Sigh - In Somniphobia
Despite Sigh's humble beginnings as a
less than adventurous black metal band, their reputation has been
built on the avant-garde stylings they've cultivated since the late
90s. For me, Imaginary
Sonicscape was the apex of their
career; it's a marathon of weirdness that remains one of my favorite
albums. Word that In Somniphobia
would be a darker Imaginary Sonicscape
unsurprisingly got me and many others eager for its arrival, and
after months of waiting, here it is. Sigh have delivered on their
promise for an experience reminiscent of Imaginary
Sonicscape, but unfortunately it
is sorely lacking in the brilliance of the latter album. The strength
of Sigh's previous work was their ability to ground their
experimentation in a rock solid foundation of metal; the hand claps,
synths, weird electronic voices and organ solos all complimented the
core of the music, those wonderful riffs, leads, choruses and solos
that make much of Sigh's work so memorable. In Somniphobia
feels first and foremost an experimental experience rather than a
metal one, and it's very much to the music's detriment. I'm not a
metal purest, or afraid of experimentation, but the weirdness' lack
of a strong foundation leaves all the synth and sax oddness feeling
hollow.
There
is no absolute dearth of riffing, but the guitars lack the same
substance as the best of what Sigh has previously offered. It's
immediately evident from opener “Purgatorium”, where the riffs
and leads seem like they're there more to complement the organs and
strings rather than to bring any real substance to the song. Melodic
leads in general make a big showing, but they feel weak and don't
muster the same force as those in, say, “Corpsecry-Angelfall”
from Imaginary Sonicscape.
Mirai's vocals are at his weakest here as well; while his growls are
generally derided, I find that they presented a lot of emotion and
texture in the past, whereas here they feel more standard. The catchy
choruses are missing as well, denying us the same glorious hooks of
Sigh's previous work. All in all, it is quite frankly boring; the
album fails to justify it's running time, which falls just short of
65 minutes. Many of the longer songs individually carry on with a
similar mix of self-indulgence and fruitlessness (see: “Amongst The
Phantoms”).
There are times
when the experimentation works well. The brooding spaciness of
“Somniphobia”, the urgent excitement of “L’excommunication a
Minuit” and the album's highlight, the sinister and jazzy
“Amnesia”, provide a brilliant series of tracks that present some
of the album's best guitar work and experimentation, and a great
mixing of the two. Sigh clearly still has the chops to produce great
music, but unfortunately the album as a whole doesn't represent that
very well.
7.6/10
-Faulty
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