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Anteater · 12-03-2009, 09:15 PM

2.

Sigh – Imaginary Sonicscape (2001)

1. Corpsecry - Angelfall (06:42)
2. Scarlet Dream (05:11)
3. Nietzchean Conspiracy (05:24)
4. A Sunset Song (06:49)
5. Impromptu (Allegro Maestoso) (01:24)
6. Dreamsphere (Return To Chaos) (06:51)
7. Voices (7:02)
8. Ecstatic Transformation (05:35)
9. Slaughtergarden Suite (10:57)
10. Born Condemned Criminal (5:41)
11. Bring Back The Dead (06:40)
12. Requiem - Nostalgia (07:58)

The band? - Sigh
The country? - Japan
The genre? - Prog. n' black metal based ear-rape that goes WAY beyond the trappings of either genre.

/summary end...and now for a real review!

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Before becoming one of the coolest progressive outfits to ever operate under a metal genre tag of any kind, Sigh, like many well-to-do black metal bands back in the early 90's, began their career by doing lots of Celtic Frost covers and sending it shitty sounding demos to any and every label that might want to get some fans' heads bangin'. Needless to say, they got signed before too long to Deathlike Silence Productions and since that time have gone from being merely a novelty (Japan has black metal??1 zomg1) to a bunch of individuals working together in glorious harmony to see how far black metal can be bent and twisted without losing grip on a thrashy, raw foundation.

Still, it wasn't until 2001's Imaginary Sonicscape that all that Sigh was and aspired to be finally coalesced into a singular vision for the rest of the world to hear, and GODDAMN if it isn't one hell of a ride from start to stop!

Opener 'Corpsecry - Angelfall' sucks you right in from the get-go, giving listeners who are unfamiliar with Sigh's basic approach a general idea of their oddly catchy sound (NWOBHM guitar-riffage, proggy keyboards, snarling black metal vocals) while providing utter delight to those more familiar with their work. The production is sharp, the instruments all balanced and mixed in quite well, and you couldn't ask for a better start from a bunch as eclectic as this.

By 'Nietzschean Conspiracy', the third track, though, even new listeners know this isn't going to be your typical awesome black metal. Sleazy sax, psychedelic keyboards and a FREAKIN' violin ensemble provide a backdrop to an unusual crooning-yet-snarling delivery, as if Marvin Gaye gargled acid then teamed up with Emperor to become lead vocalist, and the result is nothing short of stupendous.

But when every track here is a step outside the box in some way, shape or form, the highlights become an ocean, everywhere around you as the volume goes up and the minutes tick away like youth. Howver, a few other particular high points include the, dare I say it, sunny-disco-Beach Boys black metal of track #4 'A Sunset Song', which in and of itself is worth getting this album for, and the oddly operatic closer 'Requiem - Nostalgia', which features a HARMONICA of all things. Strange, but awesome nevertheless!

In closing, Sigh is one of modern progressive/black metal's best kept secrets, blessed with more talent and edge than they will ever be appreciated for. They're less blatantly weird than Sleepytime Gorilla Museum, closer in spirit to the New Wave of British Heavy Metal groups with cleaner and more interesting riffing than most black metal, but best of all aren't afraid to try new things even if it makes the music catchier or simpler than what some people seek in the worlds of prog., metal, and progressive metal.

But if you guys want to hear something a bit different, a tad accessible, and even a mite groundbreaking, then Imaginary Sonicscape will flavor many a musical palette in the coming days and ages, hopefully influencing other bands to up their game a bit along the way.