| Italian Doom Metal quartet MESSA are excited to release their new album, ‘Close’, on March 11th, 2022 with their new label home in Svart Records. In the build-up to the release of their upcoming full-length, the band has dropped a new single titled “Dark Horse”. Speaking about the story behind the writing and recording of the track, the band comments: “’Dark Horse’ was the last song we wrote, and it was completed literally just one week before we entered the studio. It’s the most instinctual and visceral song on the album. Its sound is reminiscent of 80’s dark/post-punk vibes like no other song in this record.” Going on to share the narrative themes of the song, the group shares, “This song describes a precise moment of anxiety which is now trapped in the sands of time forevermore.” Check out the new single from Messa, “Dark Horse”, below. The band’s new album, ‘Close’, is out March 11th, 2022. |
| Messa – ‘Close’ (Tracklist) Suspended Dark Horse Orphalese Rubedo Hollow Pilgrim 0=2 If You Want Her To Be Taken Leffotrak Serving Him |
| About Messa’s new album, ‘Close’ “Close” draws us further into Messa’s spellbinding textures and immersive dynamics. Described as “Stevie Nicks fronting Black Sabbath,” singer Sara’s colossal voice omnipotently carries the listener on an emotional rollercoaster ride where the sonic cauldron of Iommi guitars gives way to Arabian Oudh and progressive solos in a masterful style-clash that well befits Messa’s incendiary reputation. The hushed Fender Rhodes piano intro on opener “Suspended,” picks up where Messa left off on their previous album “Feast For Water” but then collapses gloriously into Jazz guitar and widescreen impassioned crushing riffs, lighting our way for the odyssey ahead. The scene is set magnificently for the journey that “Close” expertly takes the listener on, with Messa’s obvious care and passion for the album as a pilgrimage of sonic experience. Heavyweight tracks like “If You Want Her To Be Taken” or “0=2” are modern Doom Rock classics that expertly upgrade and leave the genre reeling in their wake. “Pilgrim” and “Orphalese” are woven with tapestries of Mediterranean sounds where Oudh and eastern chord phrasings expand Messa’s cinematic palette with a panache that is all their own. Atmospheric and grandiose belters like “Rubedo” and “Dark Horse” build into an almost limitless climax of discord and harmony where blast beats and saxophones descend into a thrilling cacophony that’s a masterclass in artful cutting edge Doom. Referencing bands like Dead Can Dance, Swans, and Om, Messa have created an album where song, experience, and atmosphere are focused into a crystalline modus where high art flawlessly embraces good old-fashioned riff-worship. Transcending the occult and noir-tinted atmospheres of their past works, “Close” confidently weaves Messa’s multifarious influences into a singular breath-taking sound that leaves the listener enthralled. Perfection or something extremely close, Messa’s “Close” is not just a Metal record, but it’s definitely one of the best things to break out of the confines of Metal in a long time. |
