A cult act and one of the most innovative forces in black metal history, Japan’s Sigh will perform on September 4th at Zaścianek in Kraków, joined by American outfit Devil Master.
If your debut album is released via Euronymous’ Deathlike Silence, cult status comes almost instantly. That’s exactly the case with Sigh, whose “Scorn Defeat” saw the light of day shortly after the passing of the Mayhem guitarist. But it’s their fearless approach to composition that truly cemented their legacy - arguably among the most experimental of their time, a path they’ve continued to push with every subsequent release. Led by Mirai Kawashima, the band has always taken black metal into less obvious territories - first incorporating piano-driven passages, later expanding into progressive, psychedelic, and even jazz-inflected realms. With a nearly four-decade-long, remarkably rich career behind them, Sigh remain a singular phenomenon, their live shows unfolding as fully theatrical experiences.
Philadelphia’s Devil Master have emerged as one of the most feral and unrestrained acts within the recent wave blending black metal with punk. Add a strong dose of gothic rock influence, and the result is a band that stands out through both intensity and undeniable catchiness, as heard on their releases “Satan Spits on Children of Light” (2019) and “Ecstasies of Never Ending Night” (2022). They sound like they’ve been dwelling in the dungeons of some abandoned castle. This September, they crawl out of the shadows and return to Poland charged with infernal energy.
