optisailor2002 Japan's Sigh is a rather eccentric band. Other than the obsession with having their release titles' first letters match S-I-G-H in that order, there is also the musical style that the band plays in - one that is ever-changing and hard to classify. Ever since my first exposure to the band in the form of Hangman's Hymn I was hooked, with the surprises that were kept in store in all their releases. While Hangman's Hymn featured bombastic orchestral and symphonic elements, 2010's Scenes from Hell saw the band heading towards a darker territory, dropping most of the flamboyant musical display, and In Somniphobia now leaves one wondering which direction the band would choose to take.

And it does not take long for one to know the answer as a melodic lead guitar instantly greets the listener on opening track Purgatorium. Unlike the bombastic sound on Hangman's Hymn and the dark overtone on Scenes from Hell, there is a markedly mellowing down in the band's sound on In Somniphobia, with the increased focus on the melody of the music, and there is even an almost buoyant/hopeful mood in the music. This is especially so with the neo-classical elements that the band has incorporated this time round, such as the usage of violins and a piano on Purgatorium, helping to give a somewhat beautiful and charming touch despite the contradicting gruff growls of Mirai and Dr. Mikkanibal. And it is also the usage of this neo-classical element that helps to mark Sigh as a Japanese band, with the numerous acts out of Japan that tend to utilise such influences in their music, and this is certainly not a complaint seeing how Sigh manages to incorporate these in their style of black metal with ease. Of course, it is also this catchiness in the music that ensures that fans of Sigh would instantly recognise the band despite the rather radical shift in style compared to previous releases.

Sigh's reputation as masters of avant-garde metal is certainly proven in the songwriting of the music that is contained in In Somniphobia, ranging from the usage of proggy synths on The Transfiguration Fear and L'excommunication a Minuit to the sexy-sounding saxophones of Dr. Mikkanibal that are combined seamlessly with the rest of the music. The appeal of the saxophone is especially so on Amnesia, complete with J-rock inspired guitar solos and tasteful pianos that transport the listener into a high-class lounge. There is even a heavy industrial/electronic sound on Somniphobia, displaying the wide range of influences that the band has included on the album. In addition, there are times when the band lets their oriental side shine, such as the percussions on The Transfiguration Fear and the melodies of Somniphobia and Amongst the Phantoms, giving an exotic taste to the album, with the latter helping to keep up that avant-garde style and image of the band.

Numerous sound samples are also littered throughout the album, giving it some sort of a storytelling flow and Opening Theme: Lucid Nightmare even helps to reinforce that haunting mood on the album, though towards the end of the album it starts to get slightly redundant and overwhelming, with the interludes that are included on almost all the tracks which could have perhaps been shortened or left out instead. Despite so, In Somniphobia once again manages to prove that Sigh are the masters of the avant-garde style of black metal, and further explores and improves on the sound that they have created on previous releases.

(http://www.heavymetaltribune.com/)

J-Man Japan may not have the world's most renowned metal scene, but Tokyo's Sigh have gained a reputation as one of the most forward-thinking extreme metal bands on an international scope since their formation in 1990. The band's constantly changing sound and ability to consistently put forth unique albums has impressed avant-garde metal fans for two decades, and In Somniphobia is proof that these giants have no intention of slowing down. This is a weird, weird album that spans nearly every conceivable genre out there, and yet Sigh manages to deliver their sound with consistency and fluidity. Although In Somniphobia is probably too "out there" for your average extreme metal fan, anybody with a craving for forward-thinking and truly innovative metal music is bound to have an absolute blast with what these Japanese masters have conjured this time around.

In Somniphobia served as my introduction to Sigh's music, and although I have since investigated some of their earlier releases, I'm still awestruck by how eclectic this album is. I've really never heard anything like this before, and while some comparisons can be drawn to groups like Mr. Bungle or Unexpect, Sigh is a distinctly different band. The 'black metal' label that is usually used to describe the band is rather minimal, and instead In Somniphobia sounds like a blend of death metal, classical music, progressive rock, jazz fusion, funk, trip-hop, free jazz, pop, psychedelic rock, avant-garde, Arabic music, and just about anything else under the sun. Possibly the most surprising factor about In Somniphobia is that, in spite of its seemingly 'random' nature, Sigh manages to blend all of these vastly different sounds into a cohesive and logical sound - somehow the band makes all of these genres sound as if they were 'meant' to be blended together, and this is unquestionably In Somniphobia's greatest strength.

Take a listen to the twisted, brutal-take-on-lounge-jazz of "Amnesia", for instance. Though most sane people would agree that lounge jazz and death metal don't belong within 100 feet of each other, Sigh begs to differ, and creates a unique concoction of these two vastly different styles - and, most of all, it works exceptionally well. Keep in mind, however, that this is just one out of eleven tracks. Before this album is over, you'll be treated with a strange neo-classical extreme metal sound in "Purgatorium", a Latin jazz rhythm section from hell in "The Transfiguration Fear Lucid Nightmares", a disturbed carnival music opus in the form of "Far Beneath the In-Between", as well as just about anything else the most perverted parts of your brain desire. This is a demanding, disturbed, and extremely challenging record, but Sigh manages to convey their avant-garde sound in a way that still manages to be fun for the open-minded listener.

Although the hour-plus playing time can make for a rather exhausting listen and the unpolished production doesn't quite fit the music in my opinion, these are minor complaints when we're talking about an album that's this damn good. As eclectic and flat-out weird as In Somniphobia may be, Sigh manages to make their one-of-a-kind sound come across as coherent and fluid - something like this can rarely be said about most bands that take a musical approach as decidedly avant-garde as Sigh's. This is a simply spectacular album, and 4 stars is the very least I can give out in this case. Fans of Sigh and avant-garde metal in general owe it to themselves to hear this magnificent opus.

Conor Fynes 'The Curse Of Izanagi' - Sigh (7/10)

In tandem with the release of their eighth studio album 'Scenes From Hell', Sigh put out this EP to give their rabid fans something extra to chew into. 'The Curse Of Izanagi' is a four song EP from these guys, and I have to say, even though the band was not setting off to do anything groundbreaking for their career here, they have created a charismatic batch of tracks here that shows the strange style of Sigh in full. Like most people, I tend not to take EPs with the same serious intent that I would a full-length album, and while there is not the sort of depth here that I would find on a full record by this band, there is certainly enough here to keep a listener engaged through to the end.

The first song here is the title track, and it really shows Sigh moving back to their roots of black metal. Saturated with screams, blastbeats, and a level of speed where I was thinking I had a malfunctioning copy that was running twice as fast, 'The Curse Of Izanagi' would actually be a pretty incomprehensible short burst of raw black metal, were it not for the symphonic orchestrations that are added overtop. Sigh uses some Japanese traditional sounds here, and it gives the band a more unique and distinctive feel to them. Next is 'War', which is more an ambient track than anything, with eerie soundscapes and a British accented man droning on with poetry that sounds like it could very well be Edgar Allan Poe's. It is a great track for ambiance and atmosphere, but didn't give me that chaotic shock like the first track.

The third track here 'Spiritual' may be the least memorable track of them all, despite being the most melodic. It takes that fusion of Japanese symphonic elements and raw metal that we heard on the first track and goes in a different direction with it, a slower moving track with the keyboards forming a pleasant melody. Despite having grimy chords backing it up, it is actually a fairly optimistic track, and a sharp contrast to the final track. Paying homage to what I can interpret as their equivalent of 'gods on earth' (based on the amount of tributes they have given to them), Sigh covers a track by their favourite band Venom, the song 'Countess Bathory'. Here, we hear Sigh as raw and filthy as they were at the start of their careers, and while the song is incredibly simple (it actually reminded me of a black metal rendition of Nirvana, goat help me...), it is memorable as hell, ending the EP on a powerful note.

Although it will certainly be fans that will get the most out of this record, 'The Curse Of Izanagi' is a great EP from Sigh, and shows some of metal's most innovative personnel doing what they do best. There is still nothing groundbreaking here, but there is more than enough here to impress me.

Sheavy Sigh are one of Japan's most wide known metal bands, and there is a very good reason why. This is unlike anything else you have ever heard before.

The base style here is black metal, but when one listens to this album, that reallly does not cover at all what music is contained within. The vocals tend to be black metal sounding, and there are guitar parts that sound definently black metal, but then you get something like the song Nietzschean Conspiracy, which starts off with some electronic washings, a saxophone, and some heavy drummachine bass beats, and then it gains some symphonic flourishes. There is nothing in this song at all that in any way reminds me black metal.

I prefer to let albums speak for themselves so I won't spoil this album by talkng on it too much. I will say one more thing though. You know no band that lists a Speak And Spell as a instrument is going to be anything but strange.

Conor Fynes 'Infidel Art' - Sigh (7/10)

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.