Messa’s fourth album, The Spin (Metal Blade Records), finds the band embracing their inner prog rock guitar gods, and channeling that energy in a few different directions. The first few songs might fake you out as they sound as if the band is heading in a more post-punk direction. The guitars gallop with more tension at a fairly brisk pace. This is certainly a shift from their earlier material that found them as more of a doom band. The vocals are very strong and well-defined from a songwriting perspective, which is the most important element of their sound. The band has always carried a smoky blues-based undercurrent, which is still present, though at times they wander off into more atmospheric shadows, as heard on  ” At the Races”. Their guitarist begins to shine on this one, and his heroics do not let up from here. 

“Fire On the Roof” feels like how hard rock bands from the s attempted to transition into the 80s. If this is the period when you started paying attention to music as a kid, it will connect with you. Though this sound could be too anthemic for their old doom-metal fan base, as it owes more to the Scorpions than Black Sabbath. “Immolation” is a funny title for a song that is a jazzy ballad, which is not a far cry from what Lana Del Rey does. Their take on this sound is less poppy, and when the ripping guitar solo kicks the door down midway into the song, things become dramatically more awesome.

“The Dress” finds the guitarwork going in a more progressive rock path. From the standpoint of the guitar playing on this album, it’s much more adventurous than the band’s previous work. They also take more chances by including things like the trumpet solo on ‘The Dress,” where they have a more jammy jazz flair. The guitar solos are well-handled rather than it just wankery. “Reveal’ finds the band tapping into their Led Zeppelin influence, thought run through a more metallic filter, to create a groove that might make this the album’s best song. 

“Thicker Blood” works off a more deliberate throb that toys with its underlying blues trappings. Another ear-catching guitar solo is fired up in the middle of this song and serves as a vehicle to bolster the intensity. They lock into yet another solid groove at the end of the song. Fans of darker-tinged prog-rock that winks in the direction of the nineties without becoming a tribute act to the era, will find plenty to rejoice about here. If you like tasteful guitar solos and guitar-focused rock that focuses on the instrument’s soul rather than becoming a Berklee clinic, you should also listen as it’s a great step forward for the band.  

Buy the album here:
www.messa.bandcamp.com/album/the-spin

9 / 10
WIL CIFER
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