Sigh - The Curse of Izanagi [2010]

Wow, straight-forward old school Black Metal start for this album... of course, it doesn't last long. The production is pretty shitty; sounds like it was recorded on old tape tracks and then left in the sun for too long. However, it does have the charm of the Black Metal of old, plus, it definitely sounds like they recorded it live instead of recording each instrument separately... probably a money/time issue. I like the change of pace that this album has to offer versus previous efforts, but I don't like how it gets me into the mood for some solid Black Metal and then leaves the genre tied up in the trunk of a car until the last song, which is a cover.

Rating: 7

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Sigh - Scenes From Hell [2010]

The production has taken a hit since Hangman's Hymn. It's not nearly as heavy. However, it is much more creative, harkening back to the days of Scenario IV but with more thrash influence and much more active songwriting. The drums are probably the worst produced instrument on the entire album, which is a shame. Fuck, the songwriting is definitely their best yet. I'm three tracks in and if they keep this shit up through the entire album, I may be willing to entirely forgive the really shitty production. End of album: WOW... they actually fucking kept the wonderfully spastic creativity all the way through the album. Every song is excellent. By the end, I had completely forgotten about the shitty production. However, I am left to wonder what could have been if the production were up to modern standards.

Rating: 9

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All ratings are out of 10. Rating may not be a whole number.

Sigh - Gallows Gallery [2005]

New production quality. It's a bit more punchy and over compressed. This album is fairly uncharacteristic for Sigh with a more up-tempo and thrashy speed. It doesn't quite have the overtones of darkness that the previous albums had. The song writing has certainly taken advantage of the new tempo, though, and to great effect. However, this album doesn't really do much for me. The darkness is only displayed on two tracks, and the rest lacks the creativity of the previous albums.

Rating: 7

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Sigh - Imaginary Sonicscape [2001]

"Corpsecry - Angelfall" starts the album off more in the vein of Melodic Metal much to my dismay. The keys focus more on the electronic side of things now. I'm not really feeling the mood from this album until "Nietzschean Conspiracy" where the album finally gets quite dark and very good. "A Sunset Song" utilizes some of the creativity I was expecting and hoping for in the first two songs, but it has lost all of the darkness that Sigh had. As much as I feel that this is a weaker album than the last couple, I have to admit that the style certainly reflects and effectively captures the feel of the album's title.

Rating: 7.5

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All ratings are out of 10. Rating may not be a whole number.

Sigh - Scenario IV: Dread Dreams [1999]

This carries on the wild, mid to slow-paced, creative, and often off-kilter songwriting values of the previous albums. They have even briefly experimented with country on this one. The riffs and speed of the album certainly live up to the subtitle, "Dread Dreams". There are some really cool sections that make use of cute female japanese vocals (i.e. second half of "In the Mind of a Lunatic"). I wish it was used more often, though, since it blends so well. This is a bit more of a depressed album than Hail Horror Hail with a more sedated speed. I wish the production quality had gone up a bit instead of staying exactly where it was on HHH. Still, great creative effort and wonderful atmosphere.

Rating: 8

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All ratings are out of 10. Rating may not be a whole number.

Sigh - Hail Horror Hail [1997]

Uhhh.... I was NOT expecting that opening for "Hail Horror Hail". Halfway through the first track is when it finally starts to feel like Sigh. "42 49" ventures back into Sigh territory. It's a fairly well-done song with some creativity much like what I heard on GFT. Really cool panning effect used in the beginning of "12 Souls" that goes into an extremely haunting riff and then straight into a jazz sax section. Nutty. "Burial" is a nice piano piece to break up the action. After listening to this album, I can understand why some fans prefer this over the newer material. It's extremely well-crafted. The guitar riffs really fit in with the keys and the keyboard work is awesome. The creativity is almost staggering at some points. This isn't a high-energy album. The production is ok, but there's a lot of room for improvement. There are more than a few occasions when the keys will completely overpower the guitars and vocals.

Rating: 8

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Sigh - Ghastly Funeral Theatre [1997]

Cool intro track. I like the clapping in "Shingontachikawa", even if it's a bit comical. I also like the addition of solo jazz-style Alto Sax. This album has much more catchiness to it. There's a lot more punk influence. There's also more experimentation. The production quality has increased again, too. Sure, it still doesn't feel as refined as the later material, and the overall song writing isn't stellar. But the shorter length of the album feels perfect and the experimentation feels fresh.

Rating: 7.5

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Sigh - Infidel Art [1995]

Towards the middle of "Izuna", Sigh shows a glimpse of the orchestra stabs that the band will use more heavily later on. The keys are pretty well done, and the clean vocals are more accurate than they were on Scorn Defeat. "The Zombie Terror" really becomes cool for me when the piano parts kick in. "Desolation" is a haunting song, especially once the cool keys kick in around half-way through. However, I've never really been a fan of doom speeds for metal. The production quality is heavier than Scorn Defeat. Overall, a pretty decent album with really awesome keyboard use when they kick in, but the large amount of Doom Metal sets me off a bit.

Rating: 6.5

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All ratings are out of 10. Rating may not be a whole number.

Sigh - Hangman's Hymn [2007]

Starts off with all the power of a baseball bat to the groin. This album is heavy and thrashy with lots of orchestra arrangements and orchestra stabs. It's an extremely well-written Black Metal album that never looses it's punch throughout. There are only about two songs that feel like they drag. I can't decide if the production quality is perfectly fitting or if there's room for improvement. The guitars are pretty low in the mix, but they're so well-distorted that it adds to the heaviness of the album. Also, the orchestra stabs are a little bit over-done with a few parts being exactly the same as in some of the previous songs. However, the stabs are so well-done and fitting of the style that I never really mind.

Rating: 8

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All ratings are out of 10. Rating may not be a whole number.