Review: Sigh – Graveward
May 18
Sigh – Graveward (Black Metal, Candlelight Records)
Released May 4, 2015
I have long-since learned to liken a new Sigh release to a periodic visit from that weird uncle who’s a bit ‘off’ but nonetheless always comes bearing gifts; you know your life is going to be strange for a couple of days, but at least you’re coming away from it with something unique. Already established in the world of black metal as one of the genre’s most experimental progenitors, the Japanese group has been topping off their catalog quite fantastically in recent years with the likes of 2010’s oh-so-brutal Scenes from Hell and 2012’s avant-brain-fuckery of an album, In Somniphobia. The newest platter of crazy, Graveward, offers much the same in terms of recent output, though in a slightly narrowed capacity. Sufficed to say, the creepy uncle is in town and things are still weird.
If you’re familiar with the circus-side-show-from-the-basement-of-hell sound cemented on the last few Sigh albums, especially In Somniphobia, then you will no doubt feel at home from the get-go this time around. The opener, ‘Kaedit Nos Pestis’ carries all the scathingly demented trappings of the band’s signature sound; thrashy and ferocious riffing, rasping graveyard vocals, and a chorus falling somewhere between power metal and goofy J-rock. The interchange between traditionally anguished black metal vocal lines during the verses and a somewhat clean and higher registry delivery is in part thanks to the utilization of backing vocalist/saxophonist Dr. Mikannibal and has added a great dimension to the group’s dynamics in recent years. Following songs, such as the title track, ‘Graveward’, carry on the same vibe, featuring NWOBHM-cum-thrash inspired black metal riffs, plenty of orchestral hits, and more than a few odd samples here and there for extra texture and atmosphere. To help keep things flowing along, there’s a subtle change-up here and there tempo-wise between songs; tracks like ‘The Forlorn’ offer a slightly more plodding beat and have the drearily bleak and pounding feel much more in line with earlier work. The orchestral and sample-based breakdowns that act as outros to some of the songs is almost Floyd-esque and make for atmospheric track buffers.
The main thing that becomes clear this time around for the band is that Graveward seems to be a bit more of a straightforward affair, at least in terms of their past few trips down the demonic rabbit hole. The songs here have plenty going on to keep each one interesting in their own right, but on the whole there simply isn’t as much exploration as we’ve seen them capable of. Some tracks rely more on blackened thrash-minded fury while others feature a more bombastic orchestral sound, almost nearing Dimmu territory, but overall the flavor if not the formula remains largely the same. To be fair, however, there are certainly areas on the new album which offer a momentary aside from the mayhem; ‘Molesters of My Soul’ is a trippy affair with a march-like keyboard romp reminiscent of Mr. Oogie Boogie’s bit in the ‘This is Halloween’ song from The Nightmare Before Christmas, and Dr. Mikannibal gets some stagetime on sax during ‘Casketburner’ and ‘Out of the Grave’ (though these moments of woodwind oddness are far too few and far between after being spoiled by them on In Somniphobia). The late album track ‘Messenger from Tomorrow’ is also noteworthy as a nicely textured and structured song with a slow tempo interesting instrumentation and ethereal vocals.
Perhaps after the grand-maniacal opus that was 2012’s In Somniphobia, releasing an album more straightforward and to-the-point like Graveward was the perfect step to take. There’s only so much a band can do to follow up a record like that, and taking things back to somewhat-basics with a successor ironically helps to keep things fresh. Also worth keeping in mind is the fact that descriptors like ‘straightforward’ and ‘stripped down’ are near-complete misnomers for an act like Sigh; there’s still plenty going on here and just about all of it is damn good. Whether you’re a repeat patron of Hell’s own circus act or a newcomer, Graveward has enough to offer as either a momentum carrier or a ‘friendly’ introduction to what Japan’s premier purveyor of heavy metal strangeness is all about.
8/10
