Review Summary: A harsh, strange and beautiful album all at once.
I have just recently discovered Sigh after a more than optomistic review about their newest cd "Hangman's Hymn", and since then have got ahold of all the albums. Imaginary Sonicsnape blew my mind all over the room with the sheer variety of the songs found here. You can not call these guys solely Black Metal because this album is so much more than that. Sigh fuses metal with jazz, electronica, or even psychadelic sounds for lack of a better word. The music is heavy and melodic, but it is also apparent that they are not taking themselves extremely seriously and almost making the music "fun" in some songs.
The guitar is layed down masterfully and fits in with the beat of the song perfectly. And then there is the guitar solos, which are extremely technical and fitting to the tone of each song. The album is very guitar driven but there is a ton of moments in the song where it breaks into some kind of crazy interlude such as an elevator-music-esque solo in A Sunset Song, or an all out symphony. Although the synth or random electronic sounds may sound cheesy at times, they are very well integrated into the moods of the songs.
The vocals are another high point of the album. They are sung in mostly harsh style but they are easy to get into and relatively easy to understand. The vocals have some variety though in Scarlet Dream where there is child choir sounding chorus or in Requiem - Nostalgia where there is clean parts throughout which are sung very beautifully. Mirai has a very wide vocal range, and if you want to hear more of the non-harsh singing I recommend checking out their album "Gallows Gallery".
The only thing that is not extremely stand out in the album is the drums. They are really quite quiet in the background. There is no moments where you really notice them and nothing else, but, they still do what they are intended to do.
All in all this is a perfect album. There can not possibly be any fan of metal that will not enjoy this album. You will listen to this album all the way through more than once, I guarantee it. It is a harsh, strange and beautiful album all at once.
Recommended songs
A Sunset Song
Scarlet Dream
the rest of them
What are you waiting for, listen to this RIGHT NOW gogo
