Messa - Close (2022)^{Release ID: 35233}

There are some records that you simply feel daunted at the prospect of having to review.  Some records are so diverse and eclectic, so bristling with organic energy and vigour that committing some paragraphs to state the success of their content seems an almost injustice of near epic proportions.  I mean, I can be impressed by some albums I hear and easily transpose my thoughts on the highlights to word format, but the albums that constantly challenge and surprise you are the tricky ones to truly interpret in a review.  Close is one such record.  Looking back at the year as a whole it is hard to understand how this release initially passed me by back in March and only really fell onto my radar at all in the final three months (breaking my end of year list to boot).  My exploration of The Fallen clan certainly helped bring this to my attention but there is so much more here than the simple doom aesthetics of this record.

In simple terms, this is a cool record.  Not cool as in being representative of some mainstream avenue of music but more just cool in how it sounds.  There are enough instruments in use over this album to make it easy to understand just how well this record embraces influences form doom, psychedelia and world music.  Crossing continents and exploring cultural boundaries along the way, Close is a celebration of all the influences that this band have been subjected to over their various pathways into Messa.  Even on the grindcore track towards the end, none of this feels forced (vocalist Sara, formerly being a member of death metal/grindcore crew Restos Humanos makes the grindcore inclusion a little less surprising perhaps).

With this variety comes the potential for me to get lost in the record and find myself struggling to balance the complexity of such a mixed palate of sounds (the album being over an hour long doesn't initially bode well either) but everything is done so effortlessly it just sounds so authentic throughout.  Somehow, Messa manage to sound modern and relevant yet capture the very essence of the retro vibes that ooze through those fuzzy guitar tones, ably assisted by the amazing vocal talent of Sara Bianchin.  Although it is obvious where her limitations lie she still compliments each track on here perfectly and is easily one of the standout contributors to the record. 

I bought this album on vinyl yesterday, such was my urgency to add this to my library in some kind of physical format and it has worked its way into my top three albums of the year, despite its late arrival on my radar.  There is so much that can be said about this record that I could go on for days about it and never still get all my reflections down about it.  As I said, in simple terms, this is really cool.

I've been a fan of Italian doomsters Messa for some time now and I have been greatly anticipating the release of Close since it was announced towards the end of 2021. Well. now it's finally here did it merit all that anticipation? The answer has got to be a resounding yes from me. On Close Messa have taken what made Feast for Water the release it was and have expounded on it, yet they haven't lost touch with their roots in doom metal and, if truth be told, their doom sounds even heavier here than it did previously.

What sets Messa apart, however, is their willingness to incorporate other, often non-metal, styles into their doom material. Yes, other bands hybridise their doom with other genres like blues or gothic and black metal, but Messa incorporate even more diverse musical genres like dark jazz, middle-eastern music and even, dare I say, on the album's penultimate track, Leffotrak, grindcore! One of the reasons I like Italian metal so much is that Italian bands are never scared to try something different with what can be quite basic genres and progressive music seems to be very much part of the Italian rock and metal scenes and Messa fully embrace this quintessentially Italian ethos. Sometimes, however, it falls that some bands' ambitions outstrip their abilities to fully realise them, this is most definitely not an issue for Messa as they are consummately skilled in delivering their auditory vision. In Sara Bianchin they have arguably the finest female vocalist in doom metal (if not all metal), the power and quality of her singing leaves most other doom vocalists in the shade, if you need convincing listen no further than opening track Suspended and tell me I'm wrong!

The opener is one of the more straightforward doom metal tracks on offer, but it is so expertly paced and performed that it actually feels more complex than it is. It is here where it also becomes obvious that Messa haven't compromised their heaviness either for an increased diversity and complexity, as is further illustrated on Dark Horse which is a little bit bluesy initially, at least until it's Miserlou-like speedy breakdown around halfway through. This brings us to Orphalese that begins with a Middle-Eastern sound, reminiscent of some of the tracks from Hans Zimmer's Gladiator soundtrack, conjuring images of a Lebanese or Egyptian market scene, with Sara Bianchin's bluesy vocals soaring over it for a truly evocative and atmospheric track.

I don't intend to give a track-by-track rundown of the album, but if any album deserves one it's probably this. Whilst listening for the first time, I was genuinely excited to hear where each track would go as I had absolutely no idea, such is the variety of ideas on offer here. The performances throughout are excellent, whether it be Alberto Piccolo's guitar solos, Sara's vocals, the tightness of the rhythm section or the wind instrumentation of guest Giorgio Trombino and the production is crystal clear so that nothing gets in the way of the band's expression of their multifarous ideas. If there is any sense to the world then Close should propel Messa into the upper reaches of the metal universe and could well garner them exposure beyond metal circles. In truth I could spend all day heaping superlatives upon the band and this latest Meisterwerk, but why would you waste time listening to me when you could be listening to this instead?!