Sigh

Sigh are an extreme metal band from Tokyo, Japan, formed in 1990. They began as a black metal act, and in fact were briefly involved with Euronymous's Deathlike Silence label in Norway, but over time have evolved a more avant-garde approach. In Somniphobia is their ninth full-length studio album, and features guest appearances from Kam Lee (Massacre), as well as Metatron from Meads of Asphodel. The record winds its strange and staggering way through a series of grotesque soundscapes, many as lovely as they are ghastly. First track "Purgatorium" gallops headlong into a sinister caper, then the record slows down with the titular "Somniphobia," which has a carnivalesque menace to it. With a lush, symphonic sonic palette, In Somniphobia makes use of a great number of musical tools at its disposal. While there is a great deal going on, Sigh manage the aural complexity extremely well. Every flourish, tempo change and passage of layered instrumentation feels carefully chosen and intelligently deployed. Sigh are very skilled butchers.