Messa play two Spanish shows this week on their first European and British tour as headliners. The Italian doom quartet perform at Salamandra in Barcelona on 28 October and at Copérnico in Madrid on 29 October, the only dates planned in the country.
“The Spin” at the centre of the set
The band are touring behind “The Spin”, their fourth full-length album, released in 2025 through Metal Blade Records. The record drew strong reviews from the specialist press and appeared on several year-end lists, including those published by Decibel, Metal Hammer and Metal Injection.
The headline run follows a successful stretch as support act for Paradise Lost, after which Messa sold out several shows in Italy. Their mix of atmospheric doom with jazz, gothic and classic heavy metal elements has made them one of the more distinctive acts in the current scene.
Sara Bianchin, the voice of “scarlet doom”
Sara Bianchin has fronted Messa on vocals since the band formed in 2014. Her soulful, haunting singing is central to the style the quartet call “scarlet doom”, a combination of slow, heavy riffs with dark ambient textures, Mediterranean folk and progressive jazz. She has recorded four studio albums with the band: “Belfry” (2016), “Feast for Water” (2018), “Close” (2022) and “The Spin” (2025).
From Cittadella to Metal Blade
Messa formed in Cittadella, Italy in 2014, when four friends with no previous doom metal experience started playing together. They self-released “Belfry” in 2016, and “Feast for Water” followed in 2018 through Aural Music, earning the band international attention and slots at festivals such as Hellfest and Roadburn.
After signing with Svart Records in 2021, they released “Close” in 2022 to critical acclaim, followed by the live album “Live at Roadburn”. In 2024 they joined Metal Blade, which released “The Spin” the following year. Alongside Bianchin, the band features Alberto Piccolo on guitars, Marco Zanin on bass and Rocco Toldo on drums.
