Japanese black metal legends Sigh have announced details of their new album Shiki , to be released on 26 August via Peaceville.
Shiki is shrouded in traditional eastern influences, marking the latest chapter in the Sigh legacy, which they claim includes some of their heaviest and darkest material for some years; a hybrid of primitive black metal akin to early influences such as Celtic Frost amid more epic melodic heavy metal riffing and solos.
Check the first single ‘Mayonaka No Kaii’ and the accompanying illustrated video from animator Costin Chioreanu.
“The song is kind of a culmination of what Sigh have been up to,” says the band’s Mirai Kawashima. “Whistle scream, throat singing, Uriah Heep like vocal harmonies, vocoder, flute solo, shakuhachi solo, Hammond solo and the great guitar solo by Fred – it’s got everything! Although it’s only five-minute long, it’s a very dramatic song with many aspects. The title stands for ‘a strange incident at midnight’, and it’s based on actual weird experience I had .. Long story short, I experienced midnight twice in one night! You can read the details at the end of the video. We have been working with Costin for a long time, so we were 100% sure that he’d be the best guy to visualise my eerie experience, and how did it turn out? You all see for yourselves!” .
Joining Mirai and Dr Mikannibal for this release are Frédéric Leclercq of Kreator, plus US drummer 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 and Sinobue flutes.
Sigh’s new album Shiki is released on 26 August 2022 on CD / black vinyl LP / limited edition green vinyl LP and digital. PRE-ORDER HERE