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Sigh > Infidel Art > Reviews
Sigh - Infidel Art

Bizarre theatrics - 83%

colin040, March 2nd, 2021

Falling between the grim Scorn Defeat and the even stranger, mania of Hail Horror Hail, Infidel Art sees Sigh heading into a theatrical direction that had not been explored before. Now I'm not familiar with the band's later works (which I assume are even more avant-garde sounding than their early stuff), but even here you could tell that the band had big plans. The traditional black metal riffing of the debut is still notable, but overall this record features the right amount of balance between black metal grit and experimentation.

Again, I’m not familiar with Sigh’s later outputs, but if you ask me, Infidel Art represents a band that stands out more because of their unique vision than because of their sense of outstanding musicianship. The drums might appear a little flat from time to time and don’t provide that additional rhythmic boost that could make a bit of a difference, whereas the vocals range from unique sassing rasps to some goofy spoken / semi-sung passages - the latter I definitely could do without. Certainly, it’s the blend of piano motives, keyboard riffs and crude riffing that stands out, but obviously none of this would matter if Sigh weren’t great at writing engaging songs. Given its runtime, ''The Last Elegy'' could have easily turned into an overlong mishmash of ideas, but instead it expresses itself as a monumental number with a triumphant chorus. The orchestration certainly makes a difference, but make no mistake, Sigh aren't dependent on it and only use to strengthen their solid metallic foundation.

''The Last Elegy'' isn't the only long track you'll stumble upon here; except for the shorter deceiving assault of ‘’Suicidogenic’’, these compositions are either 8 to 9 minutes long and while that could easily mean trouble for several bands, Sigh know how to keep things cohesive. ‘’Izuna’’ kicks off with a series of engaged, hum-worthy riffs before a Hellhammer / Celtic Frost-esque break emerges with a vengeance. I also like how Sigh had a few surprises in store that I definitely didn’t expect at all - the aforementioned ‘’Suicidogenic’’ sounds as if it could serve as a symphonic and tranquil interlude at first, but rapidly shifts gears by the time those stinging riffs get unpacked. Even the cinematic finale of ‘’Beyond Centuries’’ might seem a little slow-paced compared to the material that came before it, but even here the band suddenly turns berserk during its final minute: it’s that kind of impulsiveness that you wouldn’t expect to come across, but nonetheless embrace with joy.

There's just one exception where Sigh's songwriting skills must have vanished into oblivion. ''Desolation'' is quite a mess; each segment feels stretched out beyond its ideal length and its trippy ambiance around the 5 minute mark makes me wonder if the band weren't on some drugs while writing and recording this. Of course one filler isn’t much to nitpick about, after all the band does more good than harm here and their attempt at taking risks is second to none (‘’Zombie Terror’’ sounds like wonderful mix of Celtic Frost and Pink Floyd, for instance). Now listen to Infidel Art and embrace its strange flavors!

This review was originally written for antichristmagazine.com

About long songs and missed opportunities - 58%

Forever Underground, October 3rd, 2020

I have several problems with this album, the main one and the one that became more evident from the first listening was how boring some songs were. Writing long songs is not an easy task, it requires a great deal of control over the tempos and a good or bad composition may determine that your epic song becomes tedious or not. We all know that when we listen to a song of great length, if it is good, it makes us lose the notion of time causing it to feel much shorter than it really is, on the other hand a bad song that is even longer becomes eternal, boring and makes us look continuously when we have time left to suffer.

In “Infidel Art” you find both cases, on the one hand we have “Izuna” and “The Last Elegy” which are the example of long songs that are interesting, they have differentiated rhythms, memorable moments, prepared crescendos that work to perfection. And all this proves a great dynamism in the compositions, and that marks this first great step in the discography of Sigh, where the elements progress avant-garde on the base of the black metal that we listened in its previous disc.

But at the same time we have the songs “The Zombie Terror” and “Desolation” which are the opposite of the above mentioned, very repetitive compositions in segments that don't even sound interesting, there is a terrible use of the piano since it is too intrusive and it doesn't fit with the dynamics of the songs, so I don't understand why this instrument is given so much prominence so many times throughout the album, with these two songs I really felt like stopping listening to the rest of the LP. In the end we have an album with two very good songs, two very bad ones and two others that are decent (“Suicidogenic” and “Beyond Centuries”)

Before making my final comment on the album I will also expose another of the problems I have with this one, and that is that when one is aware that this group is of Japanese origin and sees an artwork like the one on this album, it is easy to think that there will be experimentation or touches of traditional Japanese music, but of course there is no trace of them, and this seems to me to be one of the biggest missed opportunities of the album and I really think that it could have given more depth and atmosphere to the music in general.

“Infidel Art” is a decent album, but it contains great shortcomings and untapped potential, no doubt it was a step backwards from what “Scorn Defeated” meant

Twisting the zeitgeist - 90%

we hope you die, March 20th, 2019

Over a ten year period, many subgenres of metal tend to follow the same basic pattern. The odd thing is, these patterns are not really visible until after the fact. Roughly speaking, they go from a ‘proto’ period, to a heyday, to a progressive offshoot, and then eventual stagnation. But no one is aware that they are living in the proto period until it leads somewhere. Black metal began around 1985 with Bathory and Celtic Frost et al. It solidified after a series of consistent releases from diverse artists from around 1990 to 1994. After this came a slew of avant-garde and progressive variations, with artist such as Emperor and Enslaved leading the way.

After this ten year period many thought that black metal had run out of steam, just as people did with death metal a few years before, and thrash before that. The timings, intensity, and quality of these periods will vary from movement to movement. What happens afterwards is normally a period of entropy, with ever more specific subgenres crawling out of the dirt. This has been exacerbated with the rise of the internet.

Back in 1995 just after the heyday of black metal, it was still considered an aberration by many metalheads. But around this time its own versions of progressive and avant-garde music came to fruition, and it proved to be every bit as fucking weird as you would expect of an-aberration-of-an-aberration.

Tokyo’s Sigh are infamous for twisting the idea of what extreme could and should be, even as early as 1995. Formed back in 1990, they gained an underground following in Europe thanks to the backing of Euronymous and his ‘Deathlike Silence’ label. After invoking an older school of black metal in Bathory and Hellhammer it became apparent that their sound was going to develop into something weirder by the time ‘Infidel Art’ was released in 1995.

What makes this so odd is the seamless combination of two diametrically opposed approaches to black metal. One is the graceful symphonic angle. In Sigh’s case this was masterminded by frontman and classically trained pianist Mirai Kawashima, who offers up rich layers of keyboards, piano leads, and even epic progressive passages calling to mind King Crimson as much as they do anything remotely metallic. This is offset by primitive, old-school black metal riffage straight out of the book of Hellhammer; that includes aping their trailblazing exercises in death/doom.

In a sense then, this is what Celtic Frost’s ‘Into Pandemonium’ (1987) could have been. Because hot mess though that album was, mixing primitive extreme metal with the more flamboyant excesses of progressive rock was an interesting approach to take. Where Celtic Frost failed, Sigh succeeded. And as with Necromantia, they did so with limited means. The production is a little flat, the drums are devoid of any adornments in production, guitars are heavily distorted and thin, vocals are a harsh and primal rasp. But this is combined with some bizarre tonal choices from the keys and genuinely pretty melodies. It’s almost funny as well as musically engaging. I believe that amounts to something called charm. In less competent hands this could have turned into an irritating clusterfuck of wackiness for the sake of it. And truth be told, it shouldn’t work. But so skilled is this incarnation of Sigh at building a composition with purpose and musical reward that they have pulled off what few else could. This in large part is thanks to band leader Mirai Kawashima and his seemingly bottomless well of creativity when it comes to tickling the synthetic ivories.

Originally published at Hate Meditations

Brilliant and evil - 88%

RoseQuartzGlass, August 5th, 2016
Written based on this version: 1995, CD, Cacophonous Records (Digipak)

Infidel Art is the sophomore album from the Japanese black metal group Sigh. Sigh is one of my favorite bands and in my opinion they succeed in all of their releases, including this one. Infidel Art seems to be overlooked in Sigh's discography, it doesn't have the distinction of being a debut album like Scorn Defeat and it doesn't quite yet have the genre-bending, psychedelic chaos that made Imaginary Sonicscape so famous. A shame, because this is an excellent release in Sigh's seemingly never-ending stream of great albums.

One thing I've noticed about this album is how well each instrument is put to use across each track. The guitars have a nice edge to them and the riffs are creative and varied enough to stay captivating for the album's relatively long running time of 50 minutes, though I enjoy it so much that it seems more like 20. The riffs throughout vary from blisteringly fast (like near the end of Suicidogenic) to a crawling dirge (like in Desolation). No riff feels awkward or out-of-place, and it all flows together smoothly. The drums keep pace even when the guitars are at their fastest, and the crashing symbols work especially well in the slower moments.

The bass is audible here, a nice surprise for a black metal record, and occasionally the guitars stop to give it a chance to shine even brighter. The keyboard symphonies and flutes are put to great use in developing the album's regal, yet grim and malevolent atmosphere, which is aided by Mirai's sorrowful, mourning vocals and black metal rasps.

Overall Infidel Art is an exceptional release, full of catchy riffs and great atmosphere, that is sadly overlooked in favor of Sigh's later output which is of course great as well. My only complaint is that it feels too short, and that's only because I enjoy it so much!

Sigh - Infidel Art - 70%

ConorFynes, August 23rd, 2011

Sigh is undoubtedly one of the strangest, and most inventive metal bands I have come across. With each album, they reinvent themselves in unexpected ways, leaving no stone unturned as they make their way. Although Sigh is often labelled as a black metal group, they are probably best simply described as being 'avant-garde'; their music and approach always changes, but their ambition and originality stays consistent. The first album of theirs, 'Scorn Defeat' (along with a handful of demos) stuck to a thrashy black metal standard, content to mirror their European contemporaries with the same sort of raw riffs and primal delivery that the genre of black metal is best known for. 'Infidel Art' sees a big evolution for the band, and a step towards the more ambitious material they would be known for in the future.

'Infidel Art' sees the band teetering between the forward-thinking, and the formulaic. Sigh's work here can be roughly split into two sides; half of the time on the album is devoted to a sound of blackened thrash that only differs from the demo material by an improved sense of production. The speedy riffs and energy of the band is enjoyable and while not having the same grasp of atmosphere like contemporaries Mayhem or Emperor had with their black metal sound, it is fairly well performed and nicely heavy. It's the other dimension of sound on 'Infidel Art' that I find to be the more interesting though; even early on, Sigh were not afraid to test the boundaries of their style, and this would be taken to new heights with the addition of strange symphonic elements in Sigh's makeup. Sometimes, these symphonic sounds- which typically fall back on a keyboard emulating a string section or Japanese woodwind- are meant to compliment the existing black metal sound by whistling along with the guitars and drums, but Sigh hits their peak here when the symphonic elements take over. I was very surprised to hear the complexity of the orchestrations that Sigh composes and carries out here, especially at the end of the highlight 'Desolation', there is a long section with a dramatic cinematic flair that almost feels as if it could have been plucked from a Sergio Leone film. Sigh also works with some scarce clean vocals here on top of the more metal leaning rasps, and they are quite warm and well-done.

One thing that continues to irritate me about 'Infidel Art' however is its somewhat scattered feeling. There are great ideas everywhere here, and it has some remarkably interesting things to offer, but as a whole, it suffers from a bumpy consistency. When I hear such great things as 'Desolation' or other places where Sigh works their symphonic magic, it can get monotonous to hear them focusing on their metal element for a little too long here and there. Sigh typically has a feeling of randomness in their music, and I get that sense here as well; although each aspect has alot of individual potential, I sometimes ask myself if the way they try to combine the different sounds in the album is always effective, or rather contrived.

A very good album for Sigh, as well as an early sign of what could really be done with black metal once its musicians started looking outside the box.

Growing Pains - 80%

Ribos, November 19th, 2009

Children often grow rebellious of their parents around the onset of puberty. During this period of intense physical change, their brains also begin to change. It is during this time, while their minds are maturing, that they will try to define their individual personality. These attempts at individuality may manifest themselves in many ways, but they often wind up as awkward as they physically appear, while they struggle to get used to their new bodies. Of course, this is a music review and not a psychological journal, but these truths about human development seem to apply very well to the album in question. Euronymous had originally signed them to Deathlike Silence Productions as a black metal band, but it was clear from the band's debut album that they were bound to grow beyond the standards of the genre. It is unclear whether Euronymous knew exactly where they'd go musically later in their career, but any influence he may have had was cut short by his untimely death. With DSP no more, the band had a newfound freedom to write as they pleased, so long as they could find a new label to call home. Considering the resulting relationship with Cacophonous Records (especially the circumstances under which it ended), it's clear CR did not really care about what the band did.

Thus, Infidel Art has the band flexing its wings and beginning to explore the realms of the avant-garde as they establish themselves and their identity. And just like the teens alluded to above, these first steps can be quite awkward at times. That is not to say the album stumbles around aimlessly or that it is poorly written; after all, it'd be getting a much lower rating if that were the case. As far as I can tell, the ultimate problem to be found here is that the band was perhaps a tad overambitious. The songs are almost too progressive for their own good, and the orchestrations for which the band would become famous can feel a bit forced and/or misplaced at times.

Five of the six songs present are over eight minutes in length. Before I continue, I should mention that I have no problems with longer songs a priori. However, a song should always justify its length. Not just in terms of musical ideas, but specifically in terms of having a direction. There is most certainly no shortage of ideas here, with riffs coming and going all the time while pianos and various orchestral instruments (all keyboard sound patches, mind you) come and go with various melodies and elaborating upon the harmonies, and so forth. The problem is the structure. The Last Elegy is the worst offender in this regard, but Desolation is close behind, and the other long tracks aren't untainted either. They suffer from a general sense of directionlessness, with no real goal in sight. It may be enjoyable to occasionally just go for an aimless drive through a countryside, but afterwards one often feels better if they end with a sense of accomplishment. Likewise, the music keeps one's attention for the duration of the album, but there's no real sense of a conclusion, no thrilling climax.

Another problem making this album seem a little awkward is the intended bombast with a shoestring budget. It's fairly clear that Cacophonous records was not giving Sigh the opportunities they have now with The End. Compare the trumpet bursts in Hangman's Hymn with the "brass" parts in the later parts of Izuna. That keyboard brass patch is very hard to take seriously, and the rest of the "orchestral" sounds (with the sole exception of the flute) aren't much better. Izuna also displays some of the shortcomings of the recording sessions with what seems to be a complete lack of rhythm guitar under the lead around 30 seconds in. This same issue pops up later in the song as well. The bass is lurking rather deep in the mix, so while it is audible, that guitar lead sounds completely exposed and seems to be almost out of place. I know that the band is only a three-piece at this stage, but since Mirai was handling bass and keys, multiple takes were clearly possible, and it leads me to wonder why they didn't fill in a rhythm guitar part there, especially since they do so during the guitar solo around the midpoint of the track. It is possible that this was intentional, but that begs the question of whether it was a good idea or not.

Now, keep in mind I'm rather flexible when it comes to "jarring" or "disconnected" musical ideas. I'm good at finding the connections (if they exist) between the "odd" section and the expected parts. That said, I cannot understand why Mirai thought it was a good idea to start "The Last Elegy" with a major-key waltz (or more properly, a mazurka, given the beat emphasis). It even fades out and then the actual song swells in its place. There could be a track separation between them and people would find the division completely clean. A song with a title like "The Last Elegy" simply should not start by sounding happy. Now, the melodic ideas make a bit more sense when they are touched upon in minor-key form in the flute melodies, but there is a very clear and large disconnect between that intro, the rest of the song, and the song's lyrical themes. It's the same sort of music we'd later get in Hail Horror Hail and Scenario IV: Dread Dreams, but at least on those albums there is a greater attempt to integrate the two parts.

My final complaint about the album is in the vocals. Mirai's rasp is acceptable here, but his enunciation is terribly slurred. While this shouldn't be too much of an issue, there are times when, for instance, I can't tell if he's talking about "fear" or "beer." That's a rather important distinction, I'd say. It's worth mentioning, though, that the lyrics really are a step up from Scorn Defeat's. We don't have anything cringe-worthy like the "Please for me toll a... KNELL/Nothing can stop this painful... YELL," at least. On the other hand, we have the clean vocals. When delivering lyrics, they have the same slurred incoherency as the harsh ones, which makes me go back and question whether Mirai really was writing about fear and not beer. When they're not delivering lyrics, though... they can get cheesy. As with the keyboard/orchestra thing, the melodic writing is fine, the timbral considerations all check out, but the execution - especially on Zombie Terror - can only be called cheesy.

But enough about what I don't like about the album! After all, if I'm giving it an 80% rating, there has to be something good about it, right? Ultimately, there's not a problem here that a modern re-recording couldn't help (except maybe that Last Elegy mazurka). Whereas Hangman's Hymn would focus more on the styles of the Romantic period, Infidel Art looks more at the Classical period of Mozart and Haydn. There's a great deal of melodic counterpoint but without the over-the-top bombast that characterized the later historical era. Every song explores a full range of dynamics, with both slow and fast sections, metal riff-based and keyboard-driven parts, and both straightforward and chaotic areas. Perhaps even more impressive is that unlike many other bands that attempt such feats (I'm sure you can come up with a few), it doesn't end up feeling formulaic by the end of the album. The riffs, while maintaining a general blackened feel, span the range from Venom-inspired heavy metal to doom to tremolo-picked second wave spawn. And then there's Suicidogenic, which even jumps into some crazy whirlwind thrash for a few minutes! And about the drumming... I recognize that Junichi is faster and better at complicated fills, but when he's not doing fills, his work feels very monotonous. Satoshi certainly does a better job on bass than Mirai, but in many ways, I miss the looseness of his drumming... and certainly the lack of monotony. I wouldn't exactly call it creative, but it gets the job done well, and he's got more than three patterns under his belt.

If you liked Scorn Defeat in all its raw potential, you'll also probably like Infidel Art. The big question will be whether your attention span will allow for the longer tunes that don't always have a clear direction. If you're a fan of Sigh's later work, you'll have to be a bit forgiving of the circumstances under which this was recorded compared to where they are now, but getting past that awkward, possibly acne-scarred exterior you will find quite a gem. I won't claim this is Sigh's greatest compositional triumph, but they've done worse, and this album somehow seems to slip through the cracks of fans' memory quite often, making it worth at least a fair chance.

Eastern Terror, anybody want more? - 90%

cinedracusio, August 3rd, 2005

One thing that mystifies the author is how people strived to think that Sigh had definitely black and doom roots on their earlier albums. Sigh was never a proper black metal band, and except Mirai Kawashima's hate-fueled roars you will find few to none elements that can fit correctly into the black metal category.

Infidel Art is a transitional album and a great option for those who want to get a first glance of Sigh's sonic mayhem; not only did it take further the 80's thrash aesthetics used on Scorn Defeat, but it also managed to be one really eclectic album, gathering influences such as space rock and orchestral pieces. And all this stuff without becoming as cryptic as it would on Hail Horror Hail and the albums that followed until Gallows Gallery.
First thing that grabs you by the eyes is the cover. Both primitive and somehow refined, this might be the finest album art that ever ranked on any of Sigh's works, perfectly describing the morbidly beautiful nature of this music. However, musically speaking, this packs more subtlety and wisdom than acts like, say, Arcturus or Lugubrum, who packed several avantgarde elements but just like gimmicks.
Izuna is one hell of an opener (the first seconds are a must, no fucking around!), with a Sodom-styled bombastic, relentless thrash rhythm played all over and a great epic riff revealed by the sawing power of the guitars, lest we forget the Sabbath . As the song progresses, blowing instruments, especially flutes and trumpets, gain more and more space in the song structure, but everything is as sober as can be; despite the bitter feeling of the song, the ending is almost happy, with a triumphant riff and orchestra fading out.
But what about The Zombie Terror? The orchestra is even more out there, but this time it is filled with organs, and Mirai is nothing short of a brilliant piano player. The pace is speed metal all time, but the guitarist steals the show with his emotional soloing, especially in the ending of the song, where he uses some clean and soft-sounding guitar, topped by some wonderfully dizzy sounding spacey keyboards. Mention goes also to the fact that the band uses some clean vocals here. Hey, they are no gospel singers, Manowarriors and so on, but they possess the balls and the unaltered spirit to pull it out decently.
Desolation is doubtlessly one of the most dramatic and sinister songs that Sigh have ever recorded, taking off with a sad introduction and then one spine-shattering scream of Mirai and cutting through the heart of the listener at a snail's pace. Here are also plenty of organ effects to be found, and the effect of the brutal doom riff colliding with Mirai's croaks and the high volume of the orchestra is devastating. At the middle at the song we face a horrifyingly hollow sounding section (right after Mirai screams "I can't control !"). This is nothing but evil slowly taking control over the ones who left humanity and theirselves. Even the ending lyrics are so relevant:
"No matter what will happen
I will have no regrets
I have relinquished my soul
And come to learn evil."
It simply made me burst into tears.
The Last Elegy is the black sheep of this album, there is still trumpet and bombast, repetitive Sabbath mid-paced rhythm'n'riffs, and the clean vocals seem to be pissing all over just to make the song flow longer. Filler with nothing to do with the mindfuck of the other 5 songs.
Suicidogenic begins with a silent piano introduction. And man, does this kick ass. It is mid-paced, calm, just like a river flowing endlessly (not the piss of the previous)... A river of fucking blood, right after brutal thrash blasting begins ("We will help you die", this fucking rocks!). The song keeps on this line with some Slayer reminding solos and ends along with a really fine flute line flowing with the riff.
And to the last track of this magnum opus, which is Beyond Centuries. In the first minute you can hear a fine synth line (good for some Dracula stuff, but without cheesy accents). The general pace is doomish, with a more simplistic presence of the piano and a rather sloppy riff, but after a somehow discordant middle part, there is another awesome thrash section with almost ethereal clean vocals, and it ends the whole album on a high note.

As I said before, this is the perfect introduction to Sigh. And an album that could change your life, so I guess you know what to do.