Italian Doom Metal band Messa has completed the follow-up to their critically acclaimed Feast For Water (Aural Music) entitled Close (Svart Records). Messa is one of those bands that instantly caught my attention by combining melancholic, haunting music with impressive, powerful vocals. After the release of Feast For Water, which is considered one of the best Doom Metal records in the past five years, I was already wondering about how a new album from the band would turn out. I believe that there is always a bit of extra pressure to write a follow-up album after a “breakthrough album”, but the Italians were able to just knock it out of the park once again with Close.

The album starts with the track ‘Suspended’ which starts with synths that feel like an extension from tracks like ‘She Knows’ and ‘White Stains’ from their previous album. The track then continues to develop into a clash of gloomy, heavy riffs that are complemented by the captivating vocals by Sara, which is the main highlight of the record. The song develops itself into a jazz-oriented guitar solo by their amazing lead guitar player Alberto Piccolo in the middle of the song to add up to the already interesting mix of influences that the band possesses. The album continues with the second single released by the band ‘Dark Horse’ which presents a bit more of a fast-tempo track with catchy riffs and vocal melodies. As we move on deeper in the tracklist, we find ourselves with Middle Eastern-influenced tracks like ‘Orphalese’ and ‘Pilgrim’, which capture the overall atmosphere of Close. 

The use of saxophone is very present in this album in tracks like ‘Orphalese’ and ‘0=2’, which is a great addition and already kind of a signature by the Italians since we also heard saxophones on previous tracks like ‘She Knows’. What really stood up for me about this record is how darker it is compared to their previous material. There is a strong Black Metal influence that can be easily noticed on tracks like ‘Rubedo’, my favorite from the album, and the short but sweet track ‘Leffotrak’. I have to admit that when I saw that ‘Leffotrak’ only lasted forty-five seconds I thought that it was just another transitional track, but I was oh so wrong when a full blast Black Metal song came up, which was a very pleasant surprise. The rest of the tracks ‘If You Want Her To Be Taken’, ‘Hollow’, and ‘Serving Him’ are the cherry on top that makes this album such a fantastic listening experience. 

With Close, Messa proves once again that they have been the best musical discovery I have made in the past few years, and everyone should know about it. I know it’s only March, but I have to say that Close is a strong candidate to be my album of the year. This is not just a Doom Metal album; this is a timeless masterpiece.  

Buy the album here: https://messaproject.bandcamp.com/album/close

9 / 10

WESLIE NEGRON