Switzerland's Messiah is on their third/fourth ride on the metal merry-go-round, having formed back in the mid-80s, split up and reformed a couple of times and with the current incarnation kicking off in 2017. Fracmont is the band's sixth full-length overall and first in over 25 years. They play an epic kind of death metal with lots of thrash riffing and some haunting sound effects that give the album a weight and presence more typical of black metal. The crying baby, tortured screams and rendition of "Ave Maria", which would otherwise be beautiful, when juxtaposed with the hateful vocals and harsh music make for an unsettling atmosphere, sort of like Meads of Asphodel's Sonderkommando, if not nearly as disturbing. Fracmont is not an album to be listened to half-heartedly, it demands your attention to draw out the nuances (an understanding of German and Latin wouldn't hurt, either). Messiah don't sound like they are kidding around in any way, giving their music an honest and visceral punch, so don't approach this lightly. Fracmont is strong, challenging music.
