Recorded at the Roadburn Festival in Tilburg in 2022, this live set from Italian doom act Messa featured four lengthy versions of songs from their 2022 studio album Close, delivered in stunning fashion and with additional musicians to help bring their eclectic sound together. Along with the lovely vocals of Sara and the standard configuration of guitar, bass, and drums, with the addition of synths, saxophone, duduk, oud, piano, mandolin, and acoustic guitar, the band's blend of traditional doom with progressive rock, folk, and jazz sounded right at home on the Roadburn stage. For those that didn't latch on to Close in 2022, this live set will serve as a teaser to that album, with splendid renditions of "0=2" (the collision of doom & jazz never sounded finer!), "Suspended", "Orphalese", and a crushing "Pilgrim" giving listeners a taste of what this band is all about. Once again, I can't say enough about the enchanting vocals of Sara, who floats over the barrage of dirge-laden riffs, prog-rock atmosphere, and jazz majesty with apparent ease...she's a talent to look out for if you haven't yet investigated this band. And while it would have been nice to have more songs available here, this is a great first step into the band, one that will leave you seeking out their studio albums in no short order.
Track Listing
1) Suspended
2) Orphalese
3) 0=2
4) Pilgrim