Candlelight Records Artist Sigh Interview up...
By Mirai
1. So as the years have gone by Sigh has moved more into Theatrical Avant Prog metal from the more Oriental Black metal. Were do you see the Future of Sigh's sound heading..
I've already started writing bits and pieces for the new album. The direction I have in my head right now is something very spacy both musically and lyrically. This is nothing more than an idea at this stage. I might give it up easily.
2. Sigh has been on Many labels Cacophonous, Century Media, The End and now Candlelight has any one label seemed to really be a home or is it just the stylistic changes that have cause the changes?
Simply because we're musicians very bad at business things. We had a lot of bad luck about the labels. At first we were on Deathlike Silence Productions, but unfortunately the owner, Euronymous, was murdered. The we singed to Cacophonous Records, who is probably one of the worst metal labels on earth. All the bands signed to them had the problem with them. Century Media was good, they were very professional but our music was not commercial enough for them. The End is a scam. I know a lot of people who were ripped off by them. Probably they used to be an honest label, but after they moved to NYC and failed on some bet on the bigger artists, they started having financial problems. Candlelight is definitely decent. They're very honest.
3. Is there a running theme on Graveward. You seem to be playing with many topic on the album?
Yes, as the title implies, it's all about death, or to be precise about our mortality. I wouldn't call it a concept album as there's no consistent storyline behind it though. We all are walking to the grave, some walk slowly while others walk fast. We start walking graveward from the very moment we are born. It's the same old story we all know well but we do not want to think about.
4. How does the artwork play in hand with the music?
The artwork is the realization and the representation of our music and lyrics. The LP version of "Graveward", which should be released in this August, is the best example. It has many great artworks by Costin Chioreanu, which perfectly describe the world of "Graveward".
5. What kind of touring works better for the band massive theatrical shows or the more personal club and theater venue. DO you change the show up for the venue or are there core songs that you will always perform live?
Actually we change the setlist a lot subject to the audience. I mean, if it's a black metal festival, we play a lot from the early albms etc. But sure, we have some core songs we always play. We do not care where we play as long as they let us use fire and blood.
6. Whats you thoughts as band on the digital media age does it help or hurt underground music in your eyes?
I think it's a double edged sword. Doing almost everything at your own house is a big advantage. You can do everything from recording to mastering on your PC and you even can release your works worldwide on the Internet. In the 80s, only someone who had a decent budget could make an album you know. However now people tend to think that music is something you can get for free. And the labels prefer to spend money on the already well-known artists to the new comers, which is not healthy.
7. If you could make a proper full length long form DVD what would you want it to look like and what songs are mandatory for it?
As far as "Graveward" goes, I want it look like cheesy black and white old TV shows in the vein of Twilight Zone or Night Gallery. Some of the songs like "The Forlorn", "Graveward" and "Out of the Grave" have some stories like watching your own dead body lying on the hospital bed (The Forlorn), line of the dead are walking towards the cemetery (Graveward) and waking up in the coffin buried six feet under (Out of the Grave) etc. So some omnibus of these short stories would be perfect for a "Graveward" DVD.
8. Always interesting to me what are members of Sigh Listening and reading ?
The stuff I have been listening to these days are: Ornette Coleman, Ronald Shannon Jackson, James Blood Ulmer, Last Exit, The Skeleton Crew, Colette Magny, Francois Tusque, Francois Bayle, and so on. Lots of obscure experimental and free jazz stuff. These days I've been trying to listening to the artists I am not familiar with.
And as for the books, I mainly read contemporary philosophy stuff mostly by French thinkers' works like Sartre, Lévi-Strauss, Foucault, Derrida etc.
9. WIll we see Sigh in the US on tour with Graveward?
Unfortunately we do not have a plan for US tour right now. We'd love to come back there as soon as possible though.
10. If Sigh was offered a Major label deal and budget didnt matter would it be something that would interest the band or being on larger metal labels are really the best fit?
I don't know. We have never been on a major label, so I am not sure what it is like. Being on larger metal labels who understand what we're doing is and gives the enough budget is good enough, so probably it is the best for the artist like us.
11. I really want to know what bands Influenced Sigh the most to get them to the sound that we currently hear?
I have two big musical backgrounds. One is heavy / thrash metal from the 80s which I grew up listening to, namely bands like Venom, Celtic Frost, Iron Maiden, Mercyful Fate, Whiplash, At War, Death SS, Candlemass, Kreator, Voiod, Black Hole, and so on. The other is the classical music. I was taking the classical piano lesson for more than 20 years when I was young, so the influence from classical music is huge on me. Some of the composers I adore are Debussy, Schubert, Schumann, Liszt, Stockhausen, Xenakis, Messiaen, Bartok, Webern, etc. Also the influence from experimental / progressive artists is obvious like Sun Ra, John Zorn, Frank Zappa, Magma, Amon Duul II, Between, Brainticket, The Beatles, The Beach Boys etc.
12. Is the Japanese Extreme music scene something massive or is it very much a very fringe item. As you seem to be one of the stand outs in Metal world. There are many insane Noise projects there?
There are many metal bands and noise artists but of course they are very fringe. Only the music maniacs care about this kind of music and "normal" people probably even don't know such a scene exists. Extreme music is for extreme people. Once it belongs to the main stream, it's not extreme any more.
13. Do the members of Sigh create music in other projects and styles or is Sigh the members only focus?
I myself am not involved in other projects any more. Of course I do guest appearances but I will not have a full time projects as I cannot stretch myself thinner. I'm getting old and I am not sure how many more Sigh's album I can make, so I'd like to put all of my ideas in Sigh.
Our new guitarist has his own project called Kadenzza. He released two album on Holy Records before and I believe he will resurrect Kadenzza if he has some free time in the future.
14. With 10 full lengths and other various releases to the albums as whole play a story or are they all independent short themes on a greater journey?
Whenever we start making a new album, we try to come up with the theme of the album first. So each album has its own theme. As far as music goes, our concept has been the same even from the very beginning, the sublation of beauty and ugliness. The contrast is the key to our music. Our albums may sound differ from each other, but it's just a superficial difference.
15. Thank you for the time any closing thoughts place here
Thank you very much for the interview! For the latest information, visit our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter.
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