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This night is all about Bristol's rising stars, Ella. Taking the stage with with a presence sensed by the amassing audience, Ella have a feel about them which is hard to define. Their brand of contemporary metal rips pockets into the air, which they then fill with influences from far and wide. Tonight they are simply incredible.
Playing the majority of their debut EP 'On the Verge of Losing Everything' with stand out tracks 'Ghost in the Machine' and 'For the Shape', Ella kick the shit out of you, yet leave you with melodies resounding around your head long after they depart. Their live performance is as dynamic as the music itself and they are a real pleasure to watch tonight.
9/10
Daniel Charles - Metal Hammer magazine - Future Publishing
Ok, that's slightly unfair, as it's only the singer who sounds a bit like FFAF's Matt Davies. (Caught your eye though didn't it?) Ella are a far more interesting affair. Mark Williams seems to have an eye for young Brits, and Ella could well be his next big thing. Refreshingly rough around the edges, their debut EP comes across like a headrush of urgent riffs and mental, drum-fuelled breaks. It's all really great stuff. Standout track 'You Found A Mile' is simply sublime, like the world crashing down around you, while you while you fly away in a spaceship. Honest. But it's not all craziness. On 'The Eyes Of The World Are Upon You' (great title by the way), Ella inject a world of subtle melodies and gentle drumming. Could this be the year's most exciting debut? They're English too... a bright future.
8/10
BenShave - Metal Hammer magazine - Future Publishing
After a promising demo, Bristol mob Ella finally unleash their debut mini-album, and 'On The Verge..' is an absolute triumph. Combining the tried and trusted formula of mixing up brutality with commercial - hit choruses on which to hinge the songs, Ella are trying to stamp their own mark of originality on the metalcore genre. They're more savage and dirty than the likes of Bullet For My Valentine, opting instead to lean towards the complexities of Brighton metallers Johnny Truant, mixed in with the pop sensibilities of the Lostprophets. Vocalist Benjamin Devereaux's throaty screams combine well with Mike Bond's harmonies, and musically these five songs proove there is more to Bristol that Trip Hop. Throw in a guest appearnce from Stampin' Ground's Adam Frakes-Simme for some hardcore muscle, along with some tasty artwork from Seattle art gurus Asterik, and you're on to a winner. Here's looking forward to the full length. - Rock Sound magazine - ABC Member of the Audit Bureau of Circulation
Discography
'On the Verge of Losing Everything' EP 2006 (Scylla Records)
Two album demos are on our myspace.com/ella
These have been recorded as pre production demo's for our forthcoming album and have since been re-recorded.
Photos
Bio
Life hanging by a thread half way up Mount Everest, suicide attempts, the deaths of those closest, body dis-morphia, and yet never ending optimism - the concoction of bipolar contradictions which make for the body of work that is ELLA’s debut album ‘The Traveller and the Mountain’.
Produced by Mark Williams who has worked with The Killers; The Cribs; Low Verses Diamond; Biffy Clyro; and collaborated with producer Flood; work on ‘The Traveller and the Mountain’ began in the cold, rainy valleys of North Wales in March 2009.
In search of an organic variation of sounds through the use of different drum rooms and vintage desks in order to correctly capture the mood of each song, ELLA have so far recorded in no less than 4 different studios and are set to complete the album before the year is out by recording the vocals in a glass room at the end of Clevedon Pier. Why? To scream into sea of course!
ELLA decided to finance the album themselves, to capture everything they wanted to achieve, and hope to bring it to SXSW in 2010.
Having formed in 2003, ELLA became the center of life for five guys from the south-west of England, UK. Recording a three track demo; ELLA (with the help of national demo reviews and BBC Radio 1 airtime) hit the road. Show after show was played, leading to support slots with international bands such as Sikth, Skindred, Idiot Pilot, Waterdown, Curl Up and Die, Since by Man, ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail Of Dead, Stampin' Ground and Break the Silence, aswell as European big hitters like Devil Sold His Soul, Burning Skies, Exit Ten and The Ghost of a Thousand. There was excitement, mouths gawping and eyes opening to what was building between these five guys going under the banner of ELLA.
In 2006 ELLA released their debut EP ‘On the Verge of Losing Everything’. The EP received numerous reviews across the UK's national press; Metal Hammer magazine proclaiming "On The Verge Of Losing Everything is simply sublime... could this be the most exciting debut of the year"?!, while Rock Sound magazine followed up with "Leaning towards the complexities of Brighton metallers Johnny Truant, mixed with the pop sensibilities of Lostprophets... 'On The Verge…' Is an absolute triumph". Features in both magazines followed, with EP and live reviews appearing in a host of other renowned publications. One live critic writing in Metal Hammer "Their brand of contemporary metal rips pockets in the air... ELLA kick the shit out of you, yet leave you with melodies resounding around your head.. tonight they are simply incredible 9/10".
In the time that followed, ELLA have played over two hundred one off shows, headlined three national tours, and were hand picked by Johnny Truant and Enter Shikari to open up a number dates on their UK tours respectively. Enter Shikari being so impressed with what they saw, that ELLA where then picked again, this time as main support on there following tour.
ELLA is ready to explode with an album and live performance of sheer ferocious, honest energy.
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