ALBUM REVIEW: Shiki – Sigh

The thing about being a trailblazer in your chosen field is that everyone looks at you to keep pushing the boundaries; to keep moving in a direction as yet unexplored by the larger community and to find ways to keep things feeling fresh and exciting. Enter SIGH. The Japanese monoliths of experimental metal have forged a path through the extreme scene for over three decades at this point and have never been accused of retracing the same steps, leaving their early black metal days well and truly in the park, shapeshifting and metamorphosing into something far beyond. And what’s more, the band is not done exploring the possibilities yet with the colossal Shiki.

Kuroi Kage starts the album off with a symphonic, grandiose feel, swelling as it progresses throughout its near eight-minute duration. The shifting dynamics from avant-garde, through black metal and even a surreal jazz interlude flow seamlessly together in a way that very few other musical acts would be able to pull off and sets the tone for the rest of the album perfectly. A particular highlight is the inclusion of traditional Asian percussive instruments in the latter stages.

The ferocity with which Shoujahitsumetsu is delivered is enough to remind any doubters that the roots of SIGH are buried deep within traditional black metal. However, things are never that straight forward when it comes to this band and they quickly detour through their grind influences via an almost thrash metal solo before finishing in the same chaotic black metal tangent that the song started with.

The SIGH approach to song writing is one that requires layers and subtle nuances. Shiki is an album that deserves your full attention and multiple listens in order to appreciate and interpret everything that is on display. From the orchestral arrangements that shroud the heavily distorted guitars during Shikabane, to the hauntingly beautiful female vocals heard throughout the standout track Fuyu Ga Kuru which is accompanied by pipe instruments and intricate drum work to create a truly unique sound. The latter song then shifts to a schizophrenic section that jumps between IRON MAIDEN-esque galloping riffs and insanely heavy grind moments that are enough to give you whiplash whilst still feeling completely natural in their own psychopathic way.

The back end of the album finds one of lead singles for the record entitled Mayonaka No Kaii – a track that explores the more progressive side of SIGH’s sound. The layers of this song are deep and plentiful and bolster everything from traditional Japanese instruments, industrial sounding synthesizers, harmonised guitars and choral vocal arrangements to name just a few. The song swells, ebbs and flows before reaching the crescendo at around four minutes and then the band fully hit the accelerator with a keyboard solo that would not sound out of place coming from the hands of the late, great John Lord of DEEP PURPLE. They then throw a virtuoso guitar solo into the mix seemingly to cap things off and it’s a job well done.

After 30 years and 12 full-length albums the fact that SIGH continue to shock and surprise listeners is something that is as admirable as it is enviable. Shiki sounds like a band in their creative element with a seemingly endless supply of ideas that culminate in some of the most exciting metal music you are likely to hear this year.

Rating: 9/10

Shiki is set for release on August 26th via Peaceville Records.

Like SIGH on Facebook.