Don’t let This one pass you by
Leonardo of ELLE TEA reached out to us directly, and that made me excited. They’re a band that came across my feed sometime ago with 2023’s Fate is at My Side, and the hooky meshing of NWOBHM and progressive rock was a breath of fresh air in a niche that can at times begin to feel samey. At that time, I had no clue that ELLE TEA was a one man musical project, and that Leonardo himself does the artwork. He even made individual artwork for each song on this album! That kind of dedication and passion should not go unnoticed, and is to be commended. While the art style might not be for everyone, neither is any art, that’s the point of art. What speaks to one person, might be gibberish to another. Personally, I love the retro sword and sorcery vibes of the art. It feels old school without seeming dated. The Past From Which I Ran is the second part in a planned trilogy of albums, with the third releasing sometimes next year.
LINE-UP
Leonardo Trevisan- Everything
REVIEW
“The Past From Which I Ran”
Our title track began things for us with a sizzling bassline before meshing into a riff that almost felt like it had surf rock or pop punk influence drizzled onto it. It made the guitar sound unlike much else in the trad metal scene. In terms of Leonardo’s vocal styles, a few similar sounding vocalists spring to mind. The Geddy Lee, and Mark Shelton (MANILLA ROAD) influence is prevalent, but as is a bit of Kyle McNeill (SEVEN SISTERS, PHANTOM SPELL), and even a bit of the dual vox from TANITH. ELLE TEA has a sound that is rooted in both NWOBHM and 70s prog rock and AOR, floating the line between the two with ease. It’s also right up my alley with its infectious hookiness and solid musicianship.
“No Saviour”
Our second foray kicked off with very 70s sounding acoustic guitar work, nothing too flashy, but it’s rock n roll as hell. If the first song had a strong hook, this one was even stronger, with an earworm of a chorus. Another band who pops into my head in terms of similar sounds is the perennially underrated ASHBURY. While the prog influence is certainly on ELLE TEA’s sleeves in the open, don’t let that turn you off from a record that firmly entrenches itself in metal. Bonus points for the brief slide guitar at the very end of this one, always a strong choice.
“Deep in Love”
Drums called out like thunder to start this one off, and the vibes for it were starkly different to the previous two tracks. It verged between speed metal with a heavy punk influence, while still feeling like that prog/NWOBHM sound. A very unique sounding track that wasn’t what I was expecting, but I loved it. Seriously can’t believe this is a one-man band. Kudos to Leonardo for doing everything himself! A great solo, and a wonderful lyric that really stuck with me ‘Close your eyes and let me drift away.’ I think this one might be an unmissable track, folks!
“Even If You Go”
Once more with an acoustic intro, yet there’s a pronounced melancholy behind the chords. The versatility of Leonardo is something to behold, managing to perfectly tow the line between so many genres at one time, while simultaneously holding them together with some startlingly crisp writing. This is probably the closest song to a ballad we’ve had thus far, but even still, it isn’t slow by any means. In fact, the main riff during the speedier parts is simply tasty. The reprise of those dulcet strings nearly 2/3 through the song was the cherry on top that sent this one to the stratosphere.
“Runaway Heart”
The intro to this one made me think of FOO FIGHTERS, of all things, and others from that late 90s to early 00s hard rock boom. The accessibility of ELLE TEA is genuinely impressive. It’s heavy enough to be loved by metal fans, but not too heavy as to scare people away. Once more, I pick up on themes of love and loss and loneliness, and it gives the album an almost eulogy-like feel to it. It makes me want to revisit Fate is at My Side and experience the first 2/3 of the story in full.
“Ecstasy And Dreams”
Whew, there are some delicious riffs chocked into this one. I was into this from the start, with an infectious groove and I found myself stricken by the cadence in the way Leonardo delivered the vocals. I haven’t shouted out the instruments much in this review, but they’re certainly no slouch. I don’t know how he does it, but he does it damn well. Addicted to these riffs, I tell ya, but I was also really feeling the drums in this one, every beat like a cannon.
“In Memories I Roam”
The Italian language lyrics in the beginning were an absolute treat. I always love to hear a non-Anglophone band sing in their native tongue, really helps make metal feel like the global genre that it is. A piano interlude briefly drifts this one into power ballad territory. I assume Leonardo also played the piano, just to rub in that he can play multiple instruments and all I can play is the recorder (terribly, I might add). The addition of the keys in this one really help to make it stand out from the other seven tracks., and oooh that guitar solo was a thing of beauty.
“Paper Sailed Ship”
This one had a mellow vibe to it, featuring mostly acoustic guitars, and that same sadness (or maybe it’s acceptance) that I felt was prevalent throughout the album. Leonardo’s singing voice was beautiful here, the emotions in his words made me hung on every one of them. The bluesy guitar solo was a sight (sound?) to behold, all around wonderful. This was an easy 5 star song for me and an exemplary way to cap off an already great record.
CONCLUSION
Wow, what an album, and clocking in at under 40 minutes it flew by with ease. Once more, I found myself utterly gobsmacked that this is a one-man project. The sheer passion and love that Leonardo crafted in creating every note and chord is worthy of envy. If you like your metal, and your NWOBHM, with a bit of a progressive edge to it (think SARACEN), then I simply cannot recomend this The Past From Which I Ran enough! Be sure to support ELLE TEA and Leonardo over on the Bandcamp page (linked below).
TheNWOTHM Score: 9.5/10
ELLE TEA‘s The Past From Which I Ran released on 21 June, 2024
The Nwothm 
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