, bluesy groove that delivers plenty of hot guitar licks and more great vocal harmonies. When I listen to this song, I hear the blues infused stoner rock of The Sword coming through. Like I said, everyone loves a burning hot song about the good stuff… love.

3. In Memories I Roam – This is a track that is primarily in Italian, but the title is sung in English. It doesn’t matter because this is another gem of a track. This isn’t a ballad, but it’s a slower tune with a love-lorn halo that comes through in the tone of the music and the lyrics. Again, there are really smart hooks and song structures here. Early Fates Warning is a strong influence here and it’s a great track.

4. No Saviour – This is a high flying track that has a distinct feeling of prog influences. It’s also one of the stronger tracks on the record. There’s a dreamy, high flying quality that shines through on this one. It’s a mixture of Blue Öyster Cult, Journey, Seven Sisters, and Wytch Hazel. There’s a great feel to this track… yet another banger in the bunch.

Wrapping Up

The EP “Pain and Vengeance” by Elle Tea is fantastic. For a DYI project by a solo contributor, there is an incredible amount of positive things to say about it. The music is approachable and strikes a balance of influences of the past while presenting something fresh and new. The production quality is to be noted, as there is depth to the record. In my opinion, this is a band to watch as there is potential with a growing track record of amazing tunes.

Please give this artist a ton of support. Visit their Bandcamp page to support the cause and hear more music. Also, please visit their Facebook and Instagram profiles.

THENWOTHM SCORE: 9/10