Interview: 35 Years of Sigh & Hangman’s Hymn MMXXV - Mirai Kawashima

This year, Japanese black metal legends Sigh celebrate 35 years of existence. With a career that has seen the release of 12 studio albums, countless worldwide shows, and a relentless dedication to pushing musical boundaries, they have firmly cemented their status as one of the most revered and influential cult acts in extreme metal. To celebrate, Sigh have revisited their 2007 opus, Hangman’s Hymn. A compositional powerhouse in its own right, Hangman’s Hymn was notably Sigh’s first concept album, blending fast 80s thrash metal influences from bands like Wehrmacht, Sarcofago, and Repulsion with classical music—particularly German symphonies. However, Hangman’s Hymn was often seen as not fully meeting the band’s own standards in terms of execution and production. As a result, frontman Mirai Kawashima took it upon himself to do justice to this at times overlooked masterpiece of intricate songwriting by re-recording it with the current Sigh sound and delivery, under the title I Saw the World’s End – Hangman’s Hymn MMXXV. It was released via Peaceville on 13th June. Doing the impossible, turning an already iconic album into something even better, Sigh’s decision to re-record this beloved record has proven to be a genius move. Not only because its unique style and structure has been made richer and bolder thanks to modern technology, but because a whole new set of listeners are going to experience this album’s brilliance for the first time, and it is brilliant. Read our full review here: https://www.gbhbl.com/album-review-sigh-i-saw-the-worlds-end-hangmans-hymn-mmxxv-peaceville/ We spoke with band leader and multi-instrumentalist Mirai Kawashima about Sigh reaching 35 years, looking back at Hangman’s Hymn, talking about the decision to re-record it, and so much more. Find out more here: https://peaceville.com/bands/sigh/ Website: https://gbhbl.com/ LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/gbhbl Ko-Fi (Buy us a coffee): https://ko-fi.com/gbhbl Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GBHBL Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gbhbl/ Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/gbhbl.com Threads: https://www.threads.net/@gbhbl Twitter: https://twitter.com/GBHBL_Official Contact: [email protected] Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/gbhbl Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5A4toGR0qap5zfoR4cIIBo Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/hr/podcast/the-gbhbl-podcasts/id1350465865 Intro/Outro music created by HexedRiffsStudios YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKSpZ6roX36WaFWwQ73Cbbg Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hexedriffsstudio