Progressive metal visionary Tiago Masseti makes a striking debut under his solo moniker MASSETI with Odds and Ends, an emotionally charged concept album arriving June 14, 2025. Fusing blistering technicality with cinematic ambition, the record spans brutal riff onslaughts, labyrinthine time signatures, ambient textures, orchestral flourishes, and haunting vocal performances. Each track plays like a chapter in a larger narrative, balancing complexity with cohesion, and aggression with vulnerability. It’s a body of work that feels meticulously crafted yet emotionally raw, drawing listeners into a soundscape where mythology, dystopia, introspection, and survival all collide.

Opening the album with razor-edged intent, “Serpents and Whores” delivers a scathing sermon from the brink of collapse. Theological and mythological imagery fuse with sonic extremity, blistering polyrhythms, jagged riffs, and eerie melodic threads form a soundscape that feels both violent and sacred. Orchestral flourishes and ambient textures rise from the maelstrom, lending the chaos cinematic weight. The interplay of guttural growls and clean vocals creates a dramatic tension between purity and decay, capturing themes of moral erosion and spiritual war. This isn’t just an opener, it’s a mission statement: Odds and Ends refuses to compromise artistry for intensity.

Track two erupts like the second act of a war opera. “Against Our Fire” plunges listeners into the scorched ruins of a fallen nation, where a deposed leader rises from exile to ignite a campaign of vengeance. It’s rhythmically complex and steeped in contrast, thunderous, off-kilter riffing collides with sweeping orchestration, while evolving time signatures keep the listener unmoored. Urgency pulses through every measure, as if the track itself is teetering on the edge of war. A masterclass in narrative momentum and dynamic control.

Descending into dystopian surrealism, “The Pool of Liquid Dreams” constructs a disorienting dreamstate of synthetic highs and digital despair. Set in a near-future where virtual reality and psychoactive tech blur the line between sensation and simulation, the track unfolds like a lucid hallucination. Angular guitars cut through ambient haze, while hypnotic vocal layering mimics the disorientation of a synesthetic trip. Each glitchy tempo shift feels like a system malfunction, a deliberate fracture in the matrix. It’s immersive, haunting, and disturbingly beautiful.

“Gone” marks a stark tonal shift of moody, minimalistic, and emotionally bare. Stripped of distortion and density, it leans into restraint, with soft instrumentation framing intimate, vulnerable vocals. It evokes the quiet aftermath of personal loss or emotional fallout, like the credits rolling after a climactic collapse. Its simplicity feels intentional, allowing space for reflection amid the chaos of the surrounding tracks.

“The Singer in the Arms of Winter” is a haunting, atmospheric piece that unfolds as a meditation on solitude and creative exile. Sparse production, built from synth pads, delicate piano, or drones, evokes the chill of isolation. Breathily delivered vocals, drenched in reverb, drift like a ghost through a frozen landscape. The title suggests artistic stillness and spiritual hibernation, using winter as a metaphor for mourning, introspection, and retreat from the noise of the world.

Clocking in at nearly eight minutes, “Never Be Like You” unfolds like an ambient fever dream. One of the album’s most emotionally charged moments, it’s built on soft synths, spacious percussion, and restrained vocals that echo with aching detachment. The lyrics explore identity and expectation, grappling with self-alienation and quiet rebellion against imposed ideals.

Minimalist yet emotionally potent, “Hindrance” lingers in the space between paralysis and longing. It’s a song of psychological stasis, conveyed through slowly pulsing rhythms and subdued instrumentation. The vocals feel weighted, held back, mirroring the track’s central metaphor of internal resistance. A study in subtlety, it uses dynamic restraint to deliver its emotional blow.

Spanning over eight minutes, “Heir of the Survivor” closes the album with gravitas. This cinematic and introspective epic fuses ambient textures with methodical instrumental builds, culminating in a climactic swell that feels both earned and inevitable. Lyrically, it reflects on survival not just as endurance, but as inheritance, a meditation on memory, legacy, and the scars we carry forward. A fitting finale for an album steeped in transformation, decay, and rebirth.

With Odds and Ends, MASSETI carves out a space uniquely his own, where precision meets vulnerability, and storytelling is just as vital as sound design. It’s an album that rewards close listening but never loses sight of its emotional core. From its visceral opening to its final, reflective moments, Odds and Ends stands as a bold artistic statement, one that challenges convention while forging new creative territory. MASSETI arrives not just as a soloist, but as a singular voice worth following.


About MASSETI:

Tiago Masseti is a Progressive Metal singer, guitarist, and songwriter originally from the South of Brazil and now based in Brooklyn, New York. A self-made musician, Tiago’s musical journey began as the lead singer and main songwriter for DAYDREAM XI (Brazil), where he fronted the group for most of his life. In addition to his work with DAYDREAM XI, he was the singer for KINGDOM NORTH, an international power metal supergroup featuring members of SAVAGE CIRCUS, NOCTURNAL RITES, and SYMPHONY X. He also contributed vocals for the Danish band THIRD EYE and lent his voice to Bjorn Lakenstrazen’s experimental progressive project, GALAXYA (US).

In 2025, he embarks on a new chapter with his band MASSETI, set to release their debut album. His journey to the United States began at the age of 24 when DAYDREAM XI was handpicked by Mike Portnoy to perform at the prestigious Progressive Nation at Sea festival. This opportunity led to a record deal, a performance at ProgPower USA, and the beginning of his new life outside Brazil. However, the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City found him isolated, with few friends, little money, and a wealth of musical ideas. During this time, he wrote and pre-produced four albums and wrestled with the decision of whether to continue under the DAYDREAM XI name or forge a new path. The result is MASSETI, a bold new musical venture that draws on his extensive experience while offering a fresh sound and vision.

MASSETI’s sound is inspired by a diverse range of artists, including OPETH, SYMPHONY X, DEVIN TOWNSEND, and DREAM THEATER. These influences contribute to the band’s intricate compositions, dynamic arrangements, and heavy, yet melodic, style.

With MASSETI’s debut album on the horizon, Tiago is excited to connect with fans and share his new music. Always open to hearing from his supporters, he encourages messages across his platforms and looks forward to hitting the road in the near future.

MASSETI is:

Tiago Masseti - all instruments and vocals (with the exception of guest appearances)

Odds and Ends album credits and lineup:

Produced by Tiago Masseti and Renato Osorio

Music and lyrics written by Tiago Masseti

Arranged and performed by Tiago Masseti and Guests

Bass guitars arranged by Benhur Lima, performed by Benhur Lima

Keyboards and pianos arranged and performed by Tiago Masseti

Choirs arranged by Tiago Masseti and Renato Osorio

Guitars, vocals, keyboards, and choirs recorded at Masseti Studios, Brooklyn - NY

Engineered by Tiago Masseti

Drums and Bass guitars recorded at Black Stork Studios, Caxias do Sul - Brazil

Engineered by Benhur Lima and Thiago Caurio

"Against our Fire" and "The Singer in the Arms of Winter" Drums recorded at RDV Studios, Los Angeles - CA

Performed and engineered by Eduardo Baldo

"Gone" Guitar solo by Bruno Pinheiro Machado

"Gone" Guitar duet by Tiago Masseti and Renato Osorio

"The Singer in the Arms of Winter" Guitar solo by Renato Osorio

"Never Be Like You" Guitar solo by Marcelo Pereira

"Against our Fire" Orchestrations by Cezar Tortorelli

"Hindrance" Orchestrations and Pianos by Fabio Caldeira

Mixed by Benhur Lima at Angry Pick Studios, Caxias do Sul - Brazil

Mastered by Tony Lindgren at Fascination Street Studios, Örebro - Sweden