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ELLE TEA
Travelling

Self-released (2026)
Rating: 9/10

I’m still baffled as to how Italian rockers Elle Tea aren’t making bigger waves in the metal underground. Awash with stunning artwork from main man Leonardo Trevisan and nonchalantly swaggering with its vintage hard rock aesthetic, this new full-length record is the definition of a cult classic.

If, like me, you’ve followed Elle Tea from the very beginning, then you’ll have watched in awe as the project has unfolded. Trevisan is a very clever man, crafting hard rock songs littered with New Wave Of British Heavy Metal nuances and dashes of prog alongside warm traditional metal gallops, as evidenced on stunning opener ‘The Eye Of The Storm’. Trevisan deftly tip-toes through varying shifts, always caressing the enchanting rhythms with his dulcet tones. The late 70s and early 80s waft permeates the air, tickling the ear canals with nostalgic honey drips as an all encompassing blanket of autumnal hue soothes the chills of night. Trevisan conjures images of fantasy; of lands great and beasts mystical, all existing beneath sun-dappled orange leaves where morning dew and wisps of mist are edged away by a fizzing slice of rich axe work.

‘Ancient Cults’, like previous works, somehow evokes images and sounds from the new wave era. The guitar tone, the punky drum and Trevisan’s warble are all upbeat and unorthodox, uniquely delivered with levels of quirkiness and glee, instantly hooking in with a power pop sensibility fused with that magical 70s texture. The flashes of Blue Öyster Cult, streaks of Thin Lizzy and sprinkles of early Iron Maiden are all encased within a shroud of esoterica and fantasy and the sporadic pinches of folk.

It’s gloriously pastoral, and if you’ve purchased a physical copy – which I demand that you should – then you’ll be rewarded with a unique Trevisan painting for each track. Each slice of art transports you to a different plateau, unfamiliar yet like the music, enchanting. It’s a bit like the first time I saw the Nazareth or Greenslade artwork, enticed into mystical depths by fantastic figures and Technicolor lands. Elle Tea’s musical trickles and gallops perch you on the saddle of your beast of choice and whisked off through valleys of gold and fjords of swirling green.

‘On The Walls Again’ and ‘Into The Fall’ majestically cruise, led by Trevisan’s distinctive pipes that wouldn’t seem out of place in a Talking Heads homage. Both songs run with such nostalgic buoyancy, the guitars bubbling with such a natural flow. The same can also be said for the exquisite ‘One Crazy Life’ which skids in with one hell of a fiery, 70s riff. Trevisan can so effortlessly write catchy songs. That’s not to say that a lot of hard work doesn’t go into his constructions, but when the audience gets a front row seat for such extravagance, one can only applaud from the start.

Strangely, ‘Bad Signs’ has modern commercial appeal. Maybe it’s the sprightly guitar work, but all it does is prove furthermore that Elle Tea can take any path they choose and none of it would seem at odds with other releases. Closer ‘Vanish’ is a soulful, wistful and stark ballad, a reflective mood shifter to round off an opus that I pray break Elle Tea into the rock mainstream. Modest yet magical, Travelling, like previous Elle Tea releases, is essential.

Neil Arnold

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