“I Saw the World’s End (Hangman’s Hymn MMXXV)” Out Now, Along with the Unholy Visuals of ‘Me-Devil’
What do you do when you write one of the best avant-garde black metal albums of your career… but record it like it was tracked in a haunted microwave? If you’re SIGH, you wait 17 years, summon actual orchestras, flawless production, demonic enlightenment, and then re-record the whole thing so spectacularly that you immediately declare:
“We will never take this direction again.”
Mirai Kawashima, ladies and gentlemen. The man who just closed the curtain on symphonic black metal like it was a kabuki act performed in a collapsing cathedral.
🎧 Stream / download the madness: I Saw The World’s End (Hangman’s Hymn MMXXV) — now out via Peaceville Records
Hangman’s Hymn Reborn: Or How To Outdo Yourself Without Hating Yourself
Let’s go back. 2007. SIGH releases Hangman’s Hymn — a psychotic symphony fusing German classical traditions with thrash metal blast beats and goat-punching rage. It was bold. It was weird. It was… kind of sloppy.
Even Mirai admits:
“The guitars were sloppy. The production was bad. My orchestrations could’ve been better. The drumming was too monotone.”
Translation: This thing was a flaming sword forged from lightning… duct-taped to a broom handle.
But now? With the 2025 re-recording, I Saw The World’s End (Hangman’s Hymn MMXXV) is finally the album it was meant to be. Every note is surgically delivered. The orchestrations are massive, dramatic, apocalyptic—like Mozart and Sarcófago fighting in a cathedral while Wehrmacht throws grenades from the balcony.
And Mirai? He’s satisfied. Which, for SIGH, is a bigger milestone than 35 years of existence.
35 Years of Avant-Garde Madness, One Album to Burn It All Down
SIGH aren’t just a band. They’re a black metal fever dream that never ends. Since 1989 (or 1990, depending how much sake was involved), they’ve been inventing genres that no one asked for but everyone secretly needed. Now, with 12 studio albums behind them, they’ve done the unthinkable:
They made their old material sound like it belongs in a twisted, gold-trimmed opera house.
And the critics? Oh, they noticed:
⭐⭐⭐⭐ “A devilish opus.” – Record Collector
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Wickedly produced, musically precise, and energetically satisfying.” – Metal Epidemic
“Untouchable. More relevant than ever.” – GBHBL
“A labor of love. Sparkling opulence in black metal.” – Metal Hammer DE
Seriously, if you’re not listening to this on headphones while staring into the void, what are you doing?
Let’s Talk Personnel: All Killers, No Fillers
To pull off this blackened resurrection, SIGH brought in the heavy artillery:
Nozomu Wakai (guitar): Shreds with a PhD in chaos theory.
Mike Heller (drums): Back on board to make your heartbeat feel like a blastbeat.
Mirai Kawashima (vocals, orchestrations, resident mad genius): Still screaming, still summoning the spirits of fallen composers.
With production by Lasse Lammert, and artwork by Eliran Cantor (whose brush apparently runs on blood and nightmares), this isn’t just a re-recording. It’s a total exorcism of the original, re-cast in sonic gold.
The Tracklist: Every Song Now Ends the World Slightly More Than Before
Here’s your itinerary through the infernal symphony:
Introitus / Kyrie (MMXXV) – [4:30]
Inked in Blood (MMXXV) – [3:13]
Me-Devil (MMXXV) – [3:19]
Dies Irae (MMXXV) – [0:40]
The Master Malice (MMXXV) – [4:46]
The Memories as a Sinner (MMXXV) – [3:30]
Death with Dishonor (MMXXV) – [3:08]
In Devil’s Arms (MMXXV) – [4:32]
Overture (MMXXV) – [1:14]
Rex Tremendae / I Saw the World’s End (MMXXV) – [5:18]
Salvation in Flame / Confutatis (MMXXV) – [5:22]
Finale: Hangman’s Hymn / In Paradisum / Das Ende (MMXXV) – [4:47]
It’s liturgy for the damned. Gregorian chant, thrash riffs, orchestras, and total annihilation—all in under an hour.
Upcoming Live Rituals: SIGH Take the Madness to Europe
Witness the madness live this August at select European venues. Bring incense. Maybe a priest.
SIGH LIVE 2025:
Aug 4 – Munich, CZ
Aug 5 – Salzburg, AT
Aug 6 – Brutal Assault, CZ
Aug 8 – Siegen, DE
Aug 9 – Hellsinki Metal Fest, FIN
Aug 10 – Berlin, DE
Aug 11 – Leipzig, DE
Aug 12 – Wiesbaden, DE
Aug 13 – Zürich, CH
Aug 14 – Francavilla, IT
Aug 15 – Midgardsblot, NO
Aug 16 – Sofia, BG
📸 By Itsutaka Takusagawa
🎟️ [Buy Tickets. Offer your soul. Whatever works.]
Final Thought: Never Again (Unless It’s Better Than This)
Mirai has spoken. “I Saw the World’s End” is the apex. There will be no sequel. No soft reboot. No “Hangman’s Hymn MMXXX Deluxe Anniversary Redux Platinum Vomit Edition.”
This is it. It’s done.
The last word in symphonic extremity from Japan’s most unhinged black metal alchemists.
I Saw the World’s End (Hangman’s Hymn MMXXV) is out now on white + gold marble vinyl, classic black vinyl, CD, and digital streaming platforms.
