Messa - Feast For Water - review
Messa - Feast For Water - review
Tracklist
01. Naunet02. Snakeskin Drape
03. Leah
04. The Seer
05. She Knows
06. Tulsi
07. White Stains
08. De Tariki Tariqat
A review by
RaduP April 03, 2018
If you remember 2016's Belfry, it was a really fun doom metal album, as much as doom metal albums can be fun, in that it combined drone with female-fronted traditional doom, thus keeping both of the two elements from seeming generic. Now that we'd no longer be surprised by that blend, they bring us Feast For Waters, and I can say right off the bat, while it doesn't bring much new to the formula, it refines it quite a bit.
For one, the thing that strikes me most is how much the production makes the album sound almost elegant in certain sections, mostly in the less metal ones, which are handled way better sound-wise - not to say that the metal sections sound bad, sometimes you'd want a little more fuzz, but the drone sections are amazing and certain more moody sections that aren't drone sound almost jazzy, and production-wise they're absolutely spectacular, like certain sections of "Leah" and "She Knows". There are even extreme metal nods complete with caveman grunts in the beginning of "Tulsi".
And this is one great thing about Feast For Waters. While it sadly cut down a bit on the drone sections, it manages to fit in all these jazzy sections (yes, there's a saxophone, so it's jazz) to complement the bluesier, sludgish doom, giving the songwriting a lot of dynamism, and thus none of the 7-plus-minute tracks feel overstretched. Couple that with how Sara's vocals have improved slightly since Belfry and that should already make this a worthy follow-up. Sure, female-fronted sludgish trad doom metal is nothing new, but everything about how Feast For Waters works makes it sound new.
Sure, not everything is perfect in this album. For one, I still feel there is a bit of untapped potential in the blending of genres, something which I hope to see more of in the next album. But really the album's biggest flaw is the flow. The album begins in the same vein as Belfry, but doesn't manage to capitalise on the drone intro the same way that its predecessor did, and also with the strongest four tracks in the middle, the album feels like it drags on a bit and then it ends instead of reaching a satisfying climax. Also some of the guitar playing, especially in the solos, breaks the mood of the album a bit. But what am I saying? More often than not these minor flaws do nothing to drag down the album's strengths.
All in all, Messa built upon the strengths of their debut, giving us an album that shines despite its minor flaws, due to amazing songwriting and sound engineering, Sara's otherworldly wails, and the inclusion of a few new sounds and instruments.
Rating breakdown
| Performance: | 8 |
| Songwriting: | 9 |
| Originality: | 8 |
| Production: | 10 |
Comments
Comments:
12
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Posts: 9636
Forgot to include it in the review so here's the bandcamp. Should be streaming in a couple of days.
---- Do you think if the heart keeps on shrinking One day there will be no heart at all?
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Before I do, should I dive into Belfry first? Either way, will at some point. However, I feel compelled considering the bands limited back catalog.
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Posts: 9636 Written by MetalManic on 04.04.2018 at 17:51 I think it might be better to do Belfry first. Belfry did the first impression opening a bit better than Feast For Waters but Feast For Waters is pretty much better in everything else
---- Do you think if the heart keeps on shrinking One day there will be no heart at all?
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Posts: 673
So I listened to the albums in order. Oh my, what an improvement on something already great. Thanks for this review. Feast For Water is a rare delight.
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Posts: 7 Written by MetalManic on 04.04.2018 at 17:51 Please, do it. I heard about them 2 months ago and "Belfry" is one of the few albums that are still running around here since then...
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Posts: 7 Written by MetalManic on 08.04.2018 at 16:50 Noice
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| LuciferOfGayness
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Posts: 9636 Written by [user id=173045] on 02.08.2018 at 19:52 Their debut had more drone influence, where the catch was the mix of those drone elements and the retro doom. Now, yeah, the tag is undeserved. I'd love to see them play with their sound more
---- Do you think if the heart keeps on shrinking One day there will be no heart at all?
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Posts: 9636 Written by nikarg on 05.12.2018 at 22:52 Quite probably
---- Do you think if the heart keeps on shrinking One day there will be no heart at all?
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