Label - Svart Records
Release Date- 11 March 2022
Words - Chris Fletch
Italian doom metal outfit Messa are back with their third full-length album ‘Close’, showing that they have no desire to stay in the underground any longer. The band’s first release for Svart Records, ‘Close’ sees the band continuing to experiment and build on their previous work, in order to transcend genres and present a unique album that could see them hit the big time.
2018’s ‘Feast For Water’ was a breakthrough success for the band, and even garnered critical acclaim from the likes of Rolling Stone who praised the album as a captivating listen. However, when hitting play on ‘Close’ it is immediately evident that Messa have taken another leap forward in quality, both in terms of songwriting - the band are able to transport you into their world better than ever before - as well as in terms of production. The production here does a wonderful job of showcasing the various instrumentation on display, whilst allowing Sara Bianchin’s haunting vocals to really stand out. It's not overly polished mind you, leaving just enough dirt under the fingernails so the riffs really have some bite.
Messa have previously been described as sounding like Black Sabbath fronted by Stevie Nicks, and it's on opening track ‘Suspended' where this is most fitting. Starting with a warm Rhodes piano intro before giving way to a fuzzed-up doom riff that pays homage to their influences, the song then descends into a jazz breakdown. This is followed immediately by ‘Dark Horse’ which picks up the pace again with a gothic vibe and guitar riff that would feel at home on a Ghost track.
The musical variation doesn’t stop here. Third track ‘Orphalese’ opens with a traditional Armenian woodwind instrument which transports you to the Middle East, whilst later on ‘Pilgrim’ makes you feel like you are travelling through a desert. The occult tinged atmospheres created here make for an album that is diverse but not chaotic, and arty but not pretentious, as the different musical elements work together to realise a cohesive vision.
Despite the record being an undoubtedly immersive and spellbinding sonic experience, at ten tracks and around an hour and five minutes in length it's fair to say that this album will feel too long to some. However, with that being said it takes time to layout a grandiose journey such as this and it’s certainly one that is more rewarding the more time you put in.
This isn’t your average doom metal album, and in fact to categorise it solely as such would be to do it a disservice. ‘Close’ is a sonic tapestry woven with doom, folk and spiritual elements which shows a band not only willing to experiment but capable of pulling it off to an impressive standard. Close your eyes and see where it takes you.
8/10.
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