Messa : "the Spin"

 The band's fourth album finds them on Metal Blade. Oddly this album at times leans more in the direction of post-punk than metal. There is a little more of a gallop on the second song than the darker opener, that only hints of rock guitar heroism. Both songs are fairly brisk in their pace, which is another change considering they were once thought of as a doom band. The vocals are very strong and well-defined from a songwriting perspective, which is the most important element of their sound. They have always carried a smoky blues-based take on doom, so this is not too great of a departure from that as they do wander off into more atmospheric shadows midway into " At the Races". Their guitarist shines on this one. 

"Fire On the Roof" sounds like it came from a 70s hard-rock band that was trying to transition into the 80s. It just so happens that was when I began paying attention to music as a kid so it works for me. It might be a bit too anthemic for their old doom-metal fan base. It reminds me a little of the Scorpions which makes sense given my previous analogy would also apply. "Immolation" is a funny title for a song that is a jazzy ballad. This might as well be Lana Del Rey. Though less poppy. A ripping guitar solo comes in midway into the song and rips it which is an odd transition to a song that did not have a great deal of focus to begin with.

"The Dress" finds the guitarwork going in a more progressive rock path. Gutiarwise this is a much more adventurous album than the previous one. More progressive as well thanks to things like the trumpet solo on 'The Dress" where they have a more jammy jazz flare. I'm fine with them transitioning into a prog band. Then in the last two minutes, things dive into a heavier chaos before swelling up into another guitar solo. I think they handle guitar solos well rather than it just being a wankery. "Reveal' finds them unveiling their Led Zeppelin influence in a more metallic manner. I like the groove it finds, this might actually be my favorite song on the album. 

"Thicker Blood" works off a more deliberate throb that toys with their underlying blues trappings. Another ear-catching guitar solo is fired up in the middle of this song and serves as a vehicle to bolster the intensity. They lock into a pretty solid groove at the end of the song. I'll give this album a 9.5, and see how it grows on me I liked the post-punk undertones of the first two songs and was hoping to hear more of that but they went in a more adventurous direction that worked really well at the end of the day. They once again succeeded.