Band:	Messiah
Album:	Christus Hypercubus
Style:	Death metal, Thrash metal
Release date:	March 2024

01. Sikhote Alin
02. Christus Hypercubus
03. Once Upon A Time... Nothing
04. Speed Sucker Romance
05. Centipede Bites
06. Please Do Not Disturb (While I'm Dying)
07. Soul Observatory
08. Acid Fish
09. The Venus Baroness I
10. The Venus Baroness II

The Messiahs of traditional death/thrash return once more, this time offering something much more.

Messiah is a Swiss death/thrash metal band that formed in Switzerland back in 1984. The early stages of Messiah's career made an impact as the band went on to become one of the leading pioneers of the 80s thrash/early death scene, along with the likes of Possessed, Master, and Morbid Saint. During this time, the band released five albums, starting with their full-length debut Hymn To Abramelin (1986) right through to Underground (1994), before disbanding only two years later in 1996. The band remained absent from the scene for a quite staggering 20 years after this, and it wasn't until 24 years later that Messiah eventually marked their return with comeback album Fracmont in 2020. Now, in 2024, the band return once more, presenting their seventh and latest full-length release in Christus Hypercubus, which also coincidentally marks their 40-year anniversary.

Throughout their discography, Messiah have always offered a striking blend of both traditional thrash and old-school death metal (OSDM), and Christus Hypercubus is no exception; however, there are a few elements of surprises to be encountered when working one's way through the album's 10 tracks. This latest offering also features two fresh faces to the band's line-up, introducing firstly new vocalist Marcus Sebach, who recently joined the band following the unfortunate passing of founding member/vocalist Andy Kaina, and secondly new guitarist V.O. Pulver, who has also joined the ranks. With these latest additions on board, how does Christus Hypercubus stack up?

I mentioned above that there are several surprise elements along the way, and the opening track "Sikhote Alin" certainly has its share of surprises. The track begins with a creepy nature-themed synth-based intro behind a soft flowing acoustic guitar melody; this short section also features both female and male narration/spoken word, before a heavier riff slowly begins to take shape. All these elements come together to create an eerie, atmospheric soundscape right from the beginning. However, this gentle, eerie intro soon abruptly ends with the almighty sound of a thunderbolt crashing down, and swiftly comes the heavy instrumentation in the form of a powerful rampant rhythm section, heavy riffs, thrashy leads, and menacing death growls; still, that creepy male spoken word continues to occasionally make its presence felt. The most memorable moment of this opening track, however, is when you're introduced to a spoken countdown midway, which leads to the sound of another mighty thunder blast, and thus showing Messiah's theatrical and atmospheric side alongside their usual death/thrash sound.

After this opening track, I can assure you there are more surprises in store; you'll soon find out that Christus Hypercubus is more than just a simple blend of death and thrash. Whereas songs such as the title track and "Soul Observatory" are perhaps more inclined towards the OSDM route, with classic death riffs performed with a familiar OSDM guitar tone, there are still enough thrashy solos and rapid tempo changes to veer off course. On the other hand, "Once Upon A Time... Nothing" and "Acid Fish" veer off in a more thrashy direction, where in general, with more rapid tempos and riffs with a sharp, ferocious edge to them. It also helps that Marcus Sebach's demonic death growls are not the only feature in the vocal department, as eerie narration and spoken word are recurring features, and along with the light eerie synth work, this keeps the atmospheric setting interesting enough to sustain the listener's attention.

In my reviews I usually point out a particular standout track or two (sometimes even three), and Christus Hypercubus is certainly no exception in this regard; in this case, I'd like to highlight "Speed Sucker Romance". One thing worth mentioning is that these tracks don't always stand out being the best song; it could be memorable or remarkable for a number of different reasons, and this is where I'm at with "Speed Sucker Romance". It's not a track that I'm particularly fond of in comparison to what the rest of the album offers; it's notable for a mid-tempo doomy approach, especially at the beginning, that stands in contrast to the approach of the rest of the album, but the chorus, which features wailing leads with an unusual tone, becomes very repetitive across the song, to the point where I personally find it becomes an annoyance.

Overall, "Christus Hypercubus" ticks all the right boxes for some solid thrash and death material, from the rapid rhythms and ferocious leads, through to mid-tempo heavy slog riffing, but it goes beyond what the band have offered previously; there is a theatrical element, as well as a sinister atmospheric edge. Christus Hypercubus is an undeniably great return following the passing of Andy Kaina, as Marcus Sebach steps up to the mark emphatically, and the record sparks a new and impressive direction for the band's future.