The first track on the remastered edition of SIGH's "Gallows Gallery," "Pale Monument" speeds out the gate with thrashing rhythm, intermittent soloing, processed vocals and madcap organ. Yes, madcap organ-playing is a recurrent element on "Gallows Gallery." There is a distinctly 80s power-metal feel to much of this material, but dosed with a rogue's gallery of eclectic influences and instrumentation. When second track "In A Drowse" starts with a saxophone before descending into a blastbeat riff-fest marked with 007-style effects, you know you're in for something out of the ordinary. Parts of "The Enlightenment Day" even comes across as Middle Eastern-inspired, which is rather something coming from a Japanese metal band. SIGH seem to be channeling a postmodern IRON MAIDEN for a globalized world, which is a niche that frankly needed filling even though I didn't know it existed.

SIGH could certainly be called avant-garde metal, but their myriad influences blend into something far more accessible than that tag denotes. The operatic, melodic vocals and clean guitar keep the diverse instrumentation from spiraling into sheer chaos. "The Tranquilizer Song," as a change of pace, is even placid and rather pretty, almost a waltz! Such diversions will undoubtedly displease those metal fans expecting something uniformly "black." And to be fair, the morbid cover art, while striking, does not really fit the more energetic content. SIGH may incorporate the style of SLAYER but the spirit is often more MR. BUNGLE. Yet metal fans not afraid of over-the-top, anthemic, progressive and experimental designs will find much to admire here. As a bonus, this reissue features various demos, outtakes and alternate versions.

- Shragge

OFFICIAL SITE: http://sigh.gospel-virus.net

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