Sigh

Japanese Metal has NEVER seen a band like Sigh; these guys take Black Metal and step it up a serious notch. Moreover, while the group is considered Black Metal, they’ve added in some experimentation all to their own rendering their sound more unique. In fact, they are more of an Avant-garde metal band than anything. Sigh is also considered to be one of the first original Japanese Black Metal bands; having formed back in 1990 they’ve now been together for nearly 20 years.

While the music remains very dark and ominous, with this album you would never have guessed that base don the cover art. The cover boasts traditional Japanese art; the band’s name is seen on the upper right corner, showcasing what I believe is the Japanese reading style of right-to-left. The bright colours are also very different.

“Corpsecry – Angelfall” is the lead off track and displays the band’s different takes on metal all in one neat little package. The song possesses elements of traditional black metal, as well as modern black metal and avant-garde metal. The use of keyboards is also more interesting than the use of synth, which is prevalent in most black metal music. The guitar solos also seem to be something taken from an 80s hair metal band, which further displays the band’s diversity.

My personal favourite has to be “Voices.” The band makes use of techy sounds that you might find in a Japanese video game; which is sweet considering I’m actually a big gamer myself. Another reason I enjoyed this song is the tempo… it’s much more calm and relaxing than some of the others, giving the ears a break from the brutality ever present on the rest of the album.

If you’re looking for something completely unique and out-of-this-world, pick up this record. You will love the band and you just may also learn something about musical creativity!  [ END ]

Track Listing:

01. Corpsecry – Angelfall
02. Scarlet Dream
03. Nietzschean Conspiracy
04. A Sunset Song
05. Impromptu (Allegro Meastoso)
06. Dreamsphere (Return to the Chaos)
07. Voices
08. Ecstatic Transformation
09. Born Condemend Criminal
10. Slaughtergarden Quite
11. Bring Back The Dead
12. Requiem – Nostalgia

Run Time: 61:43