SIGH — Hangman's Hymn: Musikalische Exequien (review)

SIGH — Hangman's Hymn: Musikalische Exequien album cover Album · 2007 · Symphonic Black Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
4/5 ·
siLLy puPPy
After a couple avant-garde releases that were still just barely clinging on to an association with black metal, the strange musical entity known as SIGH retreats back to a predominant black metal sound on HANGMAN'S HYMN: MUSIKALISCHE EXEQUIEN with a brash bravado and hyperactive dynamic delivery unlike many of their releases and has an energy level more akin to a thrash or death metal band. The music is an interesting mix of speedy black metal with raspy vocals (and rare clean ones) mixed with a symphonic pompousness that at times seem like they are competing with one another. The general pattern is a black metal dominant sound which in a patterned manner takes back seat to symphonic elements which are based of Mozart's “Requiem in D-minor,” continuing this Japanese band's obsession with all things Western music. The album is divided into three acts which is basically a black metal opera of sort. In composure it brings to mind Carach Angren's “Where The Corpses Sink Forever” but sounds a bit like Crade Of Filth with the aggressive metal mixed with sophisticated symphonics.

When it comes to the choir parts of this album SIGH didn't fool around. They solicited volunteers to sing in Latin and send in audio files and the result is a rich and bloated full sound that belies the fact that this is really just a quartet on full time duty. This is in short, a very well done album that delivers both black metal and symphonic balance where every tracks runs together in harmony and I find the album really goes by too fast. Although it seems like “Imaginary Sonicscape” is the one stop and move on album in SIGH's discography, I would like to emphasize how good their other albums are. This one is certainly more metal oriented than that album but for anyone interested in a black metal sound that is embellished with brilliant additional elements then SIGH simply must be checked out beyond a token single album. For those with a fetish for symphonic metal of any type this one will certainly entertain your inner Mozart meets Darkthrone fantasies.
Share this review
more

Review Comments

Post a public comment below | Send private message to the reviewer
Please login to post a shout
No shouts posted yet. Be the first member to do so above!

Review Index

Member Zone

Username:
Password:
Stay signed in

Metal Subgenres

Artists Alpha-index

MMA TOP 5 Metal ALBUMS

Rating by members, ranked by custom algorithm
Albums with 30 ratings and more
Master of Puppets Thrash Metal
METALLICA
Buy this album from our partners
Paranoid Heavy Metal
BLACK SABBATH
Buy this album from our partners
Moving Pictures Hard Rock
RUSH
Buy this album from our partners
Powerslave NWoBHM
IRON MAIDEN
Buy this album from our partners
Rising Heavy Metal
RAINBOW
Buy this album from our partners

New Metal Artists

New Metal Releases

Death Is Not The End Doom Metal
GLOSSA
Buy this album from MMA partners
The Way Forward Sludge Metal
BLACK TUSK
Buy this album from MMA partners
Till Aska Atmospheric Sludge Metal
WALK THROUGH FIRE
Buy this album from MMA partners
Oud Zeer Atmospheric Sludge Metal
ONTAARD
Buy this album from MMA partners
Oud Zeer Sludge Metal
THROWING BRICKS
Buy this album from MMA partners
More new releases

New Metal Online Videos

Agremorta - Adrocitas (Official Lyric Video)
AGREMORTA
Bosh66· 2 days ago
Agremorta - Ploratus Umbra (Official Lyric Video)
AGREMORTA
Bosh66· 2 days ago
Agremorta - Vertex Membrana (Official Lyric Video)
AGREMORTA
Bosh66· 2 days ago
HAIL SPIRIT NOIR - The Temple Of Curved Space (Official Track Stream)
HAIL SPIRIT NOIR
adg211288· 2 days ago
In Sulfur - The Gate (OFFICIAL VIDEO) 2022
IN SULFUR
Bosh66· 3 days ago
More videos

New MMA Metal Forum Topics

More in the forums

New Site interactions

More...

Latest Metal News

members-submitted

More in the forums

Social Media

Follow us
Follow us on Twitter Become a Facebook fan RSS Feed