01	Hail Horror Hail						05:07
	02	42 49						07:43
	03	12 Souls						06:56
	04	Burial						01:30
	05	The Dead Sing						07:14
	06	Invitation To Die						05:17
	07	Pathetic						02:21
	08	Curse Of Izanagi						06:01
	09	Seed Of Eternity						09:19

Sigh
Group Members Mirai Kawashima Satoshi Fujinami Shinichi Ishikawa
Styles Heavy Metal, Death Metal/Black Metal

by William York

Japan's best-known black metal band Sigh has, over the years, also progressed into one of the genre's most experimental and simply unusual bands regardless of whereabouts. Led by bassist/vocalist/keyboardist Mirai Kawashima, the trio formed in 1989, at which point the lineup was rounded out by Satoshi Fujinami on guitar and Kazuki on drums. They took their original inspirations from the raw '80s thrash metal of bands such as Venom, Celtic Frost, and Kreator, meanwhile mixing in horror movie soundtrack atmospheres and keyboards/synthesizer arrangements (they were one of the first so-called black metal bands to heavily use keyboards). After a couple of demos, they recorded their first EP, Requiem for the Fools, in 1992 for the Wild Rags label, with Satoshi doubling on guitar and bass (Kazuki had left by this point). This effort drew the attention of infamous Mayhem guitarist/Norwegian black metal scene figurehead Euronymous, who signed them to his Deathlike Silence Productions imprint for their debut full-length. Entitled Scorn Defeat, this album came out in 1993 after Euronymous' death and was the first Sigh recording to include guitarist Shinichi Ishikawa, with Satoshi moving strictly to drums and percussion.

With their lineup finally solidified, the trio signed to England's Cacophonous Records, where they released their next three full-lengths: Infidel Art (1995), Hail Horror Hail (1997), and Scenario IV: Dread Dreams (1999); a mini-CD, Ghastly Funeral Theatre, also came out on Cacophonous in 1997. Over the course of these albums, Sigh steadily incorporated more diverse elements into their sound, including pianos, female choirs, classically inspired orchestrations (though not the bombastic, Wagner-ian sort favored by many European bands), non-horror movie soundtrack touches, and unexpected mood/style changes that reveal their acknowledged interest in composers John Zorn and Frank Zappa. (Hail Horror Hail even included a defiant warning, apparently meant for more traditionally minded metal listeners, stating that "every sound on [the] album is deliberate, and if you find that some parts of the album are strange, it isn't because the music in itself is strange, but because your conscious self is ill-equipped to comprehend the sounds produced on this recording.") After Scenario IV:, Sigh left the Cacophonous label for Century Media, which released the band's fifth full-length, Imaginary Sonicscape, in the summer of 2001.

2000 Ghastly Funeral Theater Cacophonous
2000 Hail Horror Hail Cacophonous
2000 Scenario IV: Dread Dreams Cacophonous
2001 Imaginary Sonicscape Century Media


Hail Horror Hail
Date of Release Feb 29, 2000

AMG REVIEW: "This album is way beyond the conceived notion of how metal, or music, should be," states the warning label on the back of this, Sigh's third full-length CD. "In essence," it continues, "it is a film without pictures; a celluloid phantasmagoria." That description makes sense, given how the music is constantly jumping from one scene to the next. But just what kind of movie would this be? It's hard to say - maybe something involving David Lynch, an ancient Far East empire, ritualistic curses, physical torture, and an '80s thrash band on some sort of time travel escapade. At any rate, the album starts out normally enough with "Hail Horror Hail," an up-tempo track that sums up igh's less experimental aspects pretty well: raspy black metal-type vocals atop a guitar/bass/drum foundation that is otherwise more rooted in '80s thrash metal and even '70s hard rock than in modern black metal. Soon, though, the band starts piling on all sorts of unexpected tricks, such as lush classical strings, female choir vocals, old analogue synths, and even a vocoder. Things become fully surreal by the third track, "12 Souls," a seven-minute collage that wanders from a symphonic John Williams/Star Wars-type intro to the sound of footsteps and a whimpering dog, then from a discordant classical chamber music section into heavy metal riffing, a '70s porno jazz synth line, more dark metal, and what sounds like a duet between a computerized symphony orchestra and a spastic drum machine. From there on out, the curveballs just keep flying - "Invitation to Die" sounds like the Rolling Stones' "Monkey Man," only with black metal vocals, strings, a soothing oriental folk interlude, and liquid-toned jazz fusion synths piled on top. For all its experimentation and wide-ranging sound sources, Hail Horror Hail is still very a metal record, but only the more broadminded metal listeners - well, make that listeners in general - will likely be curious enough to give this strange, dark, and fascinating album the attention it requires. - William York

1. Hail Horror Hail - 5:07
2. 42 49 - 7:43
3. 12 Souls - 6:56
4. Burial - 1:30
5. The Dead Sing - 7:14
6. Invitation to Die - 5:17
7. Pathetic - 2:21
8. Curse of Izanagi - 6:01
9. Seed of Eternity - 9:19





SIGH

страна : Japan
стиль : Black Avantgarde Metal

c/o Mirai Gawashima 1-2-8-401 Mejiro Toshima-Gu, Tokyo 171 Japan

Mirai - voice, bass, synth (1989 -
Satoshi - guitar (1989 -
Kazuki - drums (1989 - 1990)
Shinichi - drums, guitar (
Shinaeh - guitar (1993 -


'Desolation' 1990 demo-MC (selfreleased)
'Tragedies' 1990 demo-MC (selfreleased)
'Scorn Defeat' 1993 CD (Deathlike Silence Productions)
'Infidel Art' 1995 CD (Cacophonous)
'Ghastly Funeral Theatre' 1997 mCD (Cacophonous)
'Hail Horror Hail' 1997 CD (Cacophonous)
'The Eastern Force Of Evil; Live '92-'96' LIVE CD (Death)
'Scenario IV: Dread Dreams' 2000 CD
'Imaginary Sonicscape' 2001 CD (Century Media)



Самая известная японская black metal-формация, Sigh, имеет почтенный возраст - 14 лет (black metal-группы столько не живут!). В апреле 1989 года ее образовали Mirai (вокал, бас и синтезатор), Satoshi (гитара) и Kazuki (ударные), сразу начав исполнять свои версии популярных "боевиков" Venom, Whiplash и Death, не забывая, однако, и о собственном материале, который подготовили к 1990 году. В этом же году они разродились своей первой демо-записью 'Desolation', после чего Кazuki оставил группу по стандартной причине - музыкальные разногласия. Никто особо расстраиваться не стал, и в декабре все того же, 1990, года Sigh обнародовали второе демо - 'Tragedies' (барабаны на нем отписал Satoshi). В августе 1992 Shinaeh стал постоянным гитаристом группы, барабаны взял на себя Satoshi, и в марте 1993 года они записали свой дебютный альбом, 'Scorn Defeat'. Он вышел на легендарном лейбле Deathlike Silence Productions, несмотря на скоропостижную смерть главы этой конторы - Еуронимуса (настоящее имя Oystein Aarseth, помимо владения DSP являлся лидером норвежской экстремальной black/death metal-сцены и гитаристом культового состава Mayhem). Видя, что от DSP больше ничего добиться нельзя, Sigh быстро перескакивают на Cacophonous Records, где и выходит их второй альбом - 'Infidel Art'. К этому времени музыкальное лицо группы более-менее сформировалось - небыстрый black metal, обильно сдобренный клавишами, звуковыми эффектами и довольно оригинальный по тем временам. Это и обусловило интерес публики к малоизвестному японскому составу (конечно, некоторую роль сыграло и происхождение команды - некоторые были просто шокированы тем, что black metal играют даже в Японии!). Релиз 'Infidel Art' (вышедший в июне 1995 года) был поддержан мини-туром по Великобритании и Ирландии в одной упряжке с Primordial и Hecate Enthroned. Затем последовала работа над материалом и выпуск мини-альбома 'Ghastly Funeral Theatre' и долгожданного "полнометражника" 'Hail Horror Hail' - оба эти диска получили отличные отзывы критиков, оценивших как музыкальную часть, так и лирику, базировавшуюся на интересе Мираи к японскому оккультизму. Постоянно развиваясь, Sigh формировали свое звучание, черпая вдохновение как в работах Venom и Celtic Frost, так и в композициях Дебюсси, джазе, арт-роке и прогрессиве. В большей степени все это отразилось на более поздних работах, 'Scenario IV: Dread Dreams' и 'Imaginary Sonicscape', которые заняли первые места на несуществующем конкурсе "Самый странный блэк-альбом". Описывать музыку на этих альбомах просто бессмысленно - ее нужно слушать! Только после нескольких прослушиваний можно считать себя тем, кто хоть на одну сотую смог постичь, что творится в головах этих безумных японцев! Очередной плод их больной фантазии, диск 'Gavotte Grim', который должен был быть записан при участии Yasuyuki (Abigail) и появиться в 2002 году_


HAIL HORROR HAIL - 95%
Written by _D_ on April 27th, 2004

The theatre is black. The tension is high. Sigh's title song suddenly blares through the speakers in all it's retro-metal glory. Real Metal. The driving force behind it is a penchant for writing a killer thrash tune, with Mirai's over-excited vocal screeches introducing one of the greatest metal albums of all time. After the imaginary picture of the opening credits has ended, over halfway through the opening ball buster, a sort of strange series of images appear across the sensory screen, with pure orchestra sounding in the background; a brief pause in the adrenaline, then headlong back into it with the rest of the song fading away... So many different tapestries are explored and conquered here. "12 Souls" rings as most horrific of the bunch with a permeating vocal synth that actually does its job frighteningly well in getting under the listeners' skin and chilling them to the bone with a mere, phonetic "Ahhh..."; so brilliant and entrancing it is, with Mirai accounting in Japanese the atrocity that happens once a deranged serial killer enters a family's home. Take everything here at face-value and just go with it, as some rather campy tunes etch their way into the mix during the latter half of this golden disc; but the songs more than redeem themselves such as the explosive "Curse of Izanagi", that has a riff/solo section that rivals anything Slayer ever did on Reign In Blood. A pure, dark cry into the night is heard in the form of the absolute classic "4249"; strange snipets of western-influence creeps in here and there on various songs; and Japanese masters, Sigh prevail forever with a face-front attack on everything sacred and valued as convention. Hail.

(from http://hail-metal.cjb.net)

Shroom Consumin' Sigh kick maximum ass! - 90%
Written by Stash on September 22nd, 2002

Sigh; one of the prominent innovative bands in today's fast moving world of metal! This trio hails from Japan, where mushrooms are legal! Famous for writing songs under the influence Sigh are a new breed of Metal that mix 70's grooves with ripping blues, and traditional metal! This band has most definetely evolved over the years, starting with traditional black metal and evolving into a more modern and original sound. This album, to be frank, is just killer. I admit that it took several weeks for it to grow on me, but the growing time was well worth it! The album kicks off with the grooving catchy melody of hail horror hail, which has a strong blues influence! This song contains all the elements and structures that prevail throughout the album including a keyboard interlude and overlying synths sounding out the melodies. The next song, 42 49, is a powerful tune starting off with a mid paced riff, however just when you're about to change the track mirai kicks in with his raspy unique vocals and the catchy guitars blast through! This song too contains a keyboard interlude which fits in perfectly with the atmosphere Sigh creates. Epic, to the point, and psycadelic! 12 souls, possibly one of the weirdest song on the entire album is one that will never fail to intrigue the metallized one. It starts off with an orchestrated keyboard intro, very epic indeed! Soon the song blasts right into some mid paced riffs with Mirai using his vocal cords to the maximum potential! Honestly however, after a few minutes, I lose track of what the hell is going on. Pianos resembling old ragtime tunes and what seems like 10 layers of keyboards pounding out odd sounding harmonies and melodies dominate this song. Burial, a piano-based song, personally my least favorite as I consider it to merely be a filler,is a downside of this album. The following tracks follow the same vein that the previous tracks did, including epic keyboards, mid paced riffs etc. And then we arrive at Curse of Izanagi, my favorite track on the album. To sum it up this song is CATCHY, THRASHY, EPIC, and Killer! Sigh at their best! Thrashing solos, thrash beats, epic keys, mind boggling vocals. The final song on the album, Seed of Eternity, is a truly epic tune! Clocking at 9:19 this song includes all the elements needed to formulate an epic tune! It is weird nevertheless and not typical as are all the songs on this album.

Blues, 70's rock, melodic keyboards, weird riffs, make up this atmospheric album! Buy it and be prepared for a psycadelic attack of riffs!