Re-recordings are a bit of an issue for me. On one side, sometimes replacing a bad production is a necessity; sometimes it’s not really warranted. And sometimes, a classic just needs a fresh lick of paint.

There’s a little of all of the above going on here as Mirai Kawashima has decided to completely re-record 2007’s Hangman’s Hymn, arguably one of Sigh’s most popular releases. It’s certainly my favorite, and honestly, the only Sigh album I’ve truly revisited with gusto over the years.

As the mighty Grimulfr stated in his review of the original 2007 release, this was a top tier release back in 2007, and frankly, I saw nothing wrong with the original recording or delivery, it has a cheeky frantic, loose, and rough charm, and dripped with thrashing, catchy orchestral bombast as tracks like “Introitus / Kyrie”, “Inked in Blood”, “Salvation in Flame/Confutatis”,  “Me-Devil”, “Death With Dishonor”, and “Finale: Hangman’s Hymn/In Paradisum/Das Ende” were total earworms.

The thing is, even with a whole new production, and new members in American drummer Mike Keller (Azure Emote, Changeling, Malignancy) and new bassist/guitarist Nazomu Wakai adding some slick new riffs, leads blastbeats and fills, as well as a human string/brass troupe, the album largely retains its original sound and charm.

Sure, everything sounds newer and sharper, but production was never really a major issue for the original (if a bit ….thin), as it was 2007. There are subtle tweaks to the vocal patterns and delivery, the more Iron Maiden -ish sounding leads, and the new live string/brass section sounds more epic and organic. But to be honest, the same few songs I listed above are still fucking killer, and still total earworms. But the few songs I didn’t really love in 2007  (i.e, “The Master Malice”, “Memories As A Sinner”, “Rex Tremendae / I Saw the World’s End”) are still songs I skip on this version.

That all said, the album is, again, still killer, 18 years later, a testament to how good it was back then, and how good it is now. And I’ll admit, my favorite tracks “Death Before Dishonor”, “Salvation in Flame” and “Hangman’s Hymn”, now with blast beats, cool violins, choirs and argeggios are indeed even more fucking killer.

Now, if only Suffocation would take a note from Sigh’s book and redo Breeding the Spawn. Now, there is an album that actually NEEDS a do-over.

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