Trollheart

I've been asked not to research this album, just listen to it. This goes against my reviewing strategy and habits, but just this once I'll grant the request. Suggested by Loathsome Pete, and backed up by mythsofmetal, Mojo and bob, this is

Imaginary sonicscape --- Sigh --- 2001 (Century Media)
Recommended by Loathsome Pete (and also by mythsofmetal, bob and Mojo)

So if I'm not to look it up then I have nothing to say. Yet. Once I've heard a few tracks though you can bet I'll be Wiki-bound! But in order to honour Pete's request, I now push “play” and listen to --- oh God! ---”Corpsecry --- Angelfall”. Gulp! Well there's some great guitar work to start off, and a really rocking beat, then the vocals come in and yes, as I somehow expected, it's a harsh, gutteral, almost completely indecipherable voice that would scare the shit out of me if I heard it at night. The music's great though, very Iron Maiden around the mid-eighties, “Number of the beast”, “Piece of mind”, that sort of thing. Looking down the tracklist I see there's a charming little number entitled “Slaughterhouse suite” that runs for, wait for it, just short of thirteen minutes! Oh dear. Still, vocals aside, if the music is all this good then that may not be a bad thing. Great solos here (damn! It really feels like I'm writing with one hand tied behind my back, not being able to tell you who these guys are, where they come from, who's playing what etc, but hell I'll play along for a few tracks).

Lot of screaming going on here, and I note that few of the tracks are below five minutes, other than one which is just over one, and I feel may be an instrumental or some sort of interlude. Now that definitely sounds like keys, like an organ coming in there. I hate the vocals but I love the music. Could do without the screams. Have I mentioned I hate the vocals? I hate the vocals. Were this a better, or more suited to me, singer, I think I would really like this album, and we're only on the first track. Big string-style outro in the last minute, that took me totally by surprise. Very nice indeed.

“Scarlet dream” definitely has some keyboard in it, and it's a slower, hard rock cruncher with some sort of echoey vocoder effect on the backing vocal. Hammering guitars, of which I assume there are two, as one is soloing while the other keeps the basic rhythm and melody going. The thing I will give the singer is that his vocals (I obviously assume it's a male) don't come too far up in the mix, aren't drowning out the music or screaming and shouting all over it. You can kind of listen to them in the background, even though they're gutteral. Now they're going into some odd sort of reggae rhythm led by keys and what sounds like a harpsichord, but almost surely is not. In the vocal I can make out ”Born in Heaven and raised in Hell”, which is a pretty clever line.

Sounding like something on a jazz album next, “Nietszchean conspiracy” starts slow and moody, with synthy sound effects and strings, a slow, kind of handclap drumbeat. Very atmospheric. I like this. In fact, so far I like everything on this album. Other than the vocals, but I'm even coming to either appreciate or just get used to them. This track sort of reminds me of a Diablo String Orchestra tune; very avant-garde. Great organ solo just adds to the flavour of the track, quite bluesy and then I think that's a sax sliding in too.

You know, the more I listen to this guy the more I begin to think of him as a heavy metal Tom Waits: it's not that his voice is all that gutteral or rough, it's just gravelly and hoarse. I really liked that track, favourite so far. “A sunset song” opens like an ELO semi-ballad, which is weird, though I'm getting used to the “w” word characterising this album. Superb little digital piano run totally contrasts with the harsh vocal, sort of lounge style. Great hooky guitar part, and when I said “Nietszchean conspiracy” was my favourite, well it is, but this comes a close second. After the next track I'm going to start researching Sigh, because I want to know more about them, and I think going in blind, while it has been an experience, has served its purpose now and I've kept my promise.

That short track I spoke of is next, and marks the midpoint of the album. Clocking in at a mere one minute twenty-five seconds, “Impromptu (allegro meastoso)” seems to be a solo piece on the piano, absolutely beautiful, belongs on a classical album really. I have got to find out who these guys are, and after this I'm going to. “Dreamsphere (Return to the chaos)” is a slower, more dramatic piece with strings and choral vocals but some bitchin' (Copyright: The Batlord Enterprises MMXIII) guitar too, then it speeds up and there's one hell of a synth solo. Now I can run to Wiki and I find first of all that these guys are Japanese. Well that's interesting and a surprise. Seems the vocalist, Mirai Kawashima, also does those incredible keys, as well as handling the vocoder, woodwinds, sampling and arranging the orchestral parts. So there is an orchestra! Sounded like it.

They've been going since 1989 (!) and the guitars on this album are handled by Shinichi Ishikawa, who has since left the band, with Satoshi Fujinami looking after both sides of the rhythm section, playing bass and drums, as well as a lot of other stuff. This is their fifth of ten albums, marking therefore the midpoint in their career, and as William York of Allmusic remarks, this is an “amazing, weird album and the best place for newcomers to start with this band.” I concur, on the first part anyway; don't know about the second, though Wiki says that Sigh began life as an extreme black metal band, so perhaps their earlier stuff may not suit me. We're now into that eleven-minute composition I spoke of earlier, and having got totally into this album I now no longer fear or dread “Slaughterhouse suite”: in fact, I'm looking forward to it.

It opens on atmospheric keys and sort of zinging sounds, with what sounds like a hammer and anvil ringing in the background. When Mirai comes in with the vocal there's strings accompaniment, and it's slow and dark, with the sort of a feeling of a haunted house about it. Amazingly, it's advanced to five minutes in and it doesn't feel anything like it. This eleven minutes (almost) is going to go in a lot faster than I expected. Lots of orchestral ideas here, still reminds me a lot of the earlier work of ELO, then something like the soundtrack to a ballet takes over in minute six, with wedding bells tolling, very Russian/Eastern European feeling to that before Shinichi comes back in with the guitar and Mirai manages to arrange an effect on the vocals I have only heard before achieved by Vangelis on his “Oceanic” album. Just superb.

Something like a vibraphone then comes in as the guitar churns away, then a full keyboard run develops as we head to the ninth minute, and I could really wish this was longer, which is in no way something I had expected to be saying! Suddenly there's a jump and with the sound of an old crackly record we have a lovely piano solo, very slow with organ on the fringes of it. This sound is lovingly created to sound just like an old, damaged vinyl album and it's perfect. It takes us right to the end as “Bring back the dead” howls in on a big hard guitar chord and rippling synth, a real rocker jumping with energy and passion, and it has a great hook in it too. I'll be honest: I don't see one single bad track here and as we head towards the end of this incredible album I'm not expecting any.

And no, there isn't. “Requiem nostalgia” becomes another standout, with an operatic opening and then some fine vocoder work by Mirai as well as some stellar drumming and what may or may not be flute. Also, we get “proper” vocals for the first time, and by gum, this guy can sing! If any of the songs on this album deserve the description of Doom Metal, I think this one qualifies. Oh dear god no! Don't tell me it's over! Sigh (pun intended): it is. What an incredible ride!

TRACKLISTING

Corpsecry --- Angelfall
Scarlet dream
Nietszchean conspiracy
A sunset song
Impromptu (allegro maestoso)
Dreamsphere (Return to the chaos)
Ecstatic transformation
Slaughterhouse suite
Bring back the dead
Requiem nostalgia

Not so long ago, the “old” me would have thought this was great up to the point the vocals began, and then switched off. Thankfully, I've managed to broaden my outlook a little now and can take death vocals in small doses, and also so many people recommended this album there had to be something in it. As I got used to the vocal I was aware of something amazing unfolding before my ears. It's been a long long time since I've been so totally blown away by a band, and the moreso that it's a Japanese avant-garde Black Metal one!

If you took the best elements and ideas within DSO and Theatre des Vampires, you still wouldn't scratch the surface of how great this album is, and I certainly intend to delve deeper into their later music. Thanks guys for the rec and for turning me on to Sigh; they just gained another fan, and another voice has been added to the chorus shouting “You have got to hear this album!”

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Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

mythsofmetal

While Sigh's later music is generally more avant-garde and slightly more accessible, I think you shouldn't discount their earlier albums though I may recommend listening to a couple of their more accessible/later albums before going into their early discography.

The two other albums of theirs besides Imaginary Sonicscape that are their most accessible and avant-garde are probably In Somniphobia from the year 2012 which has some big Jazz and Prog influence, and Gallows Gallery which if I'm not mistaken is entirely sung in clean vocals (besides some bonus tracks which are versions of songs on the standard album except with harsh vocals instead.) Though the vocals on Gallows Gallery are a little bit odd compared to most clean vocals, and the albums main influences could be described as Power Metal and Jazz. Also, if looking to listen to Gallows Gallery, make sure you listen to the remastered version, because the production is quite bad on the original version that was released in 2005, and even the remastered version's production isn't great. The reason for that is likely due to the band's disputes at the time with the label which was upset with Sigh not going in a more Black Metal direction, and I'm pretty sure cut the funding of the album due to that, resulting in the poor production.

Though those three albums may be their most accessible their top 3 imo excludes Gallows Gallery, and replaces it with Hail Horror Hail from 1997 along with the one you listened to, and In Somniphobia. Hail Horror Hail is very atmospheric, with Heavy Metal guitar melodies for a fair few of the songs similar to Imaginary Sonicscape, as well as incorporates various influences in some songs like Imaginary Sonicscape, which may or may not be present in other songs.

Scenes From Hell is another one of their best, released in 2010 and the debut of their second singer/saxophonist who's name is Dr. Mikannibal. Her voice is typically the deeper more Death Metaly voice, whereas on this album Mirai still retains his higher pitched more raspy Black Metal voice. The guitars, bass, and drums are typically very heavy on this album, and make some of the best riffs I've heard in Sigh's discography. There's also a lot of orchestrations throughout the album, I can't put a name on the style of orchestrations, but they're definitely different than the more typical classical influenced orchestrations on some of their other songs.

Another great one is Infidel Art. It's their second album but still a fair bit different from their first. It has some big Romantic Era Classical influence, as well as Doom Metal influence.

I think even their first album, Scorn Defeat, would be good for you to look into. It was actually one of the albums that really got me started into Black Metal. Though, it's probably their weakest in that while it has a few great tracks (A Victory of Dakini, Gundali, Ready for the Final War.) most of the other ones are only good or decent. It definitely is among the more accessible almost pure Black Metal out there, so I don't think you should ignore it and at least give the three best tracks I mentioned a try.

Also, if you want to see the point where they turned from semi-Avant-garde to really avant-garde, then check out their 1997 EP called Ghastly Funeral Theatre. While I don't think it's among their best, it definitely has a few great songs (it technically only really has four, and the first real track I'd consider the weakest on the album, but the rest is a fair bit better than the first, and even the first is very good, imo.) Also, since you liked Impromptu (Allegro Maestoso) then at least check out Imiuta, which is a great piano and synth piece, which imo is much better than Impromptu.

Also, rounding out some information for you on the last two albums of theirs I haven't mentioned yet. I'll start with Scenario IV: Dread Dreams circa 1999 which is probably their most underrated album, but also imo not among their best ones. It is kinda similar to Hail Horror Hail if you took out the more atmospheric elements, it definitely has that Heavy Metal/Iron Maiden riff influence like on Imaginary Sonicscape and Hail Horror Hail. Also, while it has a few great songs which rival their best ones, it probably loses being among their best because it is one of their more inconsistent albums like Scorn Defeat, and the last album I'll get to tell you about which is their 2007 album Hangman's Hymn. Hangman's Hymn is probably their second closest album to a pure Black Metal sound besides their debut album. It basically is like Black Metal plus classical synths with slightly more Heavy Metal/Thrash Metal influenced riffs. One complaint I've heard from some people is that they can't distinguish a fair amount of the riffs on the album from other ones that preceded it, and that a lot of the time they feel the riffs don't really go anywhere. I personally feel I can distinguish the riffs well and if I'm in the right mood they can sound quite great, but it's exactly that I have to be in a more specific type of mood to really enjoy the album.


Also, Sigh is scheduled to release another album this year entitled Graveward. They've recently let a song leak from the new album and I thought I could post it here for you to maybe listen to, but don't feel like you have to listen to or review it just because I posted it here.


Sigh - Out of the Grave (Demo) - YouTube