Messa

Based in Cittadella in northern Italy, Messa has been developing since the mid‑2010s a doom metal that blends occult rock, jazz, ambient and psychedelic sonorities. Built around singer Sara Bianchin, guitarist Alberto Piccolo, bassist Marco Zaninello (known as Mark Sade) and drummer Rocco Toaldo, the band constructs songs that are both slow and highly melodic, where a clear vocal sits atop massive riffs, atmospheric layers and improvised forays. The first album, 'Belfry' (2016), establishes this dark, cinematic aesthetic, followed by 'Feast for Water' (2018), which accentuates ambient textures and jazz hues, and 'Close' (2022), marked by more expansive writing and more detailed arrangements. On stage, Messa translates these contrasts by working the dynamics of volume and tempo, moving between spare passages and denser sections, and has gradually become part of the network of European festivals and venues focused on doom and experimental heavy music.