Archive for Messa

The 10 Best Italian Metal Bands, According to the Country’s New Post-Metal Phenoms Orbita (Exclusive)

Posted in Exclusives, Interviews, Lists with tags , , , , , , , , , on 08/18/2026 by Kurt Orzeck

Thanks to readers of The Bad Penny, our new series in which we ask bands from non-U.S. countries to list the best heavy bands from their homeland is really taking off. (Look below for all the editions we’ve run thus far). Today we have the distinct pleasure of presenting you with picks from Italy’s Orbita. Even to their Italian brethren, the post-metal/doom quartet from Bologna are fresh faces, having only released a demo up to this point. That’s about to change, though, when the band busts out their much-awaited debut LP, Farewell to All We’ve Lost, on October 9 via Aural Music.

Give one of Orbita’s early tracks, “This Flesh,” a spin below, and then get blown away by the young team’s impressive knowledge of their country’s best heavy bands after that.

One of the best bands in Italy, Hate & Merda stands as a unique force in the noise/sludge/drone scene. This extremely powerful duo is capable of delivering the heaviest and most desperate music, while also comforting the listener with nihilistic lyrics, making us feel less lonely in this crazy-spinning world. The Italian language is not a limit at all, as we are all able to understand the feeling and the astonishing force in their music. A truly underground gem for everyone who still believes in DIY. 

Continue reading

Veil of Sound Shares Bad Penny’s Favorite LPs, Gigs, More From 2025

Posted in Lists with tags , , , , , , on 01/16/2026 by Kurt Orzeck

The Bad Penny‘s friends at Veil of Sound have assembled a nifty 2025 recap that encompasses the records, concerts and other highlights that the German website’s 10 contributors enjoyed the most last year. Check it out here.

Messa’s ‘Spin’: Two Cent Review for Knotfest’s Best LPs of 2025

Posted in Album Reviews, Reviews with tags on 01/06/2026 by Kurt Orzeck

Messa hit the bullseye with fourth record and first studio effort in three years. The Italian quartet ditch their Pallbearer-esque slow, heavy, chunk guitar sound from their previous full-lengths. And the results are illuminating. Read my new review at Knotfest.com and my original take on Messa’s The Spin earlier this year on Treble.

Don’t miss these two other roundups either:

• Friends of The Bad Penny Share Their Top 10 Lists of 2025 Best Albums

• Boise Friends of The Bad Penny Share Their 2025 Top 10 Lists

The Bad Penny’s Top 50 Best LPs of 2025, Pt. 5: Deafheaven, Orbit Culture, Agriculture, Mclusky, Messa

Posted in Lists with tags , , , , , , , , , on 01/06/2026 by Kurt Orzeck

A lot of fucked-up up shit happened in the U.S. this year. Way, way too much of it. For many of us Americans who actually carry values in our hearts instead of bloviating about them or slapping bumper stickers on our monster trucks, it was almost too much to bear.

Fortunately, 2025 also saw the release of a staggering number of stellar records, which made the year a little more … well, bearable. Hence, for the first time ever, The Bad Penny is deviating from its usual annual tradition of limiting out favorite listens to just 10 and breaking them into a five-part series containing 10 records per installment.

What follows is the fifth and final batch. (Go here for The Bad Penny‘s favorite albums, #11 through #20; here for  #21 through #30; here for #31 through #40; and here for #41 through #50.)

1. Deafheaven – Lonely People With Power (Roadrunner)

• Deafheaven Frontman Dives Deep Into Each Song on New LP
• From the Vault: Deafheaven’s 2017 Tour Setlists and First-Ever Show in Boise – An Analysis

2. Orbit CultureDeath Above Life (Century Media)

• Orbit Culture Try To Keep Momentum Going With Next LP

Continue reading

Post-Trash Publishes Bad Penny’s List of 2025’s Top 20 Best Records

Posted in Lists with tags , , , , , , , , , on 12/20/2025 by Kurt Orzeck

Thanks to Post-Trash for posting my top 20 favorite records of the year as part of its staff picks roundup.

Treble Posts Video Revealing My Top 5 LPs of 2025: Deafheaven, Orbit Culture, Mclusky, Messa, Agriculture

Posted in Album Reviews, Lists, News, Reviews, Videos with tags , , , , , on 12/18/2025 by Kurt Orzeck

Messa’s ‘The Spin’: Two Cent Review

Posted in Album Reviews, Reviews with tags on 06/12/2025 by Kurt Orzeck

Read my take on Messa’s The Spin as part of Treble‘s 40 Best Albums of 2025 So Far feature. Hint: I like it.