Dating back to 1989, the band Sigh has existed on Metal’s periphery for twenty-six years, producing nine studio albums and four EP’s, all the while cementing and maintaining a world-class reputation among connoisseurs of the more avant garde sect of Heavy Metal’s varied bouquet. Beginning life as a Black Metal band, mastermind and multi-instrumentalist Mirai Kawashima was one of those musicians who could not remain inside the bounds of any one genre for long. May 4th, 2015 was the day they released their tenth album, entitled Graveward, on Candlelight Records. Inspired by the music of Italian composer Fabio Frizzi, the album is a tribute to the work of the beloved Italian Hammer Horror classics. Mirai is joined on the album by co-founder Satoshi Fujinami on bass guitar, the tempestuous and talented Dr. Mikannibal on saxophone and backing vocals, Junichi Harashima on drums, and You Oshima on guitar.
Eclecticism is a word bandied about when a band does not obey genre rules and mixes styles, but what Sigh have done – and once more accomplish on Graveward – is to bend the laws of convention and acceptability into a sonic universe all their own. Many listeners could be put off by the gear switching of the ten songs on offer here. A theatrical unpredictability runs through every fiber of Graveward, where songs are structured in the tenets of Death Metal, Thrash Metal, and Black Metal, but at the same time they give the listener the impression that their whole experience is being channeled through the distorted mirrors of a house of Horrors in a rotting carnival. “The Molesters of My Soul” is as discomfiting as the title makes it sound, for instance, as it drifts from bombast and fright film theatrics to Electro-Pop and a slow Death Metal crawl. There are driving anthems upon the album, where the title track sounds like what might happen if Septicflesh took LSD and just hit record. If this sounds off-putting, it should not be taken as such. There is enough for the avid music fan to bite into on Graveward, and an open mind can carry one far into the realms of pure enjoyment this album offers. Hell, if the opening song “Kaedit Nos Pestis” does not grab on with its Cradle of Filth meets Hollenthon chug and Wagnerian Black Metal arrogance, if the classical bursts of soundtrack Horror truly dissuade the ears, then perhaps the ultra-catchy clean sung chorus will do it. More at home in some kind of twisted musical than perhaps on a Heavy Metal band’s stage, there are also some creative guitar solos.
The wacky “A Messenger from Tomorrow” is the album’s longest song, and it builds up like the climactic scene of a film, arranged with an ear to theatrics once again. Is that a xylophone lead in album closer “Dwellers in a Dream?” Sounds like it, along with some fine keyboard solos and a jazzy saxophone solo courtesy of Dr. Mikannibal. Yet, the song is undoubtedly Metal, and undoubtedly Sigh. The magnificent “Tombfiller” once again harks to the movie soundtrack and a Power Metal zest countered by Mirai’s decipherable harsh vocal charm. The clean vocal arrangement of the chorus will not leave the listener’s head for weeks; definitely a more catchy, straight ahead song and another album highlight.
All throughout the album’s length, surprises await the listener, because Sigh is so adept at creating different soundscapes riddled with the sheer rampant joy of unpredictability. Anyone can be intentionally unpredictable though, but with Sigh, the change ups and the curve balls are effortlessly integrated into the songs. The feeling of Cradle of Filth meets The Meads of Asphodel pops up now and again, especially on the creepy and rocking “The Trial By The Dead.” “The Casketburner” is another whimsical, yet heavy; evil, yet eerily, jazzy composition where once more Dr. Mikannibal rocks out on the saxophone. Yet after she plays her part, the verse is a totally kick-ass Metal-as-hell headbanger. Graveward, if the listener is willing to embrace the fusion of genres, is an endlessly rewarding listen and more than likely top many a “Best Of” list for 2015. CrypticRock.com gives this album 5 out of 5 stars.
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