is a Japanese experimental metal band from Tokyo, formed in 1989. They gradually shifted from a traditional extreme metal sound to a more experimental, avant-garde style employing symphonic, world music, and progressive elements. Their most recent studio album, I Saw the World's End – Hangman's Hymn MMXXV, was released in 2025.

History

Sigh was founded as a Nordic-influenced black metal band in 1989, with bassist/vocalist/keyboardist Mirai Kawashima, guitarist Satoshi Fujinami, and drummer Kazuki. The band has since experienced many lineup changes, but Kawashima remains in the band to the present day and has played many different instruments. Their first EP Requiem for the Fools attracted the attention of Norwegian black metal musician and producer Euronymous, who signed Sigh to his label Deathlike Silence Records. Deathlike Silence Records then ceased to exist and Sigh signed with Cacophonous Records, which released their next three albums. Those albums increasingly incorporated elements from classical and avant-garde music. Their 2001 album with Century Media, Imaginary Sonicscape, was further praised for pioneering a new genre of surrealist black metal. Sigh later released albums under Candlelight/Baphomet Records and The End Records. Their 2007 song "Inked in Blood" from the album Hangman's Hymn was named number 31 on Loudwire's list of the Top 21st Century Metal Songs. The band is featured in the 2008 documentary Global Metal. By the end of that decade, the band's lineup solidified with the addition of drummer Junichi Harashima and saxophonist/backup singer Dr. Mikannibal (Mika Kawashima). Second guitarist You Oshima (formerly of Kadenzza) joined in 2014.

In the 2010s, Sigh's albums continued to experiment with various genre elements, and increasingly turned toward progressive metal. Their eleventh full-length album, Heir to Despair, was released in 2018 and was noted for its incorporation of instruments and compositional styles from traditional Japanese music. Band leader Mirai Kawashima learned to play flute for this album, Later, a prominent Japanese guitarist, Nozomu Wakai, joined. Sigh performed at several European festivals and released a live album "LIVE: The Eastern forces of evil 2022" in 2023.

Legacy

In 2025, Jordan Blum of Loudwire wrote: "When you think of Japanese progressive black metal, you inevitably think of Sigh, not only because they were one of the first black metal bands from the region, but also because they’re among the most innovative, multifaceted and appealing."

Members

;Current

  • Mirai Kawashima () – lead vocals, keyboards, sampling, programming, vocoder <small>(1989–present)</small>, woodwinds <small>(2010–present)</small>, bass <small>(1989–2004, 2022–present)</small>, percussion <small>(2004–present)</small>, orchestral arrangements <small>(2007–present)</small>
  • Nozomu Wakai (若井望) – guitars <small>(2022–present)</small>,
  • Dr. Mikannibal (Mika Kano, ) – alto saxophone, vocals <small>(2007–present)</small>

;Current touring musicians

  • Tomotaka Ishikawa () - drums <small>(2022-present)</small>
  • Yukiko Shibutani () - bass, backing vocals <small>(2024-present)</small>
  • Billion Kawashima - percussion <small>(2024-present)</small>
  • Million Kawashima - trumpet, trombone, backing vocals <small>(2024-present)</small>

;Former

  • Kazuki Ozeki () – drums <small>(1989)</small>
  • Shinichi Ishikawa () – guitars <small>(1992–2014)</small>
  • You Oshima () – guitars <small>(2014–2021)</small>
  • Junichi Harashima () – drums <small>(2004–2021)</small>
  • Satoshi Fujinami () – bass <small>(2004–2021)</small>, drums <small>(1992–2004, 2008, с2015)</small>, guitar <small>(1989–1992, 2008, с 2015)</small>

Timeline

Discography

The band's major releases follow an acrostic pattern of the word "SIGH" repeated: Scorn Defeat, Infidel Art, Ghastly Funeral Theatre, Hail Horror Hail, and so on.

;Studio albums

  • Scorn Defeat () (1993)
  • Infidel Art () (1995)
  • Hail Horror Hail () (1997)
  • Scenario IV: Dread Dreams (1999)
  • Imaginary Sonicscape () (2001)
  • Gallows Gallery (2005)
  • Hangman's Hymn () (2007)
  • Scenes from Hell (2010)
  • In Somniphobia (2012)
  • Graveward (2015)
  • Heir to Despair () (2018)
  • Shiki (2022)
  • I Saw the World's End – Hangman's Hymn MMXXV (2025)

;Live albums

  • The Eastern Force of Evil: Live '92-'96 (1997)
  • Scorn Defeat 20th Anniversary Gig (2013)
  • Live: The Eastern Forces of Evil 2022 (2023)

;Compilation album

  • Eastern Darkness () (2021)

;EPs

  • Requiem for Fools (1992)
  • Ghastly Funeral Theatre () (1997)
  • A Tribute to Venom (2008)
  • The Curse of Izanagi 7" (2010)

;Demos

  • Desolation (1990)
  • Tragedies (1990)

References

  • SIGH (Domestic)