Ella are the kind of band that can kick the shit out of you one second and then sweet talk you into an apology the next. By no means the best EP I’ve heard this year, at times this is brutal and brilliant. If the band could meet the consistency of great tracks like ‘For The Shape’, then ‘On The Verge of Losing Everything’ would be something really special. As it is, this is a good little EP that doesn’t quite hit the high standards you’re hoping for.
Vocalist Benjamin Devereaux spits bloody murder while the twin axe attack twirls out metal riff after metal riff. At times you can almost imagine the duo shredding with one foot on the monitor and hair and limbs flying across the stage. Although I’m yet to see them, I imagine Ella are even better in a live setting. The guitar breakdowns during ‘Magnolia’ are top notch, for example, although the song as a whole doesn’t really do it for me – the more melodic parts remind me of some kind of Funeral For A Friend/Lostprophets hybrid which I don’t overly like. Still, for the most part this is well executed and heavy and well worth listening to.
www.myspace.com/ella
paul