DESOLATION

The first known recording of what is now Japan's number one black metal export, Sigh's 'Desolation' is an incredibly different sound than the avant-garde experimental approach they would take with their better known material. Sporting some incredibly poor production and relatively light on substance, 'Desolation' may have just been another utterly forgettable raw black metal demo, but even this early on, there's a bit of quirk to them that isn't typically heard in this style of music.

When speaking of the music here, there is less than ten minutes of incredibly noisy production that sounds like it was recorded with some of the weakest equipment available. The vocals often will cut out, or peek in for a split second before getting overrun by the guitars again. 'Desolation' is a production nightmare to my ears, but for the actual music itself, 'Desolation' is surprisingly good. The riffs are often fast paced and the sound is kept pumped with energy, sounding often like hardcore punk or the earliest black metal. Setting 'Desolation' apart though are some very surprising added sounds, including what appears to be a flute flourish that recurs throughout the first song here, 'Weakness Within.' Keyboard parts are also heard on 'Desolation Of My Mind', which adds a very eerie effect to the music.

Despite being a demo, the music is played rather well, with a special note going out to the aggressive drumming. 'Desolation' is still something of a pleasant surprise for me, considering I was expecting something fairly 'Mentally Numb' to hear from yet another black metal demo. However, as they as usually prone to do, Sigh has surprised me. Looking past the unforgivable production values and very brief length, there's potential here.