Messa – The Spin | soundsfromthedarkside

This is our spin of the wheel about the new Messa album.

If you look at the line-ups of festivals like Coachella one thing is crystal clear: popular music has fully re-embraced synths. Some even say the musical style of the 80s have fully returned. In our small world of music however, synths never left the stage. Masters such as Com Truise and Craven Faults have been perfecting their art for years but also on the heavier side of the spectrum many industrial and symphonic metal bands used keyboards to create their own niches. Wantingly or not, with The Spin, Italy’s Messa rides along on the current wave of 80s synth nostalgics but in the end they manage to never get caught up in the hype.

Messa has been hitting the right buttons ever since they emerged a decade ago. In 2022 this resulted in the Maghreb oriented Close. At that time it was their biggest release ever which never dwelled too far away from doom metal, thus also never became too progressive for metalheads to love. Now on their fourth album they again look to a new muse as they embrace yesteryears electrogoth. If Feast for Water (2018) was Messa’s bluesy exploration, Close their cultural deep-dive, then, in terms of production, The Spin is their most smooth performance. Sara Bianchin’s vocals are still among the band’s core elements but now reaches new heights due to spacious use of doom riffs. The result is a richer, and more luxurious experience that unmistakably belongs to Messa, but with a different focus. Where previous records flowed organically, this one feels more like a carefully curated collection of songs.

Messa kicks off The Spin with one of the best material they have ever written. Although Void Meridian lacks a bit of a bite the Vangelis-like pulse intro creates just the suspense we need before it goes full-on doom. The synths, the reverb, the driving basslines and a soaring solo by Alberto Piccolo, it’s all there. The band sets both mood and momentum in the first minutes and continues this on At Races that pulses with a vigorous energy and gets you nodding along in no time even when the lyrics are soaked in melancholy.

Fire on the Roof is probably the album’s centrepiece. It opens with a synth line straight out of a Stranger Things montage before exploding into a humdinger chorus that showcases Bianchin’s vocals at their most spectacular. The song’s blend of pop immediacy and doom heft is emblematic of the album as a whole: perhaps less challenging than previous outings, but no less rewarding for its accessibility. Still Messa also lives up to their reputation for surprising musical turns. A prime example is eight-minute spanning The Dress where an extended jazzy passage of saxophone and guitar creates a smoky lounge feel amid the compelling hooks. Another is Reveal, which uniquely combines blues-inspired guitar work with furious blast beats. Arguably the most “traditional” Messa track on the album is the closer, Thicker Blood, which is a nine-minute blend of goth rock with doom metal.

The use of 80s gear on The Spin gives the guitars a powerful sound while the reverb drumming and polished production contribute to a retro feel that avoids feeling artificial or like a novelty. Instead, the band weaves these new textures into their core identity. This continuous interplay between the old and the new, between experimentation and tradition, will attract listeners from all walks of life and ultimately makes The Spin such a great listen.