Sigh, one of Japan's most daring and long-running metal acts, play Beta in Copenhagen on 10 September 2026. Founded in Tokyo in 1990 by multi-instrumentalist Mirai Kawashima, the band has spent more than three decades pushing the boundaries of extreme metal.
Their debut album Scorn Defeat (recorded 1993, released 1994) was a landmark moment for Japanese black metal internationally. Subsequent releases on Cacophonous Records — including Infidel Art, Hail Horror Hail, and Scenario IV: Dread Dreams — built their reputation further, with Hail Horror Hail widely cited as one of the most important metal albums of the 1990s.
Later albums such as Imaginary Sonicscape, Hangman's Hymn, and Scene from Hell saw the band embrace progressive, symphonic, and avant-garde influences. Their 2022 album Shiki, sung entirely in Japanese and incorporating traditional instruments, represents the culmination of this artistic evolution. Sigh are also celebrated for their theatrical live performances and have appeared at major festivals including Hellfest, Roadburn, and Metal Magic Festival.