I really don`t like blackmetal. But, there are always exceptions to the rule. And I can`t deny I feel a very strong affinity towards Sigh; actually, I feel that their Hail Horror Hail albums easily outrank most of the black albums that have been put upon the market in the last ten years and should be considered as groundbreaking to the music industry as Emperor and Immortal have been. So Japanese threesome Sigh have returned with a new full-length; Imaginary Sonicscape is packed with songtitles that seem to be taken from psychology and new-age textbooks: "Scarlet Dream", "Nietzschean Conspiracy", "Impromptu [Allegro Maestoso]", "Requiem - Nostalgia" - it reads like a goth tracklist. Taking a close look at Sigh`s music itself, the beginning of the album doesn`t really give much hope. In comparison to their early material, "Corpsecry - Angelfall" and "Scarlet Dream" is awfully straightforward and linear, and even though material like this is still better than your average black band, it definitely doesn`t live up to Sigh standards.

Thankfully, with "Scarlet Dream" they set theirselves straight and we`re treated to a mix between black, gothic, psychedelic 70s and something that would best be described as film music. Considering the whole album, there are favourably good and less good songs; "A Sunset Song" or "Slaughtergarden Suite" would fall in the first categorie, while "Dreamsphere" and "Ecstatic Transformation" fall into the latter category. Overall, Imaginary Sonicscape is an album that will probably please a lot of the Sigh fans out there. But it is nowhere near as good as Hair Horror Hail or its follow-up Dread Dreams, for that matter. What Sigh need is a refreshened drive towards experimentation and exploring the boundaries; if they regain an attitude like that, they are bound to be back at the top once more.