For a year and a half now I've been trying to make a list of my 100 favorite songs of all time. The issue: a quarter of the list was occupied by Sigh. So, I figured I would simply rip the band-aid off and make a Sigh list. Enjoy, and feel free to tell me why I'm wrong about every single placement.

For those of you who are curious, here's the average score each album would get based on how I rated the songs (interludes excluded):
Scorn Defeat: 6.43
Infidel Art: 8.17
Ghastly Funeral Theater: 6.33
Hail Horror Hail: 7.71
Scenario IV: Dread Dreams: 7.13
Imaginary Sonicscape: 8.44
Gallows Gallery: 9.11
Hangman’s Hymn: 9.1
Scenes From Hell: 9.25
In Somniphobia: 9.22
Graveward: 7.4
Heir To Despair: 8.14
Shiki: 7.86
I Saw The World’s End: 8.5

I've attempted to do a full-song ranking of one or two bands, but it's such a daunting task, both because of the requirement to know every song reasonably well and the difficulty in pitting them all against one another, so I applaud you for actually pursuing this to its completion.

Now I will explain why you are completely wrong.

Well, I can't actually say for sure how I would place most of these without going to the trouble of at least approximating a ranking myself (which I do not plan on doing any time in the foreseeable future), but the one major difference is that you have "A Messenger From Tomorrow" at second to last and I would have that almost certainly in my top five. My one complaint about the song is that it ends too abruptly: it has such a great build-up and then stops right when it's still gathering momentum. It needs another two minutes to be perfect. But that's definitely an all-timer for me. A completely slapdash and incomplete highlight reel would also include "Scarlet Dream", "Pale Monument", "Voices", "Out Of The Grave", "The Tranquilizer Song", "Corpsecry - Angelfall"... no, I must resist the temptation to be drawn into this. "Hail Horror Hail" is pretty darn fantastic, though. And "Aletheia".

In general I'm sure I would have the Graveward material much higher, which doesn't surprise me; even Mirai is a little down on that one, but it's one of my favorites. I think on the whole I'm also a little fonder of Scorn Defeat and Ghastly Funeral Theatre ("Shingontachikawa" and "A Victory Of Dakini" are some others I'd place pretty high up), whereas I'm not sure there's anything on Scenes From Hell or In Somniphobia I'd rate quite so favorably (though it's been a while since I last listened to them, and they're still very good). But it's difficult trying to rank something higher when everything is great; I do like Scorn Defeat, but not more than most of their other albums, so maybe it still winds up toward the bottom anyway. Purely in terms of the ratings, then, if not the rankings, I guess I'd be more generous.

On the whole, we're in agreement that there are no bad Sigh songs. There are not too many bands out there who have lasted so long without a single unworthy release to their name.

Written by ScreamingSteelUS on 14.01.2026 at 22:36

I've attempted to do a full-song ranking of one or two bands, but it's such a daunting task, both because of the requirement to know every song reasonably well and the difficulty in pitting them all against one another, so I applaud you for actually pursuing this to its completion.

It took me about a month of listening, and even then I had to stop myself at some point because I was just tinkering with the list all the time lol (yes, that includes listening to the damn interludes over and over to figure out their ranking)
This is far from a definitive ranking and there's a good chance some songs will go up and down with time!

Written by ScreamingSteelUS on 14.01.2026 at 22:36

Now I will explain why you are completely wrong. [...] the one major difference is that you have "A Messenger From Tomorrow" at second to last and I would have that almost certainly in my top five. My one complaint about the song is that it ends too abruptly: it has such a great build-up and then stops right when it's still gathering momentum. It needs another two minutes to be perfect.

I do have some amount of fondness for it, as I do with pretty much all of Sigh's catalogue, but man there's a lot of stuff I really don't like in that song. Another two minutes could either be the greatest thing in the world (see "The Dead Sing") or it could ensure that it won't ever leave the bottom of my ranking lol

Written by ScreamingSteelUS on 14.01.2026 at 22:36

A completely slapdash and incomplete highlight reel would also include "Scarlet Dream", "Pale Monument", "Voices", "Out Of The Grave", "The Tranquilizer Song", "Corpsecry - Angelfall"... no, I must resist the temptation to be drawn into this. "Hail Horror Hail" is pretty darn fantastic, though. And "Aletheia".

All of these are in 8/10 or higher so at least there are some things on which we agree! (except "Voices", which I did not even know about until earlier today since it's not on streaming services )

Written by ScreamingSteelUS on 14.01.2026 at 22:36

In general I'm sure I would have the Graveward material much higher, [...] I'm also a little fonder of Scorn Defeat and Ghastly Funeral Theatre, [...] whereas I'm not sure there's anything on Scenes From Hell or In Somniphobia I'd rate quite so favorably.

Those are the albums I anticipated our opinions would diverge on, I also think you like Shiki a lot more than me. The albums we agree on the most would be Infidel Art, Scenario IV and Gallows Gallery I guess?? Strange lineup.

Written by ScreamingSteelUS on 14.01.2026 at 22:36

On the whole, we're in agreement that there are no bad Sigh songs. There are not too many bands out there who have lasted so long without a single unworthy release to their name.

Almost put "Desolation" in 5/10 at first, but it won me over after repeat listens. Incredibly solid discography, and one of the few 30+ year old bands where I'll always be excited for whatever's next.

Glad you took the time to skim through my list