Scenes from Hell

This album already immensely impressed me when I first heard it years ago, yet it still grew massively on me with every return since.

Technical virtuosity, emotional potency, brilliant songwriting, infectious catchiness, or even an ingeniously understated quietude- at least one of these or some analogous traits has to shine through consistently for me to declare an album an 11/10. This has, in recent experience, appeared to form a trend: evaluating an album's eligibility for 11/10 status requires a far more nitpicky fine-toothed comb than for an individual song*- and is thus a decision I find myself avoiding or reversing by default. I therefore entered expecting to downgrade this to a 95, or perhaps even a 90 if I were feeling very cruel.

Not only does this album set a stratospheric 11/10 bar with opening tracks 'Prelude to the Oracle' and 'L'art de Mourir'- without tugging on ANY heartstrings, mind you- it somehow pushes that bar higher with every single song which follows. That such magnificent opening tracks are among the weakest on the album, yet my favourites of all time, shows what an impression it's left. This album is a band declaring unambiguously that they know their potential intimately, and are fiercely determined to fulfil every iota thereof.

Sigh are a band with a wide, wildly-varying discography. Despite this, 'Scenes From Hell' is near-universally agreed to be among the absolute pinnacle of their magnum opuses. Claustrophobic yet dynamic, eerie and haunted yet capable of not taking itself stiflingly seriously, 'Scenes from Hell' somehow maintains an array of contradictory, sophisticated, chaotic moods within remarkably tight and accessible song structures. The horns handle the bulk of the true hooks, an ingenious sonic niche which imbues them with anthemic catchiness- this is evident in 'Prelude to the Oracle', 'L'art de Mourir', and personal favourite, closer 'Scenes from Hell.' They're nothing short of gorgeous, resounding majestically and with satisfyingly perfect tasteful aggression.

This is not an especially emotive album, opting instead for an extreme, raw rollercoaster of an experience- yet those scant emotive moments are backed by an enthralling, perpetual dramatic forward motion. The band compels this through the most ingenious interweaving of neoclassical and progressive blackened death metal I've heard in recent memory. This is most evident in the contrasting tones the strings strike, between wonderfully melodramatic, infectious song 'The Red Funeral' and 'The Summer Funeral's' more emotionally rich textures. The two complement each other wonderfully, their oscillation between grief and revelry towards their carnage unfolding with it a deeply natural elegance.

The placement of each perfectly-played instrument equally perfectly represents the crucial balance prioritised within this evocative soundscape. 'Scenes From Hell' interweaves a miasma of risky contradictions into an incredibly tight, thunderously heavy sound. So, too, do the pristinely dynamic, passionate performances fill this production perfectly. Any semblance of brickwalling-related or flatness-induced ear fatigue I experienced was so commendably minor, given the ambitious heaviness and technicality on display, I have chosen to write it off as a sig(h)n I need to stop listening to death metal for 9+hrs a day, multiple days in a row...

Sigh don't waste a solitary second of the listener's time, simultaneously indulging them in satisfying hooks, crunchy riffs and relentless fulfilment while building constant breakneck hype for the next track. Thus, you shouldn't waste a second more in hesitation. Listen to this album at your earliest opportunity- you will thank everyone who's built hype around this album, and this prodigal band.

*'song' and 'album' are meaningless distinctions- longer songs, especially those approaching album length, will definitionally also require more thorough examination.

I did enjoy this album on release, because in typical Sigh-style it effectively and cleverly continues this bombastic, carnival-esque sound heard on Scenario IV and to some degree Hangman's Hymn, and this was made all the better by the arguably excessive brass arrangements. I still revisit this album from time to time for this reason - Mirai was very creative and original in how he used orchestral elements on this album.

Musically, this continued with the stripped-down Teutonic thrash style of Hangman's Hymn, which though repetitive this is intentional and I felt that album was brilliantly structured and composed, and majestic. In comparison this is quite frankly boring and exhausting to listen to as an album. It doesn't flow like the symphonic thrash of Hangman's Hymn because it just doesn't let up, the brass and pummeling drums are relentless. When it works though on a few tracks, I really love the primal drumming on this album, on a technical level I can't fault each member's performance bar Mikannibal (I have never felt they've truly benefited musically from her contributions personally).

Faults aside though, this was an ambitious effort and I can forgive them for its minor musical lackings, as what lets this album down most of all is the production. This is the main problem with Sigh - their albums are so hit and miss in terms of sound quality. Hangman's Hymn had upped the game after a few albums that though brilliant were marred by muddy production. This just sounds a mess, there is so much going on on this album it really deserved to be produced mixed and mastered by someone who really knows what they're doing, but it sounds compressed and everything just sounds....drowned out, even extreme metal is being ruined by the whole "loudness" war, and I'd argue this along with Windir's Likferd (a musically flawless album) is one of the worse cases of compression in extreme metal. A real shame, as an album with this kind of inventiveness and ambition deserved to sound better.

Sigh is probably the most well-known Rising Sun band among extreme metal circles, and for good reason: They are both uncompromising and experimental.

Their latest, Scenes From Hell, is the first to include new member Dr. Mikannibal, saxophonist, vocalist, and thinly veiled attempt to appeal to male hormones. The album makes good use of the saxophone, though, and also includes a full horn section. This doesn't detract from the metal, but instead it seems to transform it from ordinary black metal into a demonic war march. The brass instruments evoke both militaristic and ecclesiastical feelings, putting them into a very dark context, but they also often stray into Latin horn territory for a very strange juxtaposition.

The other thing that really makes Sigh stand out on this album is the guitar solos. Instead of doing thrash or black metal style solos, they seem pulled from old school heavy metal or hard rock albums, providing another interesting contrast.

Aside from the brass and the guitar solos, this is pure black metal. If it wasn't, then you wouldn't be able to recognize it as such. What I don't understand, though, is that with all of their innovation, they have still stuck with the lo-fi, poor recording favored by some black metal purists (who ironically profess anti-conformist beliefs while enforcing a definition of black metal which is extremely limiting and, therefore, conformist). The music is awesome, and I'd be willing to bet these guys can kill in a live show, but the recording is terrible. And I'm no audiophile, either, but please just don't make it sound like you recorded it in a parking garage.

The Verdict: The music is awesome, and it's innovative, but the recording is terrible. If you turn the stereo way up, and then walk into the next room, it will probably sound natural, and in that situation it may be one of the best you hear all year.

originally written for http://fullmetalattorney.blogspot.com/

If you are holding this album in your hands, consider yourself lucky. For what you now possess is the album by which the quality of all future metal albums shall be judged. Alright, maybe that’s a bit of a hyperbole. But I will just get it out of the way and say that this album is very good. Unfortunately, this band is far too overlooked for its own good. You see, Sigh is reasonably unknown in the metal scene and even the Black Metal scene in general. Not many people realize that Sigh is actually one of the first second wave Black Metal bands, starting around the same time as bands like Immortal, and even before bands like Emperor and Burzum. Yet they do not receive nearly as much attention, publicity, and praise as other bands from the early second wave, which is truly a shame. Not a shame for band, but for all of the Black Metal fans who are missing out on this wonderful piece of Japanese Avant-Garde! This band is known for their strange melodies, experimentation, abnormal instruments, and most notably their habit of drastically changing their sound with each album. Being signed to Euronymous’ (of Mayhem fame) Deathlike Silence label, Sigh began their career with the albums “Scorn Defeat” and “Infidel Art”, two average Black Metal albums. Then Sigh started to obtain the slight attention that they have gained over the span of their existence with the album “Hail Horror Hail”. This was the start of the band’s venture into Advant-Garde music (along with Ghastly Funeral Theatre), and fans often regard this album as Sigh’s opus, giving these Japanese Black Metallers a small cult following in the underground. After the release of “Scenario IV”, the band’s next step was “Imaginary Sonicscape”, an album that shattered all expectations. This showed the band incorporating elements of everything from psychedelic rock to electronic music. Then after the venture into the friendly power metal-ish “Gallows Gallery”, Sigh released “Hangman’s Hymn”, which gained many positive responses from fans and critics alike. Some even consider this album to be Sigh’s best, topping all previous works. So can Sigh top themselves once again, or is it an impossible attempt that is bound to fail?

Whoever believes that such an attempt in unachievable is forgetting one simple fact; Sigh does not fuck around. What makes Sigh so special is the fact that they continuously out-do themselves with each consecutive album. And just when you think that is impossible for them to ever make album better than their previous masterpiece, they blow your mind once again with the following release. The newest installment from Sigh, “Scenes From Hell” is definitely no exception to this rule. If this album is your first exposure to Sigh, prepare to hear nothing like you have heard before. I am not exaggerating when I say that when you finish the album for the first time, you will just sit/stand motionless for minutes(maybe even hours), reflecting on what you just heard. And once you are done pondering about this sweet piece of Black Metal perfection, you will crave more. You will find yourself constantly yearning to listen to this album just one more time, and then the cycle repeats. Starting with the first blood-curdling scream from vocalist Mirai Kawashima, this album grabs you by the genitals with incredible force and refuses to let go. And honestly, I do not want Sigh to let go. I actually want Sigh to grab my genital with excessive force. If you have not been able to tell yet, I am a major fan of this fantastic band. But enough rambling, let me get on to what makes this album the groundbreaking piece of art it is.

First of all let me say that from the first moment the music starts, you will hear a major difference from Hangman’s Hymn; the production. Yes, the clean and extremely modern production of Hangman’s Hymn was discarded for a dirtier, dare I say raw sound. But do not mistake this production to be worse than that of Hangman’s Hymn! In fact, it is quite the opposite as I feel Scenes From Hell’s production suits Sigh far more well than any previous Sigh album. Next, let’s talk about the style. You are probably wondering what style Sigh is exploring with this album, being that almost every album has its own unique and special style. Well, what the band has done here is they have pulled a Scenario IV on us. That meaning Sigh has continue the incredibly well-received sound of their previous album. But unlike Scenario IV, this album surpasses Hangman’s Hymn in every way possible. It still has the thrash influenced sound, it still has the catchy riffs, and it still has the signature vocals Sigh is known for, but there is an obvious improvement in the songwriting in general. Sigh has gone for a more “epic” approach to each song than you would hear on the previous album’s tracks. Obvious examples of this are the two “Funeral” tracks, “The Red Funeral” and “The Summer Funeral”, especially prominent on the latter. Another clear difference of Scenes From Hell is the addition of elements unheard of in Hangman’s Hymn. Such elements are sirens, spoken-word passages, stringed instruments, and a much more noticeable and frequent use of Saxophones. There are even a few folk influences present here. Also, Sigh has added a new member into the mix, further expanding the range of Sigh. That member is Dr. Mikannibal, who plays the Saxophone and more importantly provides vocals. At first I was a little skeptical of the idea to have any other vocalist than Mirai, but her performance on Scenes From Hell proves how wrong I was to think such a thing! Her deep growls are a nice contrast to Mirai usual high screams, and fit Sigh (and this album) perfectly. She has been given a major role in the album, whether it is with her haunting vocals, or it is with her wonderful Saxophone playing. You can tell that she is definitely no amateur, and I hope she remains a member of the band for a long time.

Honestly, every single second of this album just blew my mind. Although Sigh is a rather unpredictable band when it comes to the style of their releases, they manage to perfect whatever they choose to play, and the same goes for Scenes From Hell. And just as all Sigh albums, Scenes From Hell is an album that no other band than Sigh could have written. Upon first listen, I was already declaring this album one of my all time favorites. Being exposed through Sigh with Hangman’s Hymn, I can honestly say the album I am reviewing is vastly superior. If you enjoyed Hangman’s Hymn, even in the slightest, than you will absolutely praise Scenes of Hell. In my opinion, this is the best Sigh album to date. I believe this is better than Hail Horror Hail, better than Imaginary Sonicscape, and possibly the best the band will ever release. But as I said earlier, just when you believe the band has reached their peak they surprise you with another unbeatable album. Overall, this album is essential for any Black Metal fan, Avant-Garde Metal fan, or any Extreme Metal fan at all. If you do not own this album, buy it. If you own the album, listen to it. If you are already listening to it while reading this review, than listen to it again afterwards.

Highlights: “Prelude To The Oracle”, “The Red Funeral”, and “The Summer Funeral”

Rising amongst the second wave of black metal, from Tokyo, Japan, sharing close ties to the Norwegian scene through front-man Mirai Kawashimas' correspondence with Mayhem founder and scene leader Oystein 'Euronymous' Aarseth, came 'The Eastern Force of Evil' Sigh.

Formed in 1990, emerging with a sound similar to that of their Norwegian counterparts and taking inspiration from their own cultural history and mythology, album by album sigh became more and more experimental or 'avant-garde,' incorporating elements ranging from dub-reggae, funk, jazz fusion and later classical symphony's, most evident on the albums Scenario IV: Dread Dreams (1999) and the sublime Imaginary Sonicscape (2001), all the while maintaining a righteous core of thrashing black metal.

Now in 2010 (yes we are!) Sigh follow up 2007's 'Hangman's Hymn - Musikalische Exequien' with an album just as consistently thrilling, yet far more cohesive. With 'Scenes from Hell.' Sigh here build upon the previous albums novel combination of classic symphonic elements and black/thrash metal, working them into a more satisfying whole, with a somewhat horrific atmosphere and a wider range of tempos than Hangman's exciting warp-speed rampage.

The structure of the album as a whole seems well thought out and paced to perfection, starting out by kicking the listener firmly in the cunt as guitarist Ishikawa's opening notes descend into a devilishly gory assault of ominous horns, accompanied by Mirai's now familiar (though not exactly reassuring) insanity tinged screams. The following three tracks follow suit, then midway we slow down for 'The Summer Funeral'. Starting out as a somewhat typical funeral march it transforms at around 1:40 into a beautifully sweeping melody, followed the second time it appears by a typically exemplary Ishikawa solo, turning this into a truely standout track within an album of full them. From here Sigh kick back into gear and drive the listener home through the frantic last three songs, ending with the title number, perhaps the song most reminiscent of the previous album's strangely upbeat, waltzing dementia.

Musically, guitarist Shinichi Ishikawa once again brings to the diabolical fold his superior blend of, head-bang inducing thrash riffs and (surely by now trademark) NWOBHM recalling melodies, with the occasional righteous fucking solo for good measure.
The percussion section of bassist Satoshi Fujinami and drummer Junichi Harashima keep things rumbling along nicely meanwhile. If there's one drawback to 'Scenes from Hell' it's the somewhat low-fi production in comparison with the crisp clarity of 'Hangmans Hymn' and with so much going on, the same level of quality in this regard would have been a great asset.

The newest additions to the sound of Sigh, are the vocals and alto-sax of one Dr. Mikannibal (a real Dr. by the way, real Mikannibal unconfirmed.) Given a nice introduction to fans by vocally tearing shit the fuck up on last years 'Tribute to Venom' e.p. Her deeper, almost death growling style contrasts perfectly with Mirai's higher pitched black metal rasps and shrieks. Particularly during the opening 'Prelude to the Oracle' and the brutal 'Musica in Tempora Belli' which sees the two engage a ballistic back and forth during the initial verses. This song as much as any on the album encapsulates perfectly the sound of todays 20 years evolved Sigh, certainly 'avant-garde' yet firmly within the realm of metal, defiantly awash with their recent symphonic tendencies. Indeed, one could say the same of this album as a whole.
As for Kawashima San himself, his composition skills continue to grow and he remains one of the black metal genres most expressive vocalists, conveying borderline insanity and existential despair in every venomous syllable.

In conclusion, not as bat-shit unpredictable as the 'Imaginary Sonicscape' era but a more than worthy successor to Hangman's Hymn and yet another classic Sigh album.

Scenes from Hell must seem like both a renewed revelation to fans who had desired an extension to the symphonic thrust of Hangman's Hymn, and a kick in the teeth to the eight people or so like myself who desired a return to the abstract and absurd sounds of Imaginary Sonicscape. In the end, of course, we both win, because what manifests here on Sigh's 8th full-length effort is a vision of Hangman's Hymn done proper, without the few filler tracks that album had and a far superior balance of the band's raw, blackened thrash/speed metal and the orchestral accompaniment. Where it's predecessor was a full-on blast of raging, racing hymnals to celebrate the raw human emotion and bestial spirit within, Scenes from Hell offers a more morose, ghastly picture within a wider range of tempos.

From the opening salvo of "Prelude to the Oracle", we are treated to a thick, bludgeoning guitar tone which works wonders alongside the orchestration, and the immediate connection in style towards the writing of Hangman's Hymn is evident, though the song seems to contain more subtle atmospheres that dawdle off against the backdrop while the multi-tracked vocals howl and hoot over the horns and swelling strings. The band's rawness is redeemed at around 2:20 when a skinny solo tone erupts over a rocking, 4 chord rhythm. "L'art de Mourir" starts cruelly with some old tech thrash riffing over some of Mirai's best vocals in years, and the change up before :40 creates some dense nightmarish volatility before the graceful symphony charges forward like a ballroom dance from the deepest levels of the inferno. "The Soul Grave" pummels through a jazzy organ strike and them some Wagnerian orchestration behind yet another forward momentum, in particular I like the ascending rhythms that transform Mirai's vocals into a squat, Japanese valkyrie.

"The Red Funeral" and "The Summer Funeral" offer two of the longer tracks on this album; the former lavished in a disturbing poetic intro alongside jarring pianos, before a quirky doomish segment which happily brings me back to the days of Scenario IV: Dread Dreams; the latter a bombastic funeral march, and while I really enjoyed some of the symphonic breaks and the overall atmosphere before the 2:00 point, there were actually a few times I found myself rather dulled by it. Not so for the frantic "Musica in Tempora Belli", which seethes in pounding footwork and descending guitar lines, with ballistic Mirai vox and a true attunement to the chaos inherent in some of their earlier works. The gothic, spoken word outro creates a fine bridge into the savage "Vanitas", which takes a few moments to escalate into a striking bridge with winding thrash rhythms that pounce like a leopard in the bush, and an operatic, symphonic punctuation. "Scenes from Hell" itself is the perfect little closer, an upbeat, rhythmic onslaught of the band's classic metal guitar melodies strung about a thundering folk rhythm that makes one want to laugh and duck at the same time.

One thing I enjoyed about Hangman's Hymn was the album's 'fun factor', that is, it made for a great time speeding around in your car, blaring tracks like "Me-Devil" and "Death With Dishonor". This record really follows suit, about 75% of the material is perfect for the same situation, but there is a slightly more noticeable edge to the writing which hearkens back to what I'd consider this band's 'golden age', 1997-2001. Still, even if this is not a masterpiece at the level of, say, Imaginary Sonicscape, it is dense and packed with Sigh's energetic discontent and creepy serial killer enthusiasm. It's an amazing effort which should have the legs to stand on until Mirai & company once again grace us with their diabolism.

Highlights: Prelude to the Oracle, L'art de Mourir, Musica in Tempora Belli, Vanitas, Scenes from Hell

-autothrall
http://www.fromthedustreturned.com