+ DIGITAL SINGLE “SATSUI - GESHI NO ATO” AVAILABLE ON
10TH AUGUST
Following the announcement of ‘SHIKI’, their new
studio album, on 26th August through Peaceville, the cult
Japanese black metal legends Sigh have released a video for the track “Satsui”
Sigh mainman Mirai Kawashima explains the track “The album ‘Shiki’ is mostly about my personal fear of getting old and my fear of death, but some of the songs are a bit off topic and ‘Satsui’ is one of them. ‘Satsui’ means ‘Intent to Kill’ and it is my personal view on the death penalty. You often hear people say ‘The criminal penalty is not meant to be for revenge’ or ‘we all live in a country governed by law’, but I do not think things are that simple; but of course everybody has the right to have their own opinions though. I guess the song is one of the most straightforward ones on the album.
Video credits:
Killian Monson - Video Editor/Colour Grader/VFX
artist killian.monson@gmail.com
Insta: @morbidvision_studio @killianmonson
He goes on to explain the full album version of the
song – “Satsui - Geshi No Ato” - “On the other hand, ‘Geshi no Ato’ is
a completely different song. I composed that as an outro to ‘Satsui’, and the
lyrical concept followed. The title means ‘After Summer
Solstice'’, which is a metaphor saying that your heyday is gone. I played all
the guitars on this and Mike Heller banged chairs, pieces of wood, boxes, water
bottles, etc to create the beat!”
The full version of the song, “Satsui - Geshi No Ato”
will be released as a digital single on all streaming platforms on Thursday 10th August.
Sigh’s forthcoming opus, ‘Shiki’, is dark & eclectic
blackened heavy metal, shrouded in traditional eastern influences, and marks
the latest chapter in the Sigh legacy, which includes some of the band’s
heaviest and darkest material for some years; a fine hybrid of at times
primitive black metal akin to early influences such as Celtic Frost amid more
epic melodic heavy metal riffing and solos. It will take you on a journey
through the strange and the psychedelic, incorporating a whole eclectic mix of
genre styles & experimentation throughout their career. Highlighting that
Sigh has remained a vital creative force in the avantgarde field whilst
maintaining their old school roots.
The word "Shiki" itself has various meanings
in Japanese such as four seasons, time to die, conducting an orchestra, ceremony,
motivation, colour. The two primary themes for the album are "four
seasons" and "time to die". The concept and artwork is based
around a traditional Japanese poem, and on ‘Shiki’ Mirai explores how at this
stage of life he himself is going through Autumn, with Winter coming soon, and
so empathises with the contrasting sentimental feelings from watching cherry
blossoms (a symbol of spring) in full bloom.
Joining Mirai and Dr Mikannibal for this release are
Frédéric Leclercq of Kreator, plus US drummer extraordinaire, Mike Heller of
Fear Factory and Raven, along with an appearance by longtime member Satoshi
Fujinami on bass. ‘Shiki’ was recorded across multiple studios, and mixed and
mastered by Lasse Lammert at LSD studios in Germany. The album utilises a whole
host of instruments to give further texture and dynamics to the compositions
and eerie atmosphere, incorporating traditional oriental instruments such as
the Shakuhachi & Sinobue flutes.
Sigh, featuring Mirai
Kawashima, Satoshi Fujinami & Kazuki Ozeki formed in 1989/90 and
following their initial demos, Shinichi Ishikawa was brought in, and Sigh set
about recording the masterpiece debut ‘Scorn Defeat’ for Euronymous’ Deathlike
Silence Productions, going on to become one of the country’s greatest and most
revered metal exports.
Sigh’s new album ‘Shiki’ will be released on 26th
August 2022 on CD / black vinyl LP / ltd ed green vinyl LP and digital. PRE-ORDER HERE (https://sighpeaceville.lnk.to/Shiki )
SIGH LIVE!!
Sigh will be performing at this year’s Brutal Assault festival (https://brutalassault.cz/en/running-order ) on Wednesday
10th August
“This is our third appearance at Brutal Assault, which
is definitely one of our favourite European festivals! We will play both old
and new songs including some from 'Shiki'. If you are there, do not miss our
show!
Then they
are confirmed to play the Candelabrum
Metal Festival (https://candelabrumfest.com/lineup/) in
Mexico on September 3rd.
Follow Sigh: https://www.instagram.com/sighofficialjapan/