Showing posts with label Sigh. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sigh. Show all posts

Wednesday 13 February 2019

Sigh "Heir To Despair" (2018)


Many years on from the epic of Imaginary Sonicscape, Japanese band Sigh still can't seem to find a footing and direction that is entirely concrete. This year around they echo some hall marks of their classic record with morphed voices and unusual fusions of cultural roots but the collision of ideas under a Black Metal flag is all to haphazard. The album puts its foot in mouth with the second track, a possible tribute that plays like a blatant Iron Maiden rip off in its intro and outro. Although the track is mostly composed of furious riffing and blazing guitars, its stiff jump to the Ace's High riff just sets an odd tone for a record that lacks focus.

Its a guitar oriented record, the fretwork constantly winding with grooves, pinch harmonics and chugs all with a distinct distortion tone. The musics motion generally pivots on its energy, which Mirai Kawashima electrifies with his shrill, snarly and raspy shouts. Not always a welcoming presences, his narrow range is often stretched, sounding thin and weak. Its aggressive elements play up against native sounds, the Taishogoto, flute, piccolo, other woodwind instruments chime in meekly. Its even got a few unorthodox percussive sounds for a Metal band. They all seem to arrive out of turn, a complimenting addition often overpowered by the drums and guitars. The opening track however finds a balance, giving much light to its unusual side.

Three part track Heresy revives their electronic experimental ideas from the aforementioned Imaginary Sonicscape but not to much avail. It opens with its best and goes off on a tangent of unfinished ideas and noise oddities. The last song, clocking in over ten minutes, has great flow and scale but once again hails back to their classic, resurrecting a section from Requiem Nostalgia that should of just stayed there. Its been enjoyable to hear Sigh's sound again but there is little direction or focus here, just another hash of ideas that relys on their tropes and unique fusion of sounds.

Rating: 4/10
Favorite Tracks: Aletheia, Heir To Despair

Wednesday 3 June 2015

Sigh "Graveward" (2015)


Japaneses Black Metalers "Sigh" have been around since the scenes earliest of days. Back in 1990 the group released a couple of demos of grim, rough and primitive Black / Thrash Metal on the other side of the globe, even before the scenes flourishing in Norway. It wasn't until 95's "Infidel Art" that the group started to break away from the traditional sound and show sparks of their own flair. The group would further explore avant-guard sounds and ideas that lead them to their 2001 magnum opus "Imaginary Sonicscape". Since then the bands experimentation and shifting of theme and direction has been hit and miss, mainly the later and Gravewards announcement was unexpected, but didn't rouse much excitement.

Its undoubtedly one of Sigh's best sounding records from a technical perspective, having suffered with patchy, inconsistent production in the past, Graveward has a solid mix that energizes the array of non traditional elements that became the most exciting moments alongside the gruff, grizzly guitars and harsh, raspy screams that didn't offer many new ideas, but provided an adequate footing for the albums more extravagant ideas. Alongside the metalic elements, orchestral horns, trumpets, organs, synths and strings blaze in and out of focus, jumping in at any moment to take over the direction of the guitars, and often the moments they become the main focus are the best in the song. These elements themselves have captured a nostalgic, ancient feel too, taking on a historic feel, that once again the orchestral elements home in on, in contrast the Black Metal undertone.

The song "Molesters Of My Soul" is the records most experimental, avant-guard track and for its richer depth of ideas, ranging from Metal solos, to glitched out electronics and all sorts of symphony in between, its a great example of whats not working on this record. All the grander moments are spliced between mediocre metal and harsh screams that cut the atmosphere like a knife. Usually this chemistry is the groups success and the lack of songs stuck in my mind was a clear indication that the songwriting was off the mark on this one.

Favorite Songs: Graveward, The Tombfiller, The Trail By The Dead,
Rating: 5/10