Scenario IV: Dread Dreams

Sigh is a Japanese experimental extreme metal band that has become known for combining black metal with a wide variety of genres, using the combined sounds to create albums that can truly be described as unique. The band got its start playing straightforward black metal in the early 1990’s, and released their debut, titled Scorn Defeat, on Euronymous’s infamous Deathlike Silence label in 1993. After a similarly styled follow-up in 1995’s Infidel Art, Sigh began to experiment with new sounds, incorporating more avant-garde elements into their music. This experimentation began with two releases in 1997: the EP Ghastly Funeral Theatre and full-length Hail Horror Hail. While both are relatively strong releases that hold an important place in the Sigh discography, it was not until 1999’s Scenario IV: Dread Dreams that the band really began to master the experimental elements of their music. Dread Dreams is the perfect representation of a band that had finally begun to develop an interesting style of its own, and it laid the groundwork for the masterpiece to come in the band’s 2001 release, Imaginary Sonicscape.

While the music on Dread Dreams is still firmly grounded in the realm of black metal, the band makes it clear with the album’s opening track that this is an album on which anything goes. Titled “Diabolic Suicide”, the track begins with a short sample of a waltz before kicking into a slow-paced metal groove. The song changes again once frontman Mirai’s harsh vocals kick in with the verse, transforming the song into faster-paced melodic black metal with accented keyboards and tambourine backing. After repeating the verse, the song goes into a catchy chorus with Mirai’s harsh vocals being matched with ethereal female vocals. All of these changes come within the first two minutes of the album, and the first track has much more to offer. Clocking in at over seven minutes, “Diabolic Suicide” is absolutely full of interesting twists and turns, including an acoustic segment, an ambient synthesizer bit, and a sample of what sounds like a marching band. It is interesting to note that while the song clearly distinguishes verses and a chorus, it combines these expected parts of a song with a variety of surprising elements. In fact, many of the songs on the record follow the verse-chorus formula, creating some really catchy music that is broken up and enhanced by the experimental segments. The music performed on Dread Dreams can be best described as pop-influenced extreme metal fused with avant-garde elements. One of the most effective unconventional elements is the inclusion of a strummed acoustic guitar backing the other instruments on several of the album’s songs. This is particularly notable towards the end of “Iconoclasm in the 4th Desert”, a clear album standout and arguably the album’s best track.

Certainly the most experimental track on the album is “Black Curse”. Without outlining the entire song, it should be noted that the track contains a country guitar segment, satanic chanting, a jazz/funk section, ambient piano, and (of course) black metal, along with several other elements. The song, while actually one of the weaker tracks on the album, is the perfect representation of the album as a whole. It embodies the experimental nature of the band and their music, and should be seen as a defining track. That is not to say that every song on Dread Dreams is completely experimental, however. Tracks like “Infernal Skies” and “Imprisoned” more or less follow a typical black metal formula, albeit with a few elements that may seem out of place on other albums typical of the genre. While these tracks are certainly not bad, the band is at its best performing its more experimental pieces. Another experimental highlight is album closer “Divine Graveyard”, which features an excellent clean vocal contribution in its chorus by Damian Montgomery. The song also begins with the best guitar solo on the album, a nice bluesy lead backed by acoustic strumming. It comes across as very tasteful, and is the perfect track to end the album.

While there really is an abundance of brilliant music on this record, there is one glaring issue that must be addressed. The issue is the album’s production. While it may have been intentional, every song present has a sterile feel to it due to the album’s unconventional production. The music sounds muffled, and it is difficult to hear any real emotion in the music. It is clear that a great deal of emotion went into writing and performing this record, but the lackluster production prohibits the listener from experiencing it with any depth. Again, it is a possibility that the production was an intentional element. The production may have served to enhance the band’s message of going against musical convention, but this seems unlikely. Unfortunately, Sigh has had a spotty history in regards to their albums’ production. Their 2005 album, Gallows Gallery, was remastered only two years after its release (and again in 2012), and their much-praised Imaginary Sonicscape was also given a remastering in 2009. In both cases the band cited dissatisfaction with the original recordings. While the production may have been a musical statement, it seems far more likely that Dread Dreams was simply the first in a regrettable line of unsatisfactory recordings. Perhaps the album’s relatively low popularity is the factor keeping it from getting a quality remastering.

Briefly covering the album’s musicianship, all instruments and vocals are performed extremely well. The guitar work is outstanding, with nearly every song including one or two impressive solos performed in multiple styles. The percussion work is also laudable, with drummer Satoshi Fujinami enhancing his work on the kit with tambourines, handclaps, and other auxiliary instruments. Singer Mirai’s vocals have really not changed much from the band’s foundation to the present (with the exception of Gallows Gallery, which features clean vocals), and Dread Dreams is no exception. Mirai provides vocals that fit the band’s sound nicely, delivering a relatively high-pitched rasp that is as raw as it is unintelligible. His unconventional lyrical delivery also makes for an interesting listen.

Overall, this is an excellent album that is unfortunately not given justice by its production. The music performed on the album is of top quality, and demonstrates Sigh’s exceptional musicianship. Taking the music on its own merits, outside the context of the album’s poor production, Dread Dreams ranks among Sigh’s best releases, and would certainly stand as a career highlight if it was only subjected to a remixing. Even with its poor mixing, Dread Dreams is an album that deserves a listen from any fan of experimental metal. Fans of Sigh’s later material should find this album an engaging listen, and should appreciate it as the beginning of the band’s successful musical experimentation.

Album Highlights: “Diabolic Suicide”, “Iconoclasm in the 4th Desert”, “Divine Graveyard”

This album is largely an experimental facade masking a musical core composed primarily of mediocre heavy metal guitar riffs with monotone black metal vocals. While Sigh could have brought together all of the ornamental aspects of the music to make a quality album, what we have here is just far too incoherent. Certain elements seem to have been added as an afterthought. Take for example the piano outro on “Diabolic Suicide” or the intro of the following song “Infernal Cries.”

Primarily the problem lies with the guitar work. With one notable exception, the guitar riffs are very forgettable. Unfortunately, these riffs also act as the heart of the album. The framework is mostly tired, old, and all too familiar power chord progressions. No amount of clever instrumentation, random interludes, or suicidal chants can construct an excellent album with such a weak core. Additionally, the guitar solos mirror the main guitar work. Far too many times the listener is subjected to really trashy pentatonic noodling.

The one notable guitar exception to the boring guitars you ask? Have a listen to the riff at about 5:20 into “Iconoclasm in the 4th Desert.” Over that galloping triplet filled riff, vocalist Mr. Mirai Kawashima finally sings with some rhythmic and dynamic flair. He belts out a triumphant and hateful “You deserve the soul desert.” Circus elements act only as a reinforcing background and acoustic guitar strumming provides an additional glue. Interestingly, Mr. Kawashima does everything on the album except for the guitars and drums. Seeing how the drums are as lackluster as the guitars it takes little effort to see the source of Sigh’s creative elements.

Mr. Kawashima’s flat monotonous black metal styled vocals act as a glue to help hold the otherwise schizophrenic album together. However, the raw rasp is really unsuitable for the circus. Times of random revelry require something a little less abrasive and a little more dynamic. The harsh vocals sound honed in, as if coming from a rhetoritician’s rehearsed harangue impersonating a metal vocalist. The female vocals and clean male vocals on the other hand are solidly performed and more much appropriate for the music.

As shown above, Dread Dreams is not entirely bad. At times the whimsical randomness of the songs creates fairly enjoyable moments in the same way that all the nonsense at a carnival or a circus can be momentarily entertaining. This kind of circus-metal sound is a common problem that should be familiar to anyone who listens to experimental metal bands. With a large supply of creativity, Sigh, like others before them, end up highlighting a weak attention span that would go unnoticed in more musically conservative bands.

Another example of why the album is salvageable is the song “Severed Ways.” Opening with baroque sounding harpsichord noodling, the song quickly moves to the best use of Sigh’s guitar tone and song structuring. In a recurring riff, the synth kicks in over a somber guitar, a soft choir, and rolling bass, culminating in spectacular show of what Sigh is capable of. By pulling back the jarring insanity, Sigh temporarily asserts a bold atmosphere. In the song’s apogee, we have a solo that is executed so well that the listener can almost forget how close it strides to rehashing stock pentatonic noodling. Of course Sigh’s attention span at this point is stretched beyond repair, so the song ends with a happy fanfare followed by sad piano work.

If “Dread Dreams” is like an Alztheimer’s patient meandering out of the house at night, then “Severed Ways” is that rare occasion when the patient gallantly returns home in a lucid moment. The guitar solo is the scene when the patient walks through the door to greet loved ones he had not remembered for years. Unfortunately this moment passes and the rest of the album is more like Alztheimer’s.

In the first few listens of “Dread Dreams,” you are rewarded with novelty. A wide array of instruments and samples litter the album, again see “Diabolic Suicide” for metal riffs punctuated with cheesy triumphant 80s sounding brass. We even get organ, piano, choir, assorted synths, sirens, and even wind sample. After a while though, these elements become tiresome and gimmicky ornaments for music that is often boring.

In the end we have a prime example of the carnival/circus metal problem - more ideas than the artist can present in an effective way so the listener is just left with the sensation they are supposed to oooo and ahhhh at all the nonsense going on. The radical transitions from one idea to the next interrupt Sigh’s momentary glimpses of beauty, making the album a frustrating listen.

Originally written for: http://theoakconclave.blogspot.com/

Sigh’s career is widely known to be varied, but there are three basic eras it can be broken up into: the early days of their twisted black metal, the middle period of avant-garde experimentation, and the more recent furious blend of the two. Of the three, the middle period seems most overlooked. Sure, Imaginary Sonicscape is pretty well-beloved, but you’ll only ever hear of the other albums in passing. Gallows Gallery had its own set of controversy thanks to that horrific production disaster, and Infidel Art has recently been reissued in a glorious triple LP format (seriously, it’s beautiful), and hell, even Hail Horror Hail has its spot, being known for being so completely “out there.” But what about Scenario IV? Sigh’s album naming convention isn’t a secret, but if you ask people to go through the list of releases, this will be the one most commonly forgotten, even over the EP of Ghastly Funeral Theater.

It seems that nobody loves this album. Why? If anything, it’s one of their best works. The problem is, this was the straw that broke the camel’s back. This was the band’s last album with Cacophonous Records, and all the factors that led to their leaving were exhibited here in top form. The label was giving them very little funding to record their work, barely promoted it at all, and refused to fund them for a tour outside of Japan. Considering a label’s job is to foot the bill for promotion of a band so that the band can make more money for said label, I’d say Cacophonous was very much NOT doing their job. However, with no touring and no promotion, coupled with the fact that Cacophonous no longer exists, this album ended up falling through the cracks of history.

Don’t let the album’s out-of-print status put you off, though! Predictably, Cacophonous didn’t sell too many copies, and the lack of awareness about the album has resulted in a fairly large supply and low demand. You can easily find this record through Amazon and other such online retailers for a normal price… and you should take advantage of that fact. This is not the “most anything” release in the band’s catalog, but it represents the best synthesis of the various influences and ideas they had at the time. The album is sandwiched between Imaginary Sonicscape and Hail Horror Hail, and the sound on Scenario IV is clearly a blend of the two. It’s got most of the psychedelic rock n’ roll of the later album while still holding onto some of the darker and more occult themes of the earlier one.

In fact, many of the songs here would have fit on Imaginary Sonicscape if it hadn’t taken the “Sigh and the Electric Space Band” aesthetic direction. Iconoclasm in the Fourth Desert has all of the surreal lyrics, synthesizer support, and progressive song structures with out-of-genre sections the following album does, for instance. At the same time, though, you’ve got pieces like In the Mind of a Lunatic (with lyrics written by Killjoy) about Jack the Ripper and all the horror-slasher-movie-isms separating this album from that one. Sonically, there’s also more of a focus on orchestral sounds here than on Imaginary Sonicscape, more in accordance with the earlier albums. The Minimoog-style synths still pop up quite often, but the keyboards still focus a lot on the sounds used on Infidel Art and Hail Horror Hail.

But this says very little about the quality of the music! Frankly, I find Scenario IV to be a more compelling listen than either of the albums bookending it. That’s right, for all the praise Imaginary Sonicscape gets, I think this album is even better. The songs command your attention, smoothly blending from one idea to the next without stagnating. At the same time, they also have the courtesy to use an idea long enough to let it sink in, which is a compositional virtue that some bands seem to forget (I’m looking at you, Dark Angel… especially on Darkness Descends).

Diabolic Suicide is not really the best idea for an album opener, given its slow build, longer playing time, and focus on atmosphere over energy. Switching the first two tracks would have made for a smoother listen, but I will certainly not argue that any of the tracks should have been omitted. Infernal Cries, in fact, is fairly similar in tempo and fury to Hail Horror Hail’s title track and Corpsecry – Angelfall… but without the silly orchestral interludes of either. In the Mind of a Lunatic is the only other straight-forward rocker of a song, but if you’ve heard any of Sigh’s other albums up to Gallows Gallery, then you’re aware of the band’s tendency to write more progressive tracks with varying tempos.

Imprisoned is the shortest of those at only five minutes, but it’s certainly not lacking in ideas. Its jagged tempo switches invoke the mental instability of a person kept in solitary confinement for too long, and the slower parts keep a good atmosphere of lurking insanity. Black Curse is worth mentioning for its subject matter; it almost feels like it was a rejected track from the Ghastly Funeral Theater EP. That’s not to say it’s any weaker than those songs, but that EP ends up coming across as an incomplete conceptual work. I can’t help but wonder if this song was indeed supposed to appear there. It’s got the flavors of Japanese black magic present in the EP (even some Japanese lyrics) and the same heavier style of riffing.

Album closer Divine Graveyard deserves a bit of explanation. One (oddly) recurring criticism of Sigh is that they sound like circus music, and this song is often cited as an example. It’s one of those things that makes me wonder if some people find any sort of lighter, airier descending melody to be reminiscent of a carnival, but I really don’t hear it. To me, this song has always invoked more of a Danse Macabre sort of mood, supported by the preceding Waltz – Dread Dreams interlude. Imagine a sort of nightmare world, where the dead rise from their graves and engage in a twisted mockery of a ballroom dance, and you’ve got Divine Graveyard. Call it cartoony if you want, but it’s always struck me more as a case of the Uncanny Valley (look it up on TV Tropes if you don’t know).

Scenario IV isn’t an album that will convert people who hate Sigh into raving fanboys, but for anyone who enjoyed Imaginary Sonicscape, you should not skip out on the most-forgotten album in Sigh’s catalogue. The material is just as strong as the neon green album’s, and chock-full of the darker imagery the band seems to prefer. In that sense, you might call Scenario IV the quintessential Sigh release, at least for the middle period of their career. It may have been the straw that broke Sigh’s patience camel with Cacophonous, but that doesn’t mean it should be ignored! If the band started incorporated these songs into their live set and managed to secure a reissue of the album, maybe it would finally get the attention it deserves.

My first thought of Sigh: how ridiculous! Three Japanese guys who are stuck in the 60's and 70's? You have to be kidding?

Then I hear the opening track... a very grim riff is being played, with some odd (and strangely excellent) synths in the background. The time slows down, with an excellent acoustic interlude. Then, the music picks up again, demonstrating this bands ability to fuse obsolete 60's synthesizers with some interesting black metal riffs. The harmonies here are great, too. A breakdown of this album, piece by piece:

Vocals: Actually quite excellent. Nothing earth-shattering, but some excellent black metal vocals that greatly contribute to the other-worldly atmosphere of this album. Intelligent lyrics, too.

Guitars: Absolutely excellent! These guys manage to be extremely creative in this department. Some excellent solos, some great black metal riffs, and some harmonies that make you feel as though you're dropping acid in 1972. As you ease into your trip, some doom-like, Sabbath-esque riffs pound your eardrums slower than molasses.

Rhythm Section: Admittedly mediocre. You won't find any blastbeats here, and the drum patterns aren't overly creative. But all things considered, they don't need to be there. No harm, no gain either. The bass is drowned out, so don't even worry about whether or not the bass lines are interesting.

Synths: This coupled with the guitars is what make this band worthwhile. There's some great synths you won't hear anywhere else unless you visit an old record store and purchase some obsolete 60's records. Extremely interesting and innovative, and keep the music interesting.

The Good: Creative, innovative, a sound all their own.
The Bad: A tad monotonous at times, not the greatest production.

The Verdict: An extremely enjoyable album. Not for narrow minded old farts or those without imagination. However, if you want a psychedelically tinged black-doom bastard child... this album is a keeper. Thumbs up.