Sigh
Formed: 1990
From:
Tokyo,
Japan
Last Known Status: Active
Latest Sigh News
Below is our complete Sigh news coverage, including columns and articles pertaining to the band. Some articles listed may be indirectly related, such as side projects of the band members, etc.
Displaying records 1 - 20 of 68 1 2 3 4 Last
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Anaal Nathrakh Returns To London With Full Force
Look up the most influential or acclaimed comedies of all time and you'll always see The Odd Couple. This might be a strange way to start a review of a metal gig, but when you think about it, metal shows are often at their best when they offer variety, or a combination that you wouldn't normally expect to see. So it was on April 14th in London, when British blackened industrial grindcore outfit Anaal Nathrakh teamed up with Japanese avant-garde black metal legends Sigh to put on a Hell of a show in every sense of the word.
Appropriately, it was a freezing cold night in the English capital city, with no shortage of ice and a little snow outside before eventually heading inside to the Scala. Despite personally attending live shows in London for nearly twenty years, this was my first visit to the Scala, which hopefully won't be my last. The Scala combines the grandiose feel of an old theatre upon entrance, while in the gig room itself, for lack of a better term, it provides a two tiered space with an area for those who like to be down the front and dirty, as well as those who have done their time in the pit and prefer to stand in the back.
Opening the show, those who arrived early were treated to a little local flavour as London's own De Profundis took to the stage around seven. While their time was short, they more than made the most of it, unleashing twenty five minutes of heaviness and anti-authoritarian death metal. As one might expect, the set focused heavily on the band's new album, "The Corruption Of Virtue," released only two months prior. These songs, such as "Weaponised Rape" and "Scapegoat" sat perfectly beside opener, "Martyrs" and closing number, "War Be Upon Him," both taken from "The Blinding Light Of Faith." A short stay, but a memorable one and De Profundis continue to make a name for themselves as one of Britain's leading death metal acts. More...
Sigh Shares "Shoujahitsumetsu" Music Video
Following the release of "Shiki," their new studio album, Peaceville, the cult Japanese black metal legends Sigh have released a new video for the track "Shoujahitsumetsu."
Sigh mainman Mirai Kawashima explains the meaning behind the trackL "'Shoujahitsumetsu' is a word in Buddhism and stands for "Anything that is alive has to die in the end". I tried to express my fear of death through the album, and this song should be the case in point. This is the most furious track on the album filled with my feat that will never fade away."
The release of the performance video comes just as the band are returning to London for their first show in 12 years – they’ll be playing on Wednesday 14th December at the Scala with Anaal Nathrakh .. this is not a show to be missed! "I cannot believe that it’s been 12 years since we played in the UK last time. Time flies! But anyway we’ll be back. And it is so exciting to play with a great band like Anaal Nathrakh! We will play the varied songs from our debut album 'Scorn Defeat' to the latest one 'Shiki.' Don’t miss it, or you are going to have to wait for another 12 years!" says Kawashima
Sigh’s recently released opus, "Shiki," is dark & eclectic blackened heavy metal, shrouded in traditional eastern influences, and marks the latest chapter in the Sigh legacy, which includes some of the band’s heaviest and darkest material for some years; has been wowed fans new and old and received critical acclaim from the worldwide media. More...
Sigh Unveils "Satsui" Music Video
Following the announcement of "Shiki," their new studio album, on 26th August through Peaceville, the cult Japanese black metal legends Sigh have released a video for the track "Satsui."
Sigh mainman Mirai Kawashima explains the track "The album ‘Shiki’ is mostly about my personal fear of getting old and my fear of death, but some of the songs are a bit off topic and ‘Satsui’ is one of them. ‘Satsui’ means ‘Intent to Kill’ and it is my personal view on the death penalty. You often hear people say ‘The criminal penalty is not meant to be for revenge’ or ‘we all live in a country governed by law’, but I do not think things are that simple; but of course everybody has the right to have their own opinions though. I guess the song is one of the most straightforward ones on the album."
He goes on to explain the full album version of the song – "Satsui - Geshi No Ato" - "On the other hand, ‘Geshi no Ato’ is a completely different song. I composed that as an outro to ‘Satsui’, and the lyrical concept followed. The title means ‘After Summer Solstice'’, which is a metaphor saying that your heyday is gone. I played all the guitars on this and Mike Heller banged chairs, pieces of wood, boxes, water bottles, etc to create the beat!"
The full version of the song, "Satsui - Geshi No Ato" will be released as a digital single on all streaming platforms on Thursday 10th August.
Sigh’s forthcoming opus, "Shiki," is dark & eclectic blackened heavy metal, shrouded in traditional eastern influences, and marks the latest chapter in the Sigh legacy, which includes some of the band’s heaviest and darkest material for some years; a fine hybrid of at times primitive black metal akin to early influences such as Celtic Frost amid more epic melodic heavy metal riffing and solos. It will take you on a journey through the strange and the psychedelic, incorporating a whole eclectic mix of genre styles & experimentation throughout their career. Highlighting that Sigh has remained a vital creative force in the avantgarde field whilst maintaining their old school roots.
The word "Shiki" itself has various meanings in Japanese such as four seasons, time to die, conducting an orchestra, ceremony, motivation, colour. The two primary themes for the album are "four seasons" and "time to die". The concept and artwork is based around a traditional Japanese poem, and on ‘Shiki’ Mirai explores how at this stage of life he himself is going through Autumn, with Winter coming soon, and so empathises with the contrasting sentimental feelings from watching cherry blossoms (a symbol of spring) in full bloom. More...
Sigh To Release New Album "Shiki" In August
Cult Japanese black metal legends Sigh have announced details of their new album "Shiki" to be released on August 26th on Peaceville. You can pre-order it at this location.
"Shiki," an opus of dark & eclectic blackened heavy metal, shrouded in traditional eastern influences, marks the latest chapter in the Sigh legacy and includes some of the band’s heaviest and darkest material for some years; a fine hybrid of at times primitive black metal akin to early influences such as Celtic Frost amid more epic melodic heavy metal riffing and solos. It will take you on a journey through the strange and the psychedelic, incorporating a whole eclectic mix of genre styles & experimentation throughout their career. Highlighting that Sigh has remained a vital creative force in the avantgarde field whilst maintaining their old school roots.
Immerse yourself in Sigh’s new world through the first single "Mayonaka No Kaii" and the accompanying illustrated video from animator extraordinaire Costin Chioreanu.
"The song is kind of a culmination of what Sigh has been up to. Whistle scream, throat singing, Uriah Heep like vocal harmonies, vocoder, flute solo, shakuhachi solo, Hammond solo and the great guitar solo by Fred - it's got everything! Although it's only 5-minute long, it's a very dramatic song with many aspects. The title stands for ‘a strange incident at midnight’, and it's based on actual weird experience I had .. Long story short, I experienced midnight twice in one night! You can read the details at the end of the video. We have been working with Costin for a long time, so we were 100% sure that he'd be the best guy to visualize my eerie experience, and how did it turn out? You all see for yourselves!" - Mirai Kawashima. More...
Sigh Signs With Peaceville Records
As veterans of the black metal scene after more than 30 years of existence and eleven full-length studio albums, as well as being among the most eclectic metal bands with their effortless flirting between numerous musical genre influences over the years, it is a great pleasure to welcome Sigh to Peaceville for their next opus.
Sigh founder and main-man, Mirai Kawashima, shares a few words on the new signing: "I've been following Peaceville's history from the very beginning. I mean the albums by bands like Deviated Instinct, Electro Hippies, Doom, Axegrinder, Autopsy, Paradise Lost etc. were my go-to music in my youth. (and they still are!) When I visited London a few years ago, I met Paul (though we've known each other for around 20 years now) and talked about a possible re-release of 'Scorn Defeat' and, as you may know, it actually happened and went really well. So when Sigh needed a new home for the new album, Peaceville was an obvious choice. I am very happy to work with them and really cannot wait for the new album to come out through them later this year!"
Paul Groundwell, Peaceville’s label manager comments on the signing "At once intrigued and captivated by Sigh ever since the release of the timeless ‘Scorn Defeat’, with Eastern themes, the Celtic Frost-tinged riffing and also the effective integration of piano into an underground type sound, there was always a certain dark magic to the band which made them unique among much else in the early 90s scene. Certainly, Sigh went on to bigger things and much deserved success, exploring and embracing the weird and the wonderful without artistic compromise over the years. Venturing through the realms of the avantgarde and more traditional classic metal, the old school heart always remained. And so, with such an impressive body of work preceding them, we’re excited to witness this next chapter of the band’s legacy on Peaceville."
Stay tuned for more information on the release of the new Sigh album.
Sigh Begins Writing New Material
Japanese extreme metal favourites Sigh has posted a picture online indicating that they are working on new material. The photo, showing a collection of effects pedals along with the caption, "Demoing continues. It's a long way to go."
While a new album is a while off, it will be their first since 2018's, "Heir To Despair," which was released through Candlelight Records.
Sigh To Re-Release Debut Album
Cult Japanese black metal legends Sigh formed in 1989/90, featuring mainman Mirai Kawashima, Satoshi Fujinami & Kazuki Ozeki. Their masterful debut "Scorn Defeat" became one of the country’s greatest and most revered metal exports. With a journey through the strange and the psychedelic, incorporating a whole eclectic mix of genre styles & experimentation throughout their career, Sigh has remained a vital creative force in the avantgarde field. However, at its core, Sigh has always remained true to its roots of old school metal. With a deep appreciation for the black metal masters of the 80s such as Celtic Frost and Venom, Sigh would weave intricate keyboard textures and skilled piano composition courtesy of Mirai Kawashima among the Frost-fuelled riffing to create an atmospherically distinctive and dark sound. The lyrical content was also unusual for the time, incorporating strong elements of occultism and eastern mysticism to differentiate them somewhat from their Scandinavian peers.
"Scorn Defeat" was originally released in 1993 after the band had signed to Mayhem guitarist Euronymous’ emerging Deathlike Silence Productions, with the album eventually surfacing following his death (& also dedicated in his honour).
Mirai Kawashima, Sigh mainman comments: "'Scorn Defeat' is a magical album. Now we are more mature musicians with much more knowledge about music and better playing ability, but (or maybe I should say "therefore") if we re-recorded it now, the album wouldn't sound any better, as all the magic would be lost. What delights me the most is that the album we recorded almost 30 years ago is still loved and being newly re-released like this, which we never expected back then. This special release makes me proud and makes my life as a musician something meaningful."
The album will be released as a special 2-cd edition of the 1993 genre classic debut of eastern darkness from Japan’s black metal purveyors. Includes bonus rare demo & rough mix tracks & full live show, plus booklet interview with mainman Mirai Kawashima; and also will be available as a single LP on 180g white vinyl and digitally. Peaceville will also release a special collection of the band’s earliest works from their formative years, including demos & rarities, more details to follow.
Sigh Posts New Music Video Online
Japanese avant garde metal legends Sigh has posted a new animated music video online for the song, "Homo Homini Lupus." You can check it out below. The song features guest vocals from Down/Superjoint/Former Pantera frontman Phil Anselmo and comes from the band's new album, "Heir To Despair," which will be released through Candlelight Records on November 16th.
"Heir to Despair" tracklisting:
1. Aletheia
2. Homo Homini Lupus
3. Hunters Not Horned
4. In Memories Delusional
Heresy Trilogy
5. Heresy I: Oblivium
6. Heresy II: Acosmism
7. Heresy III: Sub Specie Aeternitatis
8. Hands of the String-puller
9. Heir to Despair. More...
Phil Anselmo Guests On New Sigh Song
Japanese avant garde metal legends Sigh has revealed that their latest album, "Heir To Dispair" will be released on November 16th through Candlelight/Spinefarm Records. The band has also premiered a new song, "Homo Homini Lupus" featuring Down/Superjoint/ex Pantera vocalist Phil Anselmo, which can be heard when pre-ordering the album here.
While the previous album "Graveward" (2015) was rather symphonic orchestral stuff, "Heir to Despair" is pointing at the completely opposite direction. Heavily inspired by old crazy progressive bands like Brainticket, Embryo, Agitation Free, Between, Gentle Giant, Os Mutantes, Modulo 1000, Black Widow, etc.,"Heir to Despair" turned out to be a heavy, psychedelic and exotic album filled with vintage keyboards and flute.
"Homo Homini Lupus" is the first track to be shared from the record featuring guest vocals from Phil Anselmo. Vocalist Mirai Kawashima comments,
"Homo Homini Lupus" is one of the fastest and the simplest tracks on "Heir to Despair". Don't expect other songs to sound like this. "Homo Homini Lupus" means "Man is wolf to man" in Latin. Thomas Hobbes referred to this verb to describe how men would act in the state of nature before we were civilized. The world shown in "The Walking Dead" series should be the best example of what we truly are. Men become wolves, or should I say men are wolves in their real nature. Look what our ancestors did during the wartime! Look what our ancestors did during famine! We have own wolves inside." More...
Sigh Finishes New Album
Japanese extreme metal legends Sigh has announced that they have completed mastering their new studio album, "Heir To Despair." A statement on the band's official Facebook account reads as follows:
"Now Sigh's new album "Heir to Despair" has been mixed, mastered and delivered to the label. I am not sure about the release date yet though. It sure is a very Asian album, at least to my ears."
This will be their first album since the critically acclaimed, "Graveyard," which was released in 2015 through Candlelight Records.
Sigh Reveals New Album Title
Japanese extreme metal veterans Sigh has posted a short update online, in which revealed the name of their forthcoming new album. The message reads as follows:
"Time files but we promise that our new album 'Heir to Despair' will be coming out some time in 2018. The recording process should be done very soon and we have already shot the video for one of the songs."
This will be Sigh's first album since the critically acclaimed, "Graveward" (see review here) in 2015. More...
Sigh Reveals New Album Title
Japanese extreme metal veterans Sigh has announced that the name of their new album will be, "Heir To Despair." The album title continues the group's tradition of naming their records with titles beginning with S, I, G and H, following on from their previous release, "Graveward." A short update on the band's Facebook page, which also reveals why the record has been taking longer than expected, reads as follows:
"I was hoping to finish recording the new album "Heir to Despair" by the end of this year but the things have been moving much slower than we thought. I have been taking a lot of time to learn flute etc. Anyway our 2017 will start with Blastfest then we will finish up the new album for sure."
"Heir To Despair" will be the band's eleventh studio album and is expected to be released through Candlelight Records.
Sigh Confirmed For Blastfest 2017
In the heart of winter, in the shadows of the mountains, and in one of the cities most renowned for metal and beauty in the world, Blastfest takes place next February in Bergen, Norway.
The four day festival runs from the 22nd to 25th of February 2017, and following the booting of Peste Noire and Horna from the bill, there has been a steady stream of band announcements for the next edition of the festival.
2017's Blastfest will include a heavy set from Devin Townsend Project, an exclusive "Heaven Shall Burn... When We Are Gathered" set from Marduk, appearances from Memoriam, Between The Buried & Me, Dying Fetus, Hell, Akercocke and the world debut performance of Phil Anselmo’s new Scour project.
Now it's time for some new announcements which brings the festival ever closer to a complete lineup: Elizabeth, Kronos & Sigh! Stay tuned for more announcements still to come. More...
Sigh Posts New Music Video Online
Japanese extreme metal legends Sigh has posted a new music video online for their song, "The Forlorn." You can check it out below. The song comes from the group's latest studio album, "Graveward," which was released last year due to rave reviews (including a perfect score from this very website,) and is the second song from the album to receive the music video treatment following, "Out of the Grave."
The band are currently working on new material for their next album, with guitarist Kadenzza Yuichi Oshima posting the following message online:
"Now I'm recording the guitars for Sigh's upcoming new "H" album. But I'm stranding re-amping...... and in a mess... The wiring between Cubase and Kemper doesn't work well.
"Anyway the "H" album, we have to make it better than "Graveward"... I'll do it!!!" More...
Bloodway Taps Dr. Mikannibal For New Album
Bloodway, the band lead by Romanian graphic designer Costin Chioreanu from Twilight13media (At the Gates, Mayhem, Arcturus, Darkthrone, Sigh etc), has announced full details for the new album "Mapping The Moment With The Logic of Dreams."
The album features Dr. Mikannibal from Sigh as a special guest performing saxophone on the track “A Hallow Bridge” and will officially drop September 25th, 2015.
“Bloodway exist without expectations, and without trying to please anybody but ourselves,” proudly asserts Costin Chioreanu. Together with drummer Alex Ghita and bassist Mihai Andrei, he formed the band in 2013 and since then has been busy refining its style: an intriguing, surprising brew of black metal, psych-prog and avant-garde music, filtered through Chioreanu’s metaphysic visions and life’s deepest emotions. The new album's track listing is:
1. Seeding Distance (1:49)
2. The Transfinite Castaway (7:05)
3. Walking Past Near The Lighthouse (6:55)
4. Mirror Twins (4:09)
5. Early Glade Test Pilot (6:47)
6. A Hallow Bridge (5:57)
7. Garden Of Diurnal Fractals (5:33)
8. Mapping The Moment With The Logic Of Dreams (4:51) More...
Report
Graspop Metal Meeting: Day One
The Graspop Metal Meeting festival, held annually in the small Belgian town of Dessel, has become one of the highlights of the metal calendar, along with such festivals as Wacken Open Air and Hellfest and this year, the event proved how successful it is by celebrating it's twentieth edition. It was certainly a special way to mark the occassion, booking a number of bands who had never played the festival before but who fans had been clamouring to see. It has always traditionally catered to head bangers of all ages, bringing in bands from the early days of metal to the stars of today, as well as up and comers. Before we go any further, it should be noted that due to scheduling conflicts, some big names either will not be covered in this review, or only mentioned briefly, so don't be disappointed if your favourite band doesn't get the treatment you want, if at all. So, with all that said, just how good can a metal festival in the Flemish region be? Read on, MacDuff.
Arriving on the Thursday, the camp site seemed to be smoother than ever to get in to than previous years. Whether this is because the staff have further improved the planning of the grounds, metal heads have become friendlier over the past four years, or because I've been put on medication since my last visit, we'll never know. Anyway, the general atmosphere at Graspop was, as per usual, a very relaxed one, with people from all over the world coming to listen to and celebrate the music they love so dearly. There are some bands performing on this day too, mostly cover acts such as The Art of Pantera and Diolegacy. It's a good way to get introduced to the festival grounds, get some tokens (imagine Disney money but with skulls on,) and familiarise yourself with the stages, food stalls and the cafe, which is more of a pub with Warlock on full blast.
On to the most important thing however, the music. Kicking off the main stage, or rather, the second main stage as the festival now has two, was hard rock supergroup, The Dead Daisies. The band features a collective of solid names such as Marco Mendoza, Dizzy Reed and former Motley Crue vocalist, John Corabi. Looking at the bands on the members resume such as Guns N Roses, Thin Lizzy and Whitesnake, their good time, hard rocking sound was pretty much what one would expect. This does not, however, stop them from doing their job of getting people on their feet, putting smiles on faces and generally bringing a great vibe to the event that is so vital in making sure a festival gets off to a good start. They're not just a party act either, they've got some genuinly good songs and a number of people seemed to be a little surprised how much they enjoyed the set. Bottom line: If you want to party like it's 1985, go see the Dead Daisies. You'll be glad you did. More...
Sigh Streams Full New Album
"Graveward" is the new ten-track offering from iconic Japanese avant extreme metal unit, Sigh (check out our review here).
Inspired by musician/composer Fabio Frizzi, "Graveward" pays homage to Italian zombie and Hammer Horror classics and features guest performances from Trivium's Matthew Heafy, DragonForce's Fred Leclercq, Shining's Niklas Kvarforth, Rotting Christ's Sakis Tolis, The Meads Of Asphodel's Metatron and more.
Already consuming the hordes in Europe, "Graveward" will be released in North America via Candlelight Records on May 4th, 2015. You can now hear the entire album online in full below, courtesy of InvisibleOranges.com. More...
Sigh Posts New Track "Kaedit Nos Pestis"
Experimental metal outfit Sigh is streaming a new clip for the track "Kaedit Nos Pestis" in the player below.
This is the second single taken from Sigh's new album "Graveward," which comes out April 13th in Europe and May 4th in the U.S.
The previously posted track "Out Of The Grave" is also still available for streaming over at this location. More...
Sigh Posts New Clip "Out of the Grave"
Experimental metal outfit Sigh is streaming a new music video for the track "Out of the Grave" below.
This is the first single taken from Sigh's new album "Graveward," which comes out April 13th in Europe and May 4th in the U.S.
"Out of the Grave" also features some guest vocals by Trivium’s Matt Heafym who's voice is almost completely unrecognizable on this track though. Check it out below. More...
Sigh Announces New Album
Sigh has wrapped up work on new album "Graveward," with an official release date to soon be announced. The artwork can be seen below, and the band also issued this press release:
"Two and a half years were required to finish up Sigh's 10th studio full-length album 'Graveward,' which embraces everything from vintage keyboards such as Minimoog and Fender Rhodes to real orchestral instruments.
"Each song ended up in having more than 100 tracks and the total amount of the sound data exceeded 100GB. 'Cinematic Horror Metal' should be the best phrase to describe this most layered grandiose album in Sigh's history.
"Inspired by a little chat with Fabio Frizzi, well-known for his legendary works for Lucio Fulci's movies like 'The Gates of Hell' and 'The Beyond,' 'Graveward' was composed as a homage to Italian zombie flick classics, Hammer Horror Films, and King Diamond.
"Of course the musical influence is as wide as ever including aforementioned horror soundtrack composers (Fabio Frizzi, Goblin, James Bernard, Jerry Gold Smith, and John Carpenter), and their roots (Schoenberg, Webern, Stravinsky, Bartok, and Charles Ives), left-of-center rock / metal artists (Celtic Frost, King Diamond, The Beach Boys, Magma and Frank Zappa), Free Jazz (Sun Ra, Albert Ayler, and Peter Brotzmann) and some Central Asian traditional music.
"'Graveward' welcomes various guest musicians including Matthew Heafy from Trivium, Fred Leclercq from DragonForce, Niklas Kvarforth from Shining (Sweden) Sakis Tolis from Rotting Christ, Metatron from The Meads of Asphodel and so on. The cover artwork was done by Costin Chioreanu, who worked with Ihsahn, At the Gates, Deicide and Ulver." More...
