In baseball, there are several rounds of minor leagues that players go through as they make their way to the majors. And not everyone makes it. A lot do not. Even prized prospects, first-round picks, and more fall by the wayside because they don’t have what it takes to get there. Others rocket through the system to stardom, though that’s rare.

I don’t want to necessarily suggest Italian doom dreamers Messa were not ready for the major leagues before their excellent new record “The Spin,” their fourth. They were always ready, from their 2016 debut “Belfry” right up to 2022’s “Close.” They always proved they had what it takes, creating emotionally ripe, smoking power that they dubbed “scarlet doom.”  But “The Spin” is their first for the legendary Metal Blade, and this move up to wider recognition is something long deserved by the band—vocalist Sara, guitarist/bassist Marco, guitarist Alberto, drummer Rocco. Here, they deliver a record that maintains their might but also trims down the run time on many of the tracks, with only two going past eight minutes. They refined and stripped back their approach while also adding a hefty serving of ’80s-style goth rock to their mix that works perfectly. This record took me a few listens to get used to the surroundings, but now that I’ve been through it many times, it might be my favorite of theirs so far. And if it gets the right push, it should make Messa a household name for underground heshers. 

“Void Meridian” starts with unexpected synth pulses (you won’t be shocked for long), and Sara lets loose her spellbinding voice. “All the bones you can find at crossroads, the ones that push you down, can you hear the call in the distance? How far can you go now?” she wails, the guitars blazing with color, the chorus flushing back and zapping away. “At Races” opens with surging guitars and plunging verses, Sara calling, “Waiting for me to run.” The playing chills a bit, but the chorus sweeps over everything, Sara singing, “Every stare weighs on my saddle bags,” their icy daggers heading into a foggy jolt. The guitars take off, the vocals simmer, and the chorus punches back, the energy entering into the dark. “Fire on the Roof” has the synth driving, excitedly so, making it feel like you’re tunneling back into ’80s chill. The neon beams blast into a driving tempo, the vocals rippling muscles, a great chorus setting your heart on fire. The guitars activate and engulf everything, the playing incinerating your heart to a crisp. “Immolation” basks in calling keys, Sara taking on a higher register, wailing on the chorus, “It is like a beautiful weight on my heart, please run away, please.” Guitars spill over and overcome with emotion, eventually turning to a mournful slide, the fires burning out on of the band’s finest tracks.

“The Dress” runs 8:15, one of the two tracks here with longer run times. The playing slowly flows and the synth glimmers, Sara singing, “I’m trapped inside a nice velvet, blue dress, don’t even love myself anymore.” The chorus then ruptures through the earth, Sara calling, “All my monsters, ready to feed!” Horns slip in, a jazzy ambiance encircling, and then the guitars increase the intensity, and Sara belts, “Coming over, eating my heart,” almost like a dare. “Reveal” dawns with swampy slide guitars, feeling like it’s coming from the Delta, and then things pick up as the electricity swaggers, and the drums come alive, spattering. “The end, the end is hell,” Sara levels, the guitars tearing flesh from bone, smoking and buzzing, disintegrating into fumes. “Thicker Blood” closes, a 8:45-minute saga that enters in a magical, cosmic synth storm, Sara’s sultry singing stinging with, “Decapitated sun on this forest bed, dismay’s returning so clear and so bright.” The tempo continues to increase, guitars flooding with emotion, Sara wailing, “Mother hear me, I’ll go further, I’m so ready to be my fate.” Gritty guitars segue into shivering chill, the sounds tingle and drive, and then one final feral scream lashes red as everything fades away.

Messa deliver a trim, channeled record with “The Spin,” an album that can lure in a much wider audience with a strong new label and a sound that remains true. They are mesmerizing and smoking, blending their style of “scarlet doom” into another enrapturing collection that just gets better the more you hear it. The band put its best foot forward on this record, and every moment of this is powered with a magic from beyond.

For more on the band, go here: https://messa.bandcamp.com/

To buy the album, go here: https://metalblade.indiemerch.com/

For more on the label, go here: https://www.metalblade.com/us/