EXPERIMENTAL/POST METAL

...it's definitely an interesting approach and to my ears "Fluxion" started the project pretty successfully. "Aeolian" is definitely the harder edged ugly monster sibling. The level of aggression and the amount of chugging riffs are much higher on "Aeolian" than the case was on "Fluxion", and "Aeolian" is not at all as atmospheric or as sophisticated as "Fluxion" either (although not completely devoid of atmospheric moments). We're still dealing with fairly technical playing and complex compositions, but the emphasis is on aggression and heavy riffing. The vocals are predominantly raw and shouting type sludge/hardcore vocals. There are as many as 6 different vocalists who contribute to the album, so the vocal style also changes from deep semi-growling, to harsh hardcore screaming, to aggressive barking.

While all material on the 10 track, 55:32 minutes long album is well written and performed, there is a slight identity crisis heard throughout the album, and it's like The Ocean can't decide if they want to play metal or hardcore (there are several predominantly hardcore oriented tracks on the album). There's even a wiff of metalcore/melodic death metal featured at one point, so it's not a stylistically consistent release. Wether that's a weakness or a strength is up for discussion, but personally I found the band's adventurous approach to musical styles relatively intriguing, albeit not always equally successful. Highlights include "The City in the Sea" and "Inertia", which are the two tracks that bookends the album. Especially the latter is a great track, but all material on the album is of a good quality.

"Aeolian" features a well sounding and powerful production, which suits the material well and the musicianship is on a high level on all posts. So upon conclusion "Aeolian" is through and through a high quality release. Compared to it's sister release "Fluxion", "Aeolian" is slightly less interesting though, but a 3.5 - 4 star (75%) rating is still deserved.

(Originally posted on Metal Music Archives)

Well, that's all just great, but there are 8 other tracks to listen to here. Can this new band carry their weight through it all?

To make sure this band could pull off the one-two punch of rousing openers, Rozmainsky is utilized again in 'Shrine of Holes'. However, once again, his influence in this track seems minor, nothing like the more experimental and fusion sound of Roz Vitalis, and the keys are used more as foundation then anything else, thus allowing the 'sparse' instrumentation to take over. However, with only 3 people in the core band, it is amazing the level of heavy eclectic guitar prog that is evident here sound more like twice that number. Even though all of the songs after the first one stay around the 4-5 minute mark, each one still packs enough progressive energy and metal complexity to keep the proggers happy.

The vocals are still sounding like they will take some getting used to, but they do provide the over the top sound that is demanded in the music. The accent is heavy since the songs are in English, though the Russian inflection is there quite strongly. Nothing wrong with that, but the slightly quirky, sometimes off-key singing can be a slight factor here. The heavy riffs in 'Killing Pigeon' however will make you want to keep listening, even now that you are 3 songs into the album. The vocalist will also throw in a surprising emotional growl that usually takes the listener into a riveting guitar/bass/drum section that can blow the loose hairs off the top of your head with the energy coming out of your speakers.

'Lust and Found' and 'Zombie Thrush' come next in line, and these tracks were already released in an EP a year or two before this album was released. However, the songs fit right in with the heavy and eclectic sound. The latter brings in another Russian guest who has appeared on other Russian progressive albums, namely Leonid Perevalov, who brings his bass clarinet into the fray. It's a nice touch, and also reminds the listener that this is post metal, so expect a bit of a jazz touch to 'Zombie Thrush' added to the quirky sound of it all. This bass clarinet reappears along with more keys by Rozmainsky in the next track 'Dogmann'. Something else that needs to be mentioned here is the fact that the lyrics are a definite satirical take on the lyrics that are common in many metal albums. The lyrics are silly, but it's intentional, and you will know this if you listen closely to them in this track and the previous 'Killing Pigeon' and 'Zombie Thrush'. But, listening to the complex and progressive quirkiness of the instrumental power here lets you know the band is serious when it comes to talent.

'Cause and Defect' begins in the same quirky, heavy style, but is set apart by the instrumental break when things get extra noisy and chaotic. 'Clown within the Mask' features another guest keyboardist with Elena Feneva who adds a bit of synth atmosphere to the chorus of this track. There are also some excellent guitar and bass solos packed in the track along with a somewhat short, rhapsodic piano ending keeping things interesting. The album ends with 'Salt the Wound' which delivers that last quirky, progressive guitar punch needed to complete the album.

This is quite a fun and excellent album full of quirky progressiveness, heavy music, goofy, sarcastic lyrics and many a surprise packed in. The few problems have to do with the vocals which are a bit overly dramatic at times, not that that is a bad thing, but by the end of the album, you are wishing that a few of the tracks had been instrumentals to break it up a bit more. By the time you reach the final three tracks, the vocals are starting to wear on you a bit. The other issue is that the guests are a bit underutilized and should stand out a little more to give more depth to the music. The band really achieves this in 'Zombie Thrush' and 'Dogmann' with the bass clarinet, but the guest keyboardists are hardly even noticed. I understand that the band wants to emphasize their basic 3 person line up, but they could have still kept that balance and let more of the keys shine through when they were used. Otherwise, what's the point of adding them, really? These are minor issues, but all together, along with the 'acquired taste' needed for the vocals, this takes the album to a 4 star rating. But overall, it is strong enough to deserve more attention than what it has been getting.

Standout tracks are 'Enlightened', 'Zombie Thrush', 'Dogmann' 'Shrine of Holes' and 'Killing Pigeon' (in that order). Main issue: throw in some instrumental tracks and utilize guests better to add more depth. Excellent album.

Early on in 2020, avant-garde metal band THY CATAFALQUE releases its ninth album NAIV. After the interesting changes of the doom metal drenched "Meta" and the overly abundant use of electronica and lack of metal on "Geometria," NAIV returns with a nice mixture of all the disparate elements that makes THY CATAFALQUE so utterly unique even within the vastly populated universe of modern metal. While long ago drifting away from any sort of black metal orthodoxies, this act has nonetheless never strayed too far from its roots by keeping a finger or two on the pulse of the primordial pools from whence it sprang forth. NAIV doesn't necessarily jettison the abundance of electronic effects and noises as heard on the previous album but rather returns some of the metal dominant bombast however any fan of this unique band should know by now, track by track, THY CATAFALQUE delivers the unpredictability of a schizophrenic seance.

Once again eschewing genre labels, NAIV like previous albums creates a unique fusion of the Hungarian folk melodies with black metal riffs, electronic atmosphere and also includes some surprising jazzy touches that remind me of bands like Norway's Shining. Kátai handles the expected vocals, guitars, bass, keyboards and other exotic instruments such as the citera and darbuka while a huge cast of characters joins him for this musical treat. In addition to the excepted bass and drums there are also two guest vocalists with the feminine charm of Martina Veronika Horváth (ex-Niburta, SallyAnne, Nulah) finding its way throughout most of the album. There are many classical instruments such as the cello, viola, violin and even classical guitar as well as many ethnic sounds from a quena flute, out and other Eastern European instruments. On the jazz side of things there are occasional outbursts of saxophone and even a trombone.

Starting out with black metal buzzsaw guitar effects, "A bolyongás ideje" launches NAIV straight into the realms of the metal universe unlike the rather tame predecessor "Geometria" which seemed to lounge in the chill electronica section of the music store for far too long. Despite the heavy bombast of the guitar riffs, the sensual female vocals and folk melodies craft a pacifying folk metal vibe with occasional outbursts of proggy keyboard runs that are straight out of the 70s symphonic prog playbook. While sounding a bit like an 80s AC/DC riff at the beginning, "Tsitsushka" actually takes on a cool atmospheric cloud cover while the guitars clammer away more akin to a caffeinated surf rock band than black metal but it gets even more estranged from the opener with the inclusion of a horn section. "Embersólyom" calms things down quite a bit with dark ambient sounds shrouding a mysterious flute emerging and then breaking into an electro-folk-rock groove which takes on a tango type of rhythmic drive.

"Számtalan színek" continues the ethnic flavors only sounds more like it's rooted in Balkan gypsy folk only with blistering black metal guitar accompaniments that when dropped out sounds more like a movie soundtrack. In many ways this style of black folk metal reminds me of Greece's Rotting Christ on some of the newer albums. The violin and viola presence on this one really sets it apart from the other tracks. "A valóság kazamatái" begins with a jittery computer generated sounding keyboard intro before bursting into hefty black metal bombast but it's accompanied by the folk melodies emerging from the keyboards. When the guitar parts are dropped the folk instruments stand out and the percussive drive begins to sound more like a bigbeat techno album. The layered effects are perfectly mixed and the sounds that come and go add the proper contrast at the exact perfect times.

"Kék madár (Négy kép)" takes the ethnic influences to the most extremes as this one sound like a gypsy wedding somewhere deep in Bosnia but then picks up with a bizarrely contrasting flute run that sounds more like 70s Focus than Jethro Tull along with electronica drumming styles and with no metal guitar sounds to be heard sounds like the project went Opeth on us and abandoned the metal altogether, at least temporarily. Actually they abandoned the rock altogether on this one as the track starts to sound like a heartbeat with flute. Luckily "Napút" brings back the metal heft but trades off with a more techno sound. It then gives the mic to Martina who add the ethnic touches. Nice beefy guitar sounds but at this stage of the game it's obvious that the metal guitars play a subordinate role to the ethnic and electronic sounds. However just as i say that "Vető" comes along and delivers the heaviest guitar sounds of all with thrashy palm muted beefcakes pounding away while Martina sings her little heart out. It's a nice contrast between the hyper-masculine and sensual feminine. Beauty and beast of a different name.

"Szélvész" ends the album on a more folk than metal note but the guitar heft does deliver. It's obvious at this stage of THY CATAFALQUE's lengthy career that the metal isn't the most important element of its sound and that it's all about juxtaposing disparate genres with the Hungarian folk elements being the most prominent. The magic of NAIV is in the production values and how well all these melodies are crafted into nice smorgasbord of sounds. While not substantially different than previous albums, this one seems to have catchier hooks, greater contrast between bombast and sensual touches and is just more satisfying than the lopsided feed of "Geometria" as all the elements unfold in an organic manner and nothing seems forced. Overall THY CATAFALQUE creates the perfect recipe where the gritty metal aspects sit well next to the timeless folk melodies and futuristic electronic and ambient sounds. Although this isn't primarily a metal album, the last track adds some of the only raspy black metal vocals to be heard. This is a solid album from beginning to end if you dig this sorta thing.

"Gallows Gallery (2005)" saw Sigh play a twisted form of power/heavy metal with very few nods towards their black metal past, but "Hangman's Hymn: Musikalische Exequien" brings back the raw black metal vocal style and a slightly harder edged basic sound. Of course Sigh haven´t stagnated or gone back to the roots, as they are an ever changing and developing act, and this time around they are opted to challenge themselves by making a symphonic tinged black metal album. They´ve used symphonic elements before, and it´s been obvious on preceding releases too that lead vocalist/keyboard player Mirai Kawashima is a classically trained musician/composer, but on "Hangman's Hymn: Musikalische Exequien", Sigh go all in on the symphonic concept.

You would think with a band covering as much musical ground as Sigh manage to do, that they would fail once in a while, but listening to "Hangman's Hymn: Musikalische Exequien" it´s abundantly clear that it´s not this time around. Sigh pull off playing symphonic black metal with the same ease as they have managed to play raw and savage old school black metal, avant garde/progressive black metal, psychadelic progressive black metal, and power/heavy metal on their preceding releases.

The basis of Sigh´s sound is still guitars, bass, drums, and snarling blackened vocals, but "Hangman's Hymn: Musikalische Exequien" is loaded with symphonic orchestral keyboard arrangements and choirs, which work well with the raw backing. "Hangman's Hymn: Musikalische Exequien" is a concept release divided into three parts, and the overall theme is religious (God, Satan, good vs evil type story), with use of bits and pieces from "Requiem" (liturgical service of the Roman Catholic Church).

Upon conclusion "Hangman's Hymn: Musikalische Exequien" is yet another bold, creative, and adventurous release by Sigh. Clever songwriting, powerful delivery of the music, and a professional and detailed sound production, which suits the material perfectly. It´s through and through a high quality release and a 4 star (80%) rating is fully deserved.

(Originally posted on Metal Music Archives)

Let's fact it returns in "Unmade Bed Her 'hand on a fast pace almost prog pop with a catchy chorus and a voice very / too clear to me that bothers me a little; a break with sax and piano comes clear counter this fleeting sensation. "How We Got Lost" continues with an intro redolent LED ZEPPELIN notes to leave on a pace slightly heavier, even for voice, it's still pop psychedelic moments with an omnipresent organ synth and a guitar not enough promote; the organ bringing to vintage sounds nice. "Trillianthem" is in the same vein but with a modern developed weirdest with battery front brings a purely enjoyable development, prog or music as I love, lost in the sounds; there is the pop 60s moments to leave halfway through an explosion of notes too quickly extinguished frustrating limit, then it goes again in a more measured with a more catchy voice finally, 7 minutes of pure happiness! And the good thing is that it reminds me of the great years of this largely unknown group what PAIN OF SALVATION! It's varied, it's catchy, it's good, even if it's not the DARK SUNS I knew! "In Reserve 'hand on a low ambient rating with a voice phrased again pulling up, it's almost monolithic, depressing, a little piano DOORS, it lacks pep given what they could out and it's not the sax welcome by its originality that advances such, unless I tell myself that it might be another group that I chronicle. "My Sermon" ends this EP with a bit more in their original pedigree, there is Haken, the TESSERACT in even though these groups are well subsequent to DARK SUNS! It contains a synth catchy, a trained voice, less monotonous, energetic guitar riff, a latent atmosphere with hints of basic piano and clear at once; the rhythm is growing over this long song, the voice becomes rocky death limit the synth becomes mesmerizing, there are even a few moments a little RIVERSIDE it, then it falls back slowly but in a structured way in a quiet end, soft, soothing too fast. less monotonous, energetic guitar riff, a latent atmosphere with a few piano notes basic and clear at once; the rhythm is growing over this long song, the voice becomes rocky death limit the synth becomes mesmerizing, there are even a few moments a little RIVERSIDE it, then it falls back slowly but in a structured way in a quiet end, soft, soothing too fast. less monotonous, energetic guitar riff, a latent atmosphere with a few piano notes basic and clear at once; the rhythm is growing over this long song, the voice becomes rocky death limit the synth becomes mesmerizing, there are even a few moments a little RIVERSIDE it, then it falls back slowly but in a structured way in a quiet end, soft, soothing too fast.

What about this EP? There will be something for everyone, that those who do not know may find the album fresh, dynamic and innovative strand with instrumental keys in the middle of the verses. Let those who follow them since their early risk them being disoriented by the change of tone, direction given to their music, it seems ... another group! Is it on purpose, looking for a real musical evolution? I ask, hoping secretly find the style of the last song for their next real album.

But it's not so much the lineup changes which make the headlines here, as "Gallows Gallery" is yet another left-turn stylistic change from Sigh. If you're familiar with the preceding releases in the band's discography you'll know that Sigh have pretty much changed musical style between each of their releases. To begin with little changes between releases and gradually much bigger changes between albums...culminating in the release of the avant garde, psychadelic, atmospheric heavy metal album "Imaginary Sonicscape (2001)", which is as weird as it is exciting. If you thought Sigh would continue down that road on "Gallows Gallery", I can tell you, that you have another thing coming...

...because suddenly it seems like Sigh have decided to release a power/heavy metal album. Gone are the harsh blackened vocals from their past releases, and instead the vocals are clean, and there are harmonies and choirs. The vocals aren't angelic clean or high pitched though, but more akin to for example the vocals on a Running Wild album. So they are still relatively raw and not necessarily what many would label pretty. The strong Japanese accent also add something different to the vocals, and personally I find the accented vocals quite charming, but I can understand those who wouldn't be able to appreciate them.

While the primary music style on "Gallows Gallery" is power/heavy metal, this is a Sigh album, and not surprisingly the band twist conventions and explore boundaries of the power/heavy metal genre, so while there are many recognisable power/heavy metal elements featured here, you have probably never heard an album in the genre which even remotely sounds like this. Drums, bass, guitar, and vocals, are complimented by the use of various keyboards, synths, and organs (and some other instruments like Gong, Sitar, and Tibetan Bells), and a generally very adventurous approach to songwriting. The material are well written, catchy, and energetic, but some tracks sound a bit the same (the melody lines are similar as are the riff style and rhythms), but the band do incorporate some surprises to keep the album varied (an example is the slow, atmospheric, and psychadelic tinged "The Tranquilizer Song").

"Gallows Gallery" features high level musicianship and a decent quality sound production (a bit thin sounding, but still decent), and upon conclusion it's another high quality release by Sigh, who must be praised both for their boldness and for their complete disregard for genre conventions and expectations from their fans. The fans are of course by now used to expecting the unexpected, but you still have to be a very open-minded music listener to be able to appreciate such major musical changes between releases. Those who have stuck by the band through their many transitions, will probably stick by them on this release too and be rewarded for their loyalty, because "Gallows Gallery" is a grower and while it is very different from anything Sigh have released before, this is still unmistakably the sound of Sigh. A 3.5 - 4 star (75%) rating is deserved.

(Originally posted on Metal Music Archives)

"Waltzing In Obscurity" opens the dance with flute intro to TANGERINE DREAM or the POPOL VUH; it's beautiful and sinister to the advanced with bass and vocals, all guided by an organ beyond the grave; Voice puts it hers to ring in a dark atmosphere, the guitar from an abysmal clarity darken the purified air; flute of the first stirrings of GENESIS strengthens its NOEKK and the end riff. "Perseus" is based on this characteristic voice of the group, some spleenante, a little nagging, but very warm; riff, synth basic to Bontempi, on GARY NUMAN, battery, cathedral choirs, preaching, everything is there to enchant you! "The Mirror" or the resurrection of THE CURE for a title watered and latency prog from 2 minutes our memory also remembers THE STRANGLERS, ie; acoustic takes on its charm, the progressive award born with very little in the end. "The Giant" with playful piano, harpsichord DEAD CAN DANCE, nervous guitar riffs, piano and guitar tune pretend narrating a children's story for a title for the NOEKK, as almost pop moments with a mesmerizing voice. "We Summits" follows with crimsonienne atmosphere and zappaienne; the voice and the air even flirt with the dark hours of DEPECHE MODE, then it is a voice that is almost hard with added guitar riff and takes over. "Mortlach" for me Amateur whiskeys, do not leave me indifferent especially since it's an instrumental on leaving the cold-wave gay and depressed. One of the qualities of style NOEKK, synth ambience, yet gentle flute and acoustic guitar, all with hammering of the battery. "The Windwaker" occurs with a more gothic as where the coldness melts our feelings, we feel happy at the beginning THE CURE, the riff again mesmerizing; the flute is wonderful. "The Secret Beaker" for a title almost pop-cold, a typical sound with synth, vocals, organ, acoustic guitar and drums, melancholic icy ballad just to breathe and listen to "The Lily Of Reverence 'last title may be the most rhythmical and atmosphere glaucosity almost feel it mold in it, the voice is more present, darker, the riffs pretend to give here all he can to bewitch us one last time. the riff again mesmerizing; the flute is wonderful. "The Secret Beaker" for a title almost pop-cold, a typical sound with synth, vocals, organ, acoustic guitar and drums, melancholic icy ballad just to breathe and listen to "The Lily Of Reverence 'last title may be the most rhythmical and atmosphere glaucosity almost feel it mold in it, the voice is more present, darker, the riffs pretend to give here all he can to bewitch us one last time. the riff again mesmerizing; the flute is wonderful. "The Secret Beaker" for a title almost pop-cold, a typical sound with synth, vocals, organ, acoustic guitar and drums, melancholic icy ballad just to breathe and listen to "The Lily Of Reverence 'last title may be the most rhythmical and atmosphere glaucosity almost feel it mold in it, the voice is more present, darker, the riffs pretend to give here all he can to bewitch us one last time.

NOEKK knew, after 10 years of gestation, birth of a pure beauty dark album, an album where the atmosphere is drawn to the dark through riffs and where music also seems more open and diversified; this album could have been a concept album with songs chained taking you even further on distant and meditative paths of knowledge. NOEKK has mellowed and synthesized the very substance of his own music for a simple and memorable.

Well, ok then! Concept albums are fun and often nebulous in the philosophical wankery but the good thing about albums like THE AUGUST ENGINE is that the themes lend a lot to the listener's interpretation. While "The Bastard" was basically set up like an rock opera in three acts, THE AUGUST ENGINE is basically the sum of the parts of seven disparate tracks that borrowed a lot from the debut's sound such as the classic Lord Weird Slough Feg heavy metal that guitarist / vocalist Mike Scalzi brought to the table as well as the folk elements but this time around the folk is less medieval sounding and the progressive aspects have been turned up making this album seem much more like a progressive metal album than the debut. Despite the more daring compositional twists and turns and time signature zigzagging, THE AUGUST ENGINE retains the heavy metal bombast of the debut.

The instrumentation on "The Bastard" was performed only by four musicians: John Cobbett (guitar, producer), Mike Scalzi (guitar, vocals), Janis Tanaka (bass, vocals) and Chewy Marzolo (drums). THE AUGUST ENGINE found the same lineup with three extra musicians on "Rainfall" which included extra vocals, violin and cello. No credits for keyboards are presented but there are a few piano runs but the keys haven't been fully integrated like they would be on the band's following album "The Locust" which added the extra elements needed to make HAMMERS OF MISFORTUNE feel like a bona fide prog metal band. The metal and folk elements tended to trade off on the debut while on THE AUGUST ENGINE they have become more integrated with alterations between the two as well as simultaneous weavings of the two styles. Same goes with the vocals of Scalzi and Tanaka who compliment each other's harmonies as often as they take the lead. The guitar runs are much more adventurous this time around with just as many long-winded space rock styled solos set in metal fashion as well as the expected crunchy riffing sections.

HAMMERS OF MISFORTUNE succeeds in crafting a worthy epic sounding album after it's magnanimous perfect debut but in many ways THE AUGUST ENGINE sounds more like a transition between the prog laced metal and folk interludes of the debut album and the full-fire prog assaults of the following "The Locust" however the album instills its own charm and works for what it is and also established the band as one that would not be happy simply repeating what came before and displayed a true passion for progressing beyond what had been established before. Given the fact that "The Bastard" took the idea to its logical conclusion on the first try meant the band had to seek out a slightly different path and THE AUGUST ENGINE displays the band taking on more progressive workouts with sludgy thrash metal riffs that wouldn't sound out of place on an early Mastodon album along with the classic 80s heavy metal sounds as well as atmospheric moments that remind of atmospheric black metal and even moments of doom metal. Even the folk is darker this time around as the flavors of the Renaissance had been completely abandoned in favor of a darker more sinister vibe.

To be honest, i've had a hard time warming up to THE AUGUST ENGINE as i find the debut and the following album to be superior but i have found this to be a personal choice and after giving this several spins i have to admit that despite my preference for the other albums, THE AUGUST ENGINE is nevertheless a very professional sounding album that exceeds on many levels even if not taking things to the places i would prefer they go. The vocal team of Scialzi and Tanaka create beautiful melodic harmonies that sweeten the fast tempo metal assaults and doomy dirge effects along with the soaring guitars that pacify the pounding bass and drum action. The folk elements are scarcer on this second album however "Rainfall" is completely in the realms of dark folk and the beautiful intro on "Insect" shows how tastefully the band had steered these sounds into a darker arena. Ever so often such as on "Doomed Parade" a few medieval tinged moments do emerge. Once again the tracks are not overweeningly lengthy for the most part. Only the title track "Part 2" which nears nine minutes and the 11 minute "The Trial And The Grave" deliver extended prog formats. THE AUGUST ENGINE is a worthy followup to the perfection of "The Bastard" and although doesn't quite hit that high mark, is still an excellent slice of progressive metal that sounds like no other.

The band's first album THE BASTARD (often with a the subtitle "A Tale Told In Three Acts") was quite the undertaking and an adventurous journey in the form of a metal opera that takes place in three acts much like a Shakespearean play or some other epic tale that requires an expansive narrative to convey, however THE BASTARD was not released as some ridiculous sprawling three disc set or anything of the sort. The band had the good sense to keep this an album's length and at a normal playing time of 46 minutes, it hits all the high notes without a lot of fluff which makes this a pretty decent start for this eclectic band that would change its sound dramatically on each album throughout its career. It's worth noting that despite the excellent production that graces THE BASTARD, this entire album was simply recorded in a rehearsal studio on an 8-track analog machine in San Francisco from July 1999 to February 2000. The album itself didn't emerge until 2001 but got rave reviews from the metal world and put HAMMERS OF MISFORTUNE on the metal radar right from the start.

While considered a progressive metal album, this isn't the kind of stuff Dream Theater or Symphony X were cranking out. THE BASTARD was an unholy union of traditional 80s heavy metal along with what sounds like medieval English folk music however the band does manage to tease in more progressive elements and extended proggy fills. Upon first listen i was wondering why the singer sounded so familiar as did some of the guitar riffs and then it became clear that it was because of the Scalzi connection as the Slough Feg sound is strewn throughout the album's run. Basically what THE BASTARD excels in as the narrative unfolds is basically alternate between beefy metal guitar riffs, beefy bass chops and stellar drumming narrative with the male vocals and then follows with the contrast of more light and airy folk sounds with the female vocal charm of Janis Tanaka who also plays some pretty tight bass. The connecting tissue that binds the two disparate styles is where the progressive runs tend to gravitate along with an occasional solo. At times the metal drifts into power metal territory and also an occasional black metal moment.

The album consists of three acts and fourteen tracks but for the most part the tracks run together and it's impossible to distinguish them from each other as the melodies simply carry over and the song sort of drifts into a new one as the storyline proceeds. Exceptions occur when abrupt changes such as the bombastic metal heft of "Tyrant Dies" completely ends and the gleeful mandolin folk cheer of "The Witch's Dance" follows. The continuity is really quite well laid out as the tracks capture all the essence of a rock your socks off heavy metal album but also cools off with exquisitely sublime moments of medieval folk music as if you left the metal concert and walked into the Renaissance fair. The brevity of the tracks is the album's greatest strength as THE BASTARD never lags in overblown pompous cycles that many rock opera's suffer from. Only the grande finale "Sacrifice The End" has a lengthy playing time near nine minutes and as a result is the most progressive with many differing movements, tones, timbres and elements of surprise.

Everything about this album works quite well actually. The musicianship is outstanding. The cleverly crafted compositions are all interesting by both keeping a unified feel of the entire album yet adding different elements to give each track its own personality. The contrasting vocal styles of Tanaka and Scalzi are perfectly matched and the progressive elements are tastefully woven into the big picture instead of simply adding proggy workouts for their own sake. Best of all this is metal that you can bang your head to. The metal is the real deal but the down time is quite welcome and beautifully performed. The band mastered both the metal and folk aspects perfectly and yet somehow found a perfect way to meld it altogether and craft a concept album that runs as tightly as some classical score from the distant past. Add to that the fiery passion of all the performers and this one is a true winner and perhaps my favorite HAMMERS OF MISFORTUNE album of all as this one has most energetic deliveries. This was a surprise coming to this after the more famous albums that follow but i love this one a lot better. There are no weaknesses on this at all.

Although Sigh originally started out as a black metal act, they soon began to experiment with their sound and the last couple of preceding releases have been increasingly progressive/experimental. "Imaginary Sonicscape" tops them all though as Sigh take their adventurous songwriting approach to new creative heights. The basis in the music is fairly traditional heavy metal riffs/leads/harmonies and rhythms, and Mirai Kawashima's snarling raspy vocals in front. The latter is the only feature on the album, which links the music on "Imaginary Sonicscape" to the band's black metal past, because nothing else on the album is extreme metal related in any way.

While the heavy metal elements in the music are relatively traditional in nature, the band make sure that everything else on the album is challenging to the listener. There is omnipresent use of vintage keyboards/synths/organs and additional features like ghostly choirs, percussion, the odd programmed/electronic section, saxophone, and atmospheres which range from eerie darkness to almost sunshine psychadelic happiness ("A Sunset Song" is an example of the latter mood). The use of classical music themes and orchestral sections are also quite dominant in the soundscape. It's not an easy listen and most listener's will probably need more than one listen to decide what they think of the album. The tracks and the album in general take many left-turns along the way, and the listener is kept on his/her toes throughout the 63:35 minutes long playing time.

The musicianship is strong and while everything is performed with great skill and precision, Sigh generally perform their music with a great organic touch, which is further enhanced by the organic sounding production. The songwriting is on a very high level, and it's obvious Kawashima has some classical music education/training, because the keyboard arrangements and the keyboard performances in general are seldom heard this sophisticated in heavy metal music.

"Imaginary Sonicscape" is for the open-minded heavy metal listener, and there is no guarantee this is something a lot of people will enjoy. It's probably very much an aquired taste, even for fans of the band. Expect the unexpected and you won't be dissapointed. Personally I think the experiments sometime make the album a bit incoherrent, and some tracks feel like they lack direction, like the band just added sections/elements they felt were interesting to add without thinking about the big picture. Knowing the musical genius of Kawashima I'm sure that's not true though, and I'm sure the output is exactly what Sigh had in mind. My personal feelings aside this is still a high quality release and a 4 star (80%) rating is deserved.

(Originally posted on Metal Music Archives)