New Music Friday!

Where're all my country fans at? This was an RBF and surely not a style I typically enjoy or seek out, but something about it kept my interest piqued all the way though. Apparently  Bells is Thayer Sarrano's 5th LP. It's gothic country, Americana, and what I would describe as an ethereal dream rock/pop blend. I could definitely see some of you enjoying this one.

 
musicjunkiegreg said:
Messa was a band I was late to the party with discovering. I only recently discovered them after the release of their 2022, 3rd LP, Close. After hearing that one and listening to their back catalog, the Italian quartet's new, 4th LP here, The Spin, was near the top of the list for my most anticipated albums in Q2. The Spin was the first album I spun on this new music Friday, and it has definitely set the bar for the week, for April, and for Q2 (that being said, we are only at the second week in Q2 right now).

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Imagine being so cool that you coin your own genre tag. Messa has done that, coining their style as "Scarlet Doom": a blend of doom, jazz, prog, goth, blues, black metal, punk, and dark ambient. And before any non-metal fans turn their heads and noses away from this, stop. This album teeters the border between rock and metal, and, say for just one instance near the end of the closing track, there are no harsh vocals. Quite the contrary, actually, as we are gifted with Sara's beautiful, infectuous, echoey, and smoky vocals across the albums 7 tracks, 42-minute runtime. In addition to Sara's excellent vocals, we have riffs and guitar solos for days!! The band's diverse musical background is guaranteed to have forged something on this record that everyone can enjoy and appreciate. Seriously, this album is likely one of the most unique listens I'll have all year. There is no fat to trim on this album, and all 7 tracks are very good. After an initial listen, 'Fire on the Roof' and 'The Dress' are the two that stand out just a bit more than the rest. Be sure to give The Spin a spin - you may be surprised at how much you enjoy it.

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The fact that I haven’t shut this off after the heavy Evanescence vibes of the intro to the first song says a lot about how much I respect your recommendations…

Edit 1:
It does get much better. I like the overall kind of prog hair metal feel and the jazzy horn solo section on The Dress may have elevated this to getting another listen some day.

Edit 2:
Then Reveal starts out like some lost song off Long Cold Winter and moves into Rush territory. Yes, thank you, more of this.
 
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Nee Lewman said:
The fact that I haven’t shut this off after the heavy Evanescence vibes of the intro to the first song says a lot about how much I respect your recommendations…

Edit 1:
It does get much better. I like the overall kind of prog hair metal feel and the jazzy horn solo section on The Dress may have elevated this to getting another listen some day.

Edit 2:
Then Reveal starts out like some lost song off Long Cold Winter and moves into Rush territory. Yes, thank you, more of this.
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As I’ve listened to a lot more metal the last year or two, I will say that most of it makes me want to reach for the EQ and I may eventually set up a specific eq for metal at some point. The tendency to focus on the treble removes a lot of gravitas that I feel is missing by receding the bass and drums. All that low end makes it feel like it has teeth. The last song on The Spin does finally ratchet it up a bit though. I kind of want to feel all that double pedal bass drum in my chest because unless they are one of those bands that puts their drummer behind plexi onstage, that’s how it would hit live.
 
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