On April 20th, Dallas, Texas’s own Messer is due to release their self-titled album on April 20th via Maddpants Records. There is absolutely no reason why they can’t claim 2018 as their own just as Ded did in 2017.
Messer is composed of Dereak Messer on vocals, Donnie Deville on guitars/vocals, Javier Contreras on guitars/vocals, Kenn Youngar on drums/vocals, and Maddox Messer on bass/vocals. They are bringing that brand of rock that will catapult them to the forefront because it’s driving, hard hitting, emotional, and thoughtful all intertwined into this contagious ball of energy.
I first listened to this band while covering them on the Unstoppable Screams Tour that featured Red and Lacey Sturm, along with Righteous Vendetta, and it was plain to see about this contagious ball of energy that had an otherwise tough Christian-based crowd rocking out hard. It’s also plain to see why Messer has already shared the stage with the likes of Vince Neil, Hinder, Black Stone Cherry, and some band called Metallica.
This album starts off with a hard-hitting dynamic track entitled “Throw It Away”. The chorus that Dereak sings is really dynamic and I immediately notice that there is a lot going on in this wall of sound that is Messer, which truly sets them apart with a lot of bands on this particular genre. Case in point is with the second track “Everything Beautiful”.
There is a lot of distorted guitars, ambiance in the sound that makes it haunting and beautiful at the same time, the transition from the second chorus to the bridge/instrumental break in “Everything Beautiful” is disgustingly wonderful, I only wish it was a couple of measures longer, but then again, I’m a sucker for lengthy bridges and instrumental breaks. The chorus is so damn infectious that I end up singing along by the third time around in the chorus. The background vocals really enhance and add to this song.
The themes covered in this include fighting for what is yours and being persistent to get your voice heard. Case in point is in the songs “Fight For Your Life” and “Make This Life”. In this, Messer wants you to know that your voice will be heard as long as you get loud and proud about your voice and that one can accomplish anything if they put in hard work and dedication towards “making this life worth fighting for”. I must mention the beautiful ballad which is a battlecry for peace in “Lay Down Your Heart”, in this we must tear down the walls to make peace happen again. “If you lay down your heart/I’ll lay down your arms”, that lyric is so profound and touching that it brings a tear to my eye, because that’s one of my battlecries.
It’s one of those albums where I’m absolutely wiped out from emotions after listening to it. Messer is that band. This band is good. Really, really good at what they do. 10 out of 10 stars, I don’t know what else to say. It is that good. Here is the track listing below.
- Throw It Away
- Everything Beautiful
- Fight Of My Life
- Still Better Off
- Lay Down Your Heart
- Make This Life
- Simple Man
- Save Myself
- One More Time
- Whiskey
- Simple Man (Acoustic)
Messer will be touring with Shallow Side in support of their self-titled record. Check out the tour dates below!
Dates with Shallow Side
Wednesday – 4/18/2018 – Jacks Bar and Grill San Antonio
Thursday – 4/19/2018 – Sidewinder Austin TX
Friday – 4/20/2018 – Trees Dallas TX – album release show
Saturday – 4/21/2018 – Satellite Bar – Houston, TX
Sunday – 4/22/2018 – Olde Towne Tavern – Slidell, TX
Wednesday – 4/25/2018 – Ashley Street Station – Valdosta GA
Thursday – 4/26/2018 – The Warrior – Tallahassee, FL
Friday – 4/27/2018 – Working – Tampa, FL
Saturday – 4/28/2018 – Southside – Naples, FL
Sunday – 4/29/2018 – On Hold – Orlando FL
Wednesday – 5/2/2018 – Masquerade – Atlanta, GA
Thursday – 5/3/2018 – Sidetracks Music Hall – Huntsville, AL
Friday – 5/4/2018 – The Warehouse – Clarksville, TN
Saturday – 5/5/2018 – The Warehouse – Clarksville, TN
Wednesday – 5/9/2018 – The Bourbon Hall – Louisville KY
Thursday – 5/10/2018 – Amici’s – Concord, NC
Friday – 5/11/2018 – The Vault – Hickory, NC
Saturday – 5/12/2018 – GroundZero – Spartanburg SC
Saturday – 5/19/2018 – Pit Stop Bar and Grill – North Richland Hills – Headline show
Fans can find Messer at the following locations:
Pledge Music Campaign: https://www.pledgemusic.com/projects/messerband
Official website: https://www.messerband.com
iTunes Pre-order: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/messer/1348892084
Google Play Pre-order: https://play.google.com/store/music/album/Messer_Messer?id=Bwgg2vbrw53gkx3q3prnxdhhqua&hl=en
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/messerband
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/messerband/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/messerband
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BeviKEkkdtY
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/7qNZ1MXOnu60GMYoZPLoRT
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/messerband
Slacker: https://www.slacker.com/song/messer/make-this-life/60068016
ICYMI: Check out our interview with Maddox Messer of Messer here!