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A near-literal musical translation of Hell with a few faults holding it back.-
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| Sigh: Scenes from Hell |
Avant-Garde, Black Metal
The End Records
January 19th, 2010
- Prelude to the Oracle - 4:12
- L'art de Mourir - 4:57
- The Soul Grave - 4:01
- The Red Funeral - 6:56
- The Summer Funeral - 7:08
- Musica in Tempora Belli - 6:01
- Vanitas - 6:26
- Scenes from Hell - 3:35
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| Review Information |
Release length: 43:16
Review posted on February 20th, 2010
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| | Original Score: 3/5 |
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| 2011 Grading Scale: 6/10 |
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| Discography |
Discography covers all information available up to day of review and is updated if future albums are reviewed. |
| Full-Length(s): |
Scorn Defeat (1993) • Infidel Art (1995) • Hail Horror Hail (1997) • Scenario IV: Dread Dreams (1999)
Imaginary Sonicscape (2001) • Gallows Gallery (2005) • Hangman's Hymn - Musikalische Exequiem (2007)
Scenes from Hell (2010)
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| EP(s): |
Requiem for Fools (1992) • To Hell and Back (1995) • Ghastly Funeral Theatre (1997) • A Tribute to Venom (2008)
The Curse of Izanagi (2010)
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| Split(s): |
Sigh/Kawir (1994) • Sigh/Necrophagia (2003) • Evilized Japan (2004) • Swine of Hades (2011)
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| Single(s): |
Shadowking (1996)
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| Demo(s): |
Desolation (1990) • Tragedies (1990) • Scorn Defeat (1993)
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| Live CD(s): |
The Eastern Force of Evil: Live '92 - '96 (1997)
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| Review |
Once again, Sigh bring us another twisted nightmare in the form of a prodominantly Avante-Garde Black Metal effort called Scenes From Hell. This Japan-oriented band has come a long way musically, and is widely known for the newer style of music they play, mostly due to the controversy over the album Gallows Gallery and it's final production quality. Either way, this release is far better as far as the quality goes, and does a great job at creating a very Hellish environment through the band's musical abilities, as well as with additional keyboards, vocoders, and even saxophone.
To anyone new to Sigh's more recent releases, a quick liisten to the first couple tracks off this release, especially the track "The Soul Grave" will probably quickly turn them off. The material on here is really not one would expect from any form of Black Metal act, mostly because of the quality. Yes, this does play an issue again the band's releases, but it's not as bad as on previous albums. While it's not the worst bad, the quality of the release is a bit of a mess, as the keyboards, vocoder and saxophone are of a much higher level then the rest of the recording, and sound eerily similar to something one would find in a cellular phone's on-line store as a downloadable ringtone, not to mention that much of it sounds as if it were a slightly compressed audio file though it's not, and the vocals are really low except the really layered moments such as the almost chanting moments on "The Red Fineral". If you need further proof of the ring tone issue, all you have to do is listen to the end of "L'art de Mourir" which has music that sounds as if the band wants to ask if you are "scared of no ghosts" with what sounds like a sped up version of the Ghostbusters movie theme song.
Aside the could-have-been-better production quality, the album does effectively give you a nightmarish feeling of Hell thanks to all these instruments working together well. Right from the start, the album comes off blistering and has a very demonic feel thanks to the addition of the saxophone. However, the more you listen to some of it, some of the material just seems like already present material thrown into the song to add a second level to the songs. "The Soul Grave" really sticks out on this release like a sore thumb though because of the additional instruments that turn the song from something really intense to a song that makes you want to go and dress up like a matador to enter a bull fight. This is the only track that really clashes and seems out of place. Aside that, you have "The Summer Funeral" which is a slower song that is actually rather beautiful with it's gothic ballroom in Hell atmosphere. It's about this point that the album finally picks up and isn't so over-the-top-it-kills-the-release as it started out, and has some really impressive material. "Vanitas" is the only track that seems a little weak in comparison, but the others, especially the title track "Scenes from Hell", which is just too short and leaves you wanting more, really show the band's full potential and skill.
Scenes From Hell is a potentially strong album that suffers from some audio issues once again that wind up holding it back. If your someone who doesn't really care about that, then the over-the-top keyboards and saxophone during the first half of the album will still hold this release back a bit. While those instruments really do help in creating a very classical Hell atmosphere, they will often clash with the music. If you're looking for something fresh and well constructed, the latter half of this release is something that you simply cannot miss. If Sigh were to take what they put forth on this release with the songs "The Summer Funeral" and "Scenes from Hell" and makes an album with tracks that take from them, and aren't carbon copies for about an hour, then they would really have an album that will shock any fan of Black Metal. Until then, Scenes From Hell is good, but could have been so much better.
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Digital review copy of this release provided by:
The End Records.
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