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Song

Reveal

Artist

Messa

Messa backstory

Describing themselves as ‘scarlet doom’ (trust us, it’s apt), Italy’s Messa emerged in 2014, dropping their debut, Belfry, nine years ago.

Since then, the quartet have been building momentum, thanks to 2018’s Feast For Water and 2022’s Close.

But it was The Spin, released in April on Metal Blade, that propelled Messa into gloom metal’s upper echelons.

The band admit they’re always pushing themselves out of their comfort zone – and that certainly paid off on their fourth opus: a sultry, soul-reaping masterpiece, expect The Spin to feature on plenty of Album of the Year lists come December.

In the band’s own words

“The main riff in Reveal manifested itself spontaneously. Our guitar player Alberto dreamed of it one night. He suddenly woke up at 4am and recorded it with his phone so he wouldn’t forget it. It was the most immediate song to write out of all those we wrote for The Spin and it features two key elements: the typical, ‘blues’ use of slide guitar and the ‘metal’ element of the blastbeats.

“This video was entirely shot with analogue equipment in a tire warehouse in our hometown. We chose the lo-fi aesthetic on purpose, using the dynamism of strobe and neon lights. We tried to make it as spontaneous as the songwriting process for the track.”

The verdict on Reveal

Slide guitar on a Gothic doom tune? We’re 100 per cent here for it. Telecaster-wielding Alberto weaves dark magic, twanging out some rustic blues on the solo, and giving Sara’s velvet-swathed vocals the space they need to shine.

Full of surprises, gleaming with classy songcraft, Reveal is one of The Spin’s many highlights.

And as Messa get set to hit the road this autumn, this is a timely reminder of their prowess.

Miss them at your peril.

What’s next for Messa?

Messa are embarking on an extensive European tour next month with Yorkshire gloom legends Paradise Lost. They’ll be hitting New Century Hall in Manchester on October 9, followed by dates in Wolverhampton (October 10), Newcastle (October 11), Glasgow (October 12), Nottingham (October 14), Bristol (October 15), Southampton (October 16) and London (October 17). The band will then appear at Tyrant Fest in Lille on October 19, before playing 15 shows across the continent.

Messa will also be making their first appearance at Damnation Festival in Manchester on November 8.