Review Summary: The album where Sigh’s ambitions really took over
Mirai- Vocals, Bass, Synthesizer, Piano, Hammond Organ, Vocoder, Sampling, Programming, Radio, Effects
Shinichi- Acoustic & Electric Guitar, Bass
Satoshi- Drums, Triangle, Tambourine, Guiro, Vibraslap, Handclap
WARNING (as reads on the label on the back of this album)
This album is way beyond the conceived notion of how metal, or music, should be. In essence it is a movie without pictures; a celluloid phantasmagoria. Accordingly, the film jumps, and another scene, seemingly unconnected with the previous context, is suddenly inserted in between frames.
Every sound on this album is deliberate, and if you find that some parts of this album are strange; it isn’t because the music is in itself strange, but because your conscious self is ill-equipped to comprehend the sounds produced on this recording.
From their early days, it was evident that Sigh were not your typical band, maybe it had something to do with them being from Japan. When you live in a country that doesn’t have a huge metal scene, it’s not as easy to follow the next big trend so instead you have to set your own trend and with their third full length album, Sigh really carved out their own strange and unique niche.
Further expanding on the ideas that were hinted at on
Infidel Art Sigh throws caution to the wind on
Hail Horror Hail and empty their bag of tricks using any imaginable sound (whining dogs?) to create a dense soundscape that few would dare to try and replicate. There are atmospheric passages throughout the nine tracks, seven of which are at least five minutes long. Many songs on here meander aimlessly and lose the attention of the listener but according to the warning, this is OUR fault not theirs as most people are ill-equipped to comprehend what they are doing.
The album opening title track is the most “normal” sounding song on here, a dirty thrash track with superb guitarwork and Mirai’s raspy vocals but midway through it is filled with lush classical strings to remind that this is Sigh, a band with a style all their own. The orchestral arrangements of ‘Invitation to Die’ are spectacular and makes this the most memorable track. Album closer ‘Seeds of Eternity’ is a nine minute epic that once again goes in many different directions, a masterful mid-paced track that justifies its long running time.
Hail Horror Hail is where Sigh creativity and experimentation really took off and it was probably their best work to date, even though it’s far from perfect it showed the potential that would be fully realized two albums later on
Imaginary Sonicscape.
Recommended tracks
‘Invitation to Die’
‘Hail Horror Hail’
‘Seeds of Eternity’
