So three Japanese thrash metal friends eat some mushrooms (they're legal in Japan!) and head to the cinema to check out a cannibal-zombie flick featuring a score by John Zorn. The blood flows, the credits roll and the band Sigh is born. Okay, so maybe that's not exactly the way it happened, but it might as well be a true story. Not getting the picture? Take two parts black metal, a dose of late-eighties thrash metal, the spirit of Coltrane-inspired free jazz, a dash of pop sensibility, a hint of twentieth century classical music and some hallucinogenics-that's Sigh, an extraordinary trio hell-bent on introducing the world to their bizarre brand of extreme music.

"We consider our new album to be a 21st century metal album with 70's equipment, 80's metal spirit and 90's digital technique," says Mirai, Sigh's vocalist. "So many elements are on our new album-you could go on an hour trip when you listen to it." Sigh's fifth album and Century Media debut, Imaginary Sonicscape features more orchestral and avant-garde sounds than previous albums, and some truly tripped-out sounds courtesy of samples and authentic 70's equipment (Moog, Hammond, Rhodes, etc.). "This time, all of the synthesizer parts were recorded at my house," says Mirai. "That means we didn't have the time limitations like we did at the recording studio. We spent almost half a year to record the synth solos to get the best result."

It seems labels are typically fond of praising their bands for "maturing" as their careers progress. Well, Century Media Records was impressed by just how insanely disturbing and unsettling Sigh's music has become over the course of their four full-length albums: Infidel Art, Hail Horror, Scenario IV: Dead Dreams (all released on Cacophonous Records), and Scorn Defeat (Voices of Wonder Records). Since their inception in April of 1989, Sigh have released a slew of demos, EP's, 7"'s and contributions to various compilations to compliment their four full-length efforts. Originally consisting of Mirai (voice, bass, keyboard), Satoshi (guitar) and Kazuki (drums), Shinichi soon replaced Kazuki and the band recorded their debut, Scorn Defeat. Originally intended for release on Deathlike Silence Productions (run by Euronymous of Mayhem), Scorn Defeat was ultimately released through Voices of Wonder Records after Euronymous' death. The years have seen Sigh morph into a psychedelic, avant-garde metal band intent on smoking all pre-conceived notions of the black metal genre.

Their drug-infested, schizophrenic sounds have inspired rave reviews from some of metal's most respected voices: Terrorizer characterizes Sigh as a "f*cked up, crazier-than-a-sh*thouse-rat Japanese Metal Assault," while Kerrang! describes their music as "utterly insane, yet also uniquely compelling." This record will challenge listeners and serve as a refreshing dose of originality, something that has been sorely missing in the black metal world for years. Song structures are corrupted, sounds are manipulated, pre-conceptions will be shattered-one listen to Imaginary Sonicscape and this bio will make a whole lot more sense. Throw on the album, sit back and take a trip with Sigh.