I'd heard Messa's Belfry album a few times but hadn't otherwise paid the band much attention, so when their third album, Close, appeared in my review queue, I thought it was time to give them a proper listen. About all I could say for certain prior to listening to Close was that Messa was a female-fronted doom band and that hasn't changed, not entirely anyway. This is an album with its share of beefy riffs, dark atmospheres and lush vocals. I remember Belfry following a more or less traditional doom blueprint but Close is a different animal. The main thing that struck me was the level of Middle Eastern influences the band incorporated into their sound, from melodies to rhythms to instrumentation. It is pervasive, but I quite enjoyed it as the band went all-in and executed well. It isn't the heaviest of albums, if I'm honest, though there are deep, rumbling riffs here and there, but Messa use them sparingly, opting for dreamier and more atmospheric playing enhanced with instruments like saxophones and finger cymbals and a hard rock songwriting style. "0=2" has a trippy vibe, "Suspended" features a rather jazzy guitar solo and "Orphalese" begins with the aforementioned sax before transitioning to vocals and guitars over Middle Eastern percussive beats. There are some solid doom moments on Close, notably "Rubedo" which is probably the closest Messa gets to "traditional" doom and "Pilgrim," the absolute highlight of the album. It begins slowly and mysteriously before building to a comparatively frenetic crescendo and is the heaviest track on the album, barring the out of place "Leffotrack" a short excursion into black/death. I like Close, it is a well-played album that has something of a unique sound and an aesthetic that is different from most other doom, but its similarities to the retro-rock of Jess and the Ancient Ones and groups of that ilk, with psychedelic influences from bands like Pink Floyd to The Doors and even Jefferson Airplane, is hard to ignore. If you are in the market for traditional doom metal, Close may not fit the bill, but if you want something different it might be worth checking out.