Ella, Fell Silent, Machinate, Maya Deren.

Esquires Bedford Lev 2. Thursday 23rd March 2006.

When MAYA DEREN take to the stage the dance floor is still fairly empty, but the Northampton-based four-piece don’t let this phase them as the lead singer spews every ounce of his being into the opening song, projectile-vomiting his words with fervent intensity and getting what is set to be a particularly fierce night off to a forcible start. Beginning with misleadingly slow, picked guitar and gently lulling you into a false sense of security, their next number ‘Heartbreak’ explodes into an abrasive wall of noise, but even this is deceptive; throughout their set, while crushing guitars battle against crashing drumbeats, Maya Deren produce a brilliant blend of frenzied screams and AFI-inspired, soaring choruses with believable passion in spite of the rather sparse crowd.

Next up are Milton Keynes five-piece, MACHINATE, who waste no time in delivering a barrage of hard-hitting, penetrating noise, complete with full-on metal posing. Vocalist Jason sounds almost demonic as he lets loose an onslaught of guttural growls; stripped to the waist, he means business as he spits forth the vocals of ‘No Man’s Land’, while the guitars and bass provide big winding hooks and a deep, dirty drone alongside the smash of drums. There’s a slightly arrogant swagger about the band as they tell the growing audience to “feel privileged” at being treated to new song ‘New Era’, but with a set as brutal and confident as this, perhaps they’re allowed to be a little cocky.

Relentless from the off, Esquires favourites FELL SILENT set the club alight with the dark and dizzying, stop-start mathcore beats of ‘Silence’ before breaking down into swirling guitar sounds. As drums thump and hiss, vocalist Neema switches between a throaty scream and high pitched shrieks, and there’s a definite groove to their closing number, ‘Age of Deception’ as the guitarists head-bang in time to the devastating beats. As the band’s dreadlocked bass-player Max leans into the audience, goading them on, the Milton Keynes metallers bring a set full-to-bursting with frenzied screams, incessant beats and crushing hooks to an exhausting close.

As an expectant audience gather around the stage for the evening’s headliners, the Bristol-based five-piece ELLA begin with what has to be the softest start so far; the drums hiss and pound, contrasting beautifully with the delicacy of the rippling guitars. Already, the passion and intensity that smoulders beneath the surface of Ella’s music is obvious. As the textured sound of their opener, ‘The Eyes of the World Are Upon You’ builds to a climax the band unexpectedly burst into a paroxysm of harsh, yet surprisingly listenable aggression. Each member of the band seems utterly absorbed in their meaningful melodies, as they contort on stage, switching schizophrenically between massive, brash bursts of abrasive noise and softer, soaring melodic hooks. Ella intelligently demonstrates how emotive subject matter can be coupled with intense and aggressive music as they bring an exhilarating night of metal to a satisfying end.