Review by Raphaël on January 3, 2026.

I'm at a loss for words to accurately describe the rich musical and emotional experience that is The Spin by Italian psych doom band Messa. The atmospheric heaviness, the blues infused riffs and solos, that magical low rumble bass sound, the impeccable drum performance and Sara! Oh my god, she has such a soft voice but can reach such high notes, with an almost superhuman power.

The album begins with "Void Meridian", retro synths accelerating, with Sara's siren voice soon taking center stage, showcasing the band's ability to blend sounds and textures ranging from post-punk to bluesy doom with a chorus that gives me chills every time. The low rumble of a heavy doom riff is contrasted by the pure light that is Sara's angelic voice. It makes me feel things inside! Carrying on, "Fire On The Roof" reveals the pure musical genius of the band, using a buildup structure, it takes its time to establish a smooth atmosphere before a big musical release in the form of a catchy riff, paired with the grandiose voice of Sara singing: "fireeeeee ooon theeee roooooof" in both an emotional and just incredibly catchy way. Speaking of emotions, "Immolation" begins with Sara softly singing with a piano culminating with an impressive guitar solo. "The Dress" uses a similar build up structure taking its time to establish that smooth atmosphere before releasing that tension with a heavy riff and that divine voice, I swear the notes this woman can reach will pierce your soul and touch your heart. Speaking of smooth atmospheres, they throw in a complete jazz break, with trumpets courtesy of Michele Tedesco, giving so much personality to the song before, yet again, a full release of tension with the final riff and guitar solo. "Thicker Blood" ends the album on the highest note possible, the longest song on the album, clocking in at 8 minutes and 45 seconds, it takes its time to slowly build up alternating slow and heavy doom riffs with minimalistic sections of Sara's voice and slowly becoming faster, even throwing in fast double kick drums in short bursts. Then, the final section begins, a mid-paced, repeating riff with such a mesmerizing groove. After a few minutes, out of nowhere, Sara lets out a few black metal screams before the music becomes slower and slower and comes to a complete halt, thus ending this masterpiece.

It's difficult to truly explain when an album just has "it", Messa has always been special, thinking outside the box and incorporating all sorts of influences but on The Spin, they refined their sound, making the album shorter, incorporating a good dose of gothic rock, making it more "accessible" and making each song single worthy while still being a cohesive package, flowing seamlessly. Another noteworthy thing would be the massive boost in production, having signed to Metal Blade Records, they got a well-deserved boost in financial means, and it shows. To complete the album's artistic vision, they did incredible music videos, super creative, with interconnected storylines and at the end of the three main videos, Sara recites a beautiful poem, and I swear, I could listen to an entire album of just that, it's that mesmerizing! And not to be that feminist guy but, usually, when the lead singer is a beautiful woman like Sara, she is the main focus everywhere. But in Messa, the four members are equally put forward and given time to shine. And might I add, these are incredibly good-looking guys also! There, my absolute AOTY of 2025, and honestly this is even the album of the decade! Plus, I saw in a video posted on their Facebook page, Sara wearing a keffiyeh! So, I can confidently make the announcement, Messa is now my absolute favourite band of all time. Free Palestine!

Rating: 10 out of 10