SIGH - Mind-boggling. Original. Bizarre. ****ing brilliant!

Karl Hungus

There's very few bands, in any genre, that can honestly claim that they didn't throw the rule book out the window, so much as they studied it vehemently so to make sure there wasn't any rules they might've followed simply by accident. Bands that come up with music so original, so strange, so fresh and so unbelievably out there, it simply takes everyone by storm. One such band would be Cynic. Another band would be Arcturus. And then we have probably the most out there band of them all, Sigh, and unfortunately, the most unheard of.

The Japanese wierdos that are Sigh are definetly the cult of cult bands. One of the first bands to have signed to the late Mayhem mastermind Euronymous' "Deathlike Silence Productions" label, they definetly started out in the most cult scene of all, but they remained relatively unhread of. I only came across them when I was really into the whole Black Metal scene, and you could sometimes hear of them in Terrorizer, most noticable their prog special issue which had an interview with them, and there's also mention of them in the book Lords of Chaos. Others might know of Sigh because of mainman Mirai Kawashima's involvement with Necrophagia, and off-shoot Enoch.

I managed to track down a copy of their album Imaginary Sonicscape a while back, and I quite honestly had no clue what I was going to hear when I put it on. To be quite honest I still don't know what it is I'm hearing when I listen to Sigh. Prog/Experimental/Funk/Electronic/Psychadelic/Operatic/Jazz/Lounge Metal? I just don't know, they're impossible to even try to categorize. Hell, even saying that they're Metal seems unfairly pidgeon-holing them.

So, I know some people don't like keyboards in Metal (We'll just say Metal for the sake of it), but how do you feel about a band who use Synths, Minimoogs, Hammond Organs, Melodeans, Melotrons, Recorders, Vocoders, Clavinets, Theremins, Bongos, Tambourines, Washboards, Saxophones, Sitars, Gongs, Tibetan Bells, Xylophones, Glockenspiels, Tablas, and even a ****ing Speak & Spell! I bull**** you not, they actually use a Speak & Spell on one track from Imaginary Sonicscape. So if keyboards put you off, then I fear for your sanity if you ever hear Sigh.

That's not to say that everything is just thrown together, the songs are interestingly structured, with some of the most insanely catchy guitar riffs I've come across, that wouldn't feel out of place in some classic rock songs, sometimes reminiscant of the classic synth movie scores of the late 70's, such as John Carpenter, Goblin, or Fabio Frizzi. Other times things can come to a screeching halt to give way to some of the most haunting and atmospheric piano interludes I've ever heard put to record, classical waltzing melodies come in and out, some catchy rock song might suddenly break into 60's Lounge music, or a funky chorus might be sung Gregorian Chant style. It sounds like a lot, but it comes across suprisingly coherently, and really has to be heard to be believed.

Some might think it sounds like it would come across as silly, but trust me, it doesn't. They create a thick, dark atmosphere that is absolutely unlike anything you could have possibly imagined before, there's an unbelievably unique vision at work here, and I honestly think more people should hear it, it's just so far removed from anything that has ever gone before it. Honestly, do yourself a favour and get some of their stuff, I heartily recommend the album Imaginary Sonicscape, because quite frankly I never get tired of hearing it. It's like Blackwater Park in the sense of how I can keep listening to it over and over and over again and still never get bored of it. Phenominal stuff.

Nothing, absolutely NOTHING has ever floored me the way Sigh have when I first heard them.

Ph3n0m

meh sounds more or less like Fantomas

John

Ph3n0m wrote:

meh sounds more or less like Fantomas

That's what I was thinking although without the meh part of your statement. They have Imaginary Sonicscape on CD Universe at a quite reasonable price. Next time I do an order I think I'll be checking them out (I'm currently waiting on a delivery of the Atheist reissues, some Boris, Melvins and Earth so I won't be ordering for a little while).

Whoops, just looked at CD Universe more closely. The Sigh album is on backorder for the last two months.

Karl Hungus

Ph3n0m wrote:

meh sounds more or less like Fantomas

I can see how you might get that idea, but no, they're really not like Fantomas.

Ruaidhri

i've had one of their album ( Imaginary Sonicscape ) for quite some time now, but it just never really grew on me. call me akward, but i think they are trying to merge two very different beasts ( i know, you can say the same about opeth... ) but imo i didnt like it.

John

Just listened to a load of samples off that album and I have to say that they don't impress me at all. Sounds like the Muppets Do Metal. No originality at all, with your comments Karl I was expecting something monumental but really not my cup of tea.

Karl Hungus

John2 wrote:

Just listened to a load of samples off that album and I have to say that they don't impress me at all. Sounds like the Muppets Do Metal. No originality at all, with your comments Karl I was expecting something monumental but really not my cup of tea.

I'm quite suprised are your comments here John. Muppet do Metal is hardly the most mature critique, and "No originality"? I don't know what to say. Of course, a sample can never do a song justice, so I can only imagine you simply cannot appreciate what you're doing from a sample. I'd say that you should hold back on your judgements for now.

John

Karl Hungus wrote:

I'm quite suprised are your comments here John. Muppet do Metal is hardly the most mature critique, and "No originality"? I don't know what to say. Of course, a sample can never do a song justice, so I can only imagine you simply cannot appreciate what you're doing from a sample. I'd say that you should hold back on your judgements for now.

Although in fairness that's the point of the samples, if I listen to them and don't like them then I'm not going to buy the album. Equally if I liked them I would have bought it. I just didn't think it sounded that great, the vocals were very cartoonish. I don't mean that in the way most people associate death metal with Cookie Monster. The vocalist just really did nothing for me. And the music in the samples wasn't all that much, nothing you wouldn't either hear on an Iron Maiden CD guitar wise or Cradle of Filth CD keyboard wise.

I read your comments and how you compared them to Cynic and Arcturus and that they had a black metal background but I heard none of that. Which is a shame because I love Cynic and black metal and from the sounds of Arcturus I'd probably like them.

Karl Hungus

John2 wrote:

Although in fairness that's the point of the samples, if I listen to them and don't like them then I'm not going to buy the album. Equally if I liked them I would have bought it. I just didn't think it sounded that great, the vocals were very cartoonish. I don't mean that in the way most people associate death metal with Cookie Monster. The vocalist just really did nothing for me. And the music in the samples wasn't all that much, nothing you wouldn't either hear on an Iron Maiden CD guitar wise or Cradle of Filth CD keyboard wise.

I read your comments and how you compared them to Cynic and Arcturus and that they had a black metal background but I heard none of that. Which is a shame because I love Cynic and black metal and from the sounds of Arcturus I'd probably like them.

Ack, sweet jesus! I just popped up CD Universe there and tried to listen to some of the samples! ****ing horrendous! It does sound like the muppets! That's some seriously ****ed up samples right there, honestly. That does not do their sound justice by any stretch of the imagination, it does them a great injustice.

Now that I've actually heard what you've been listening to, I sympathize. I honestly say find a different place to hear them.

John

Advice duly noticed. I'll look into hearing them properly and until then will reserve my judgement.

Karl Hungus

John2 wrote:

Advice duly noticed. I'll look into hearing them properly and until then will reserve my judgement.

Good man.

I was honestly gobsmacked when I heard those samples, they really sound like ****. Absolute ****.

Ronan|Raven

It is like a car crash involving the Power Rangers and big hair!

Pugsley

Ronan|Raven wrote:

It is like a car crash involving the Power Rangers and big hair!

A car crash involving the power rangers isnt a bad thing, might get rid of them for once

Only have Gallows gallery myself, very good album, most definately 'out there'..... somewhere, and probably on something.