Probably Japan’s best known black metal band is the bizarre trio known as Sigh. Consisting of bassist/keyboardist/vocalist Mirai Kawashima, guitarist Shinichi Ishikawa and drummer Satoshi Fujinami, the band has never been satisfied with sounding like just any old black metal band, no sir! The band got signed by Mayhem guitarist Euronymous to his fledgling label called Deathlike Silence Productions (which also spawned bands like Enslaved and Burzum) and the first Sigh album entitled Scorn Defeat hit the shelves in 1993. Unfortunately Euronymous did not live to see its release, as he was brutally murdered in August of ‘93 by former friend and Burzum leader Varg “Count Grishnackh” Vikernes (but that’s another story). While Sigh’s early sound drew from inspirations such influential bands such as Bathory, Celtic Frost and Venom, they were the first Black Metal band to heavily use keyboards in their music. And while their debut had it’s weird moments, that was nothing compared to how many crazy directions the band wanted to twist their sound on later releases. All the crazy experiments Sigh employed on their earlier recordings have been fully realized on their 2001 release Imaginary Sonicscape. This is one of those albums that I bought through the recommendation of my good friend Keith (hail fellow metal brother!). Once I listened to it, I was so amazed and perplexed by the abnormal cacophony of sounds and influences on this album that I just felt I had to tell the world about this amazing but strange Japanese trio of genre-benders. You ever feel that way about a band? I felt that way about Nightwish (I still do!) and feel that same way about Sigh. Prepare yourself for an amazing journey!

I have been trying to write this review for a few weeks now, and it has been the most challenging review for me to write since I have started contributing album reviews for Beyond Ear Candy about 7 months ago. I have hit the delete button many times trying to think of the best way to describe the album. It’s almost impossible for me to write this in a traditional way. I hope it lives up to BEC’s high standards because this is going to be very different. Stay with me on this one!

Imaginary Sonicscape is a quantum leap forward in the world of black metal as well as heavy metal. This album, which is Sigh’s 5th album and their first on Century Media, still contains many of the basic elements of metal music and black metal: dirty and heavy guitar riffs, dark lyrical content and raspy vocal screams. Now throw in some amazingly well played and trippy keyboards that could be found on a Doors album. Follow me? Good. Add a generous helping of dark yet beautiful orchestral passages heavily influenced by horror movies and composers such as John Williams and John Zorn. Still in the ballpark? OK. Add Japanese female choirs, reggae passages, disco/funk breakdowns, crazy vocal effects, recorders (those plastic flutes you used to play in school music class), porno movie style jazz arrangements and you now you at least have an idea of how many different arrangements and styles are on this album.

To be able to throw all of these crazy curveballs that I have just mentioned, you need to have a good musical base to build everything on top it. The base is formed by the same dirty and raw guitar riffage you will find on any black metal album, but it is done with a 70’s hard rock mentality. The guitar parts have a very bluesy quality most of the time and the solos are very bluesy and catchy. Guitarist Shinichi seems to be able to pull these awesome retro riffs off seemingly at will and is a very overlooked guitarist in the metal world. While most black metal bands feature drummers that can rattle off a million blast beats at high speeds, Sigh drummer Satoshi plays mostly mid tempo drum beats in a very simple fashion without much flash or flair. The style fits the music perfectly and allows the music to breathe over top of the simple, but solid drum work. Mirai’s bass playing is solid but not overdone, but where this man excels is with his keyboard work and his vocals. Mirai employed many different keyboards on this album to get different textures and sounds capes and the result is amazing. How many keyboards did he use recording this album? Well, let’s just list them: Fender Rhodes, Hammond organ, MiniMoog, Yamaha acoustic piano, Hohner Clavinet, a Roland vocorder plus other keyboards as well as other effects like a ring modulator and a Speak and Spell! Mirai’s vocals are to me some of the best in black metal. While he does seem to strain his voice at times, his demonic rasp sounds so damn cool it doesn’t really matter. He also uses many vocal effects which yield some very strange but awesome results! Very cool in my opinion.

Now that I have done my best to describe the music and what sounds and arrangements were used on this album, I will pick a few songs which to me stand out as highlights. It is nearly impossible for me to do a track-by-track rundown on this album because the many different styles would make each song description almost a page long! Pick any track and you will encounter moments ranging from the cool to the ridiculous, but they are all enjoyable. The opening track “Corpsecry-Angelfall” has extremely catchy guitar work, killer bluesy solos and amazing psychedelic keyboards, as well as a soothing orchestral passage at the end. It is probably the most straightforward song on the album. “Nietzschean Conspiracy” is a completely electronic track fueled by the aforementioned porno-jazz groove and Mirai’s echo soaked vocals. The lyrics for the song were written by ex-Emperor drummer Bard “Faust” Eithun (see my review of Emperor’s In The Nightside Eclipse for more info on him). “A Sunset Song” features a beginning harmony lead which sounds so happy it would make Euronymous spin in his grave before being destroyed by Shinichi’s crunchy yet catchy guitar and Mirai’s demonic rasp. Add a Japanese keyboard interlude and a disco/funk breakdown that will have you looking for the polyester and you have another masterpiece of wackiness. The epic 5 part track “Slaughtergarden Suite” features every crazy twist and turn you could think of and will give your senses a workout, featuring more psychedelic keys, echo soaked rasps and orchestral passages. The final track “Requiem-Nostalgia” is a slower track and a bit more doomy, but then the crazy vocal effects, acoustic guitars and the recorders come out to play as well as some clean, pseudo-operatic vocals by Mirai. And just when you thought the madness was over, a chorus of giggling baby sound effects speeded up take you out of the sonicscape and back to reality. I don’t want to leave! Reality sucks! But at this point you may be either amazed, perplexed, or confused. It means you haven’t grasped the concept yet. This album may take 5 or 6 listens for the average metal listener to at least have an inkling to the genius that is emanating from their speakers. Give it time, it WILL grow on you! You have Snowy’s guarantee!

Overall, Sigh’s Imaginary Sonicscape is an amazing journey through the minds of three Japanese musical geniuses/madmen that cannot be missed by any metal fan. Is this black metal? Sort of…so “hardcore tr00 n3kro kvlt” (I spelled in that way on purpose) black metal fans need not apply. Who this album will appeal to are metal fans who love not only metal but have an appreciation for experimental music and the ambition to push the musical envelope while still staying close to your roots. Because under all of it’s weirdness, Imaginary Sonicscape is just a great metal album with catchy guitar riffs, great guitar solos, virtuoso keyboards and memorable songs. Please give this album a listen and hear yet another band which is the future of heavy metal! Take a journey on the Sonicscape and enjoy the trip!

Reviewer:  Matt "Snowy Owl" Bankes

   (5 out of 5)
 

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