Celebrating their 35th anniversary, Japanese Heavy Metal visionaries Sigh have returned with a bold statement of artistic evolution and self-reflection. On 13 June 2025, the band will release I Saw The World’s End (Hangman’s Hymn MMXXV) via Peaceville Records — a fully re-recorded and reimagined version of their landmark 2007 opus, Hangman’s Hymn.
Seen as a pioneering blend of Blackened Thrash and classical grandeur, it will get the treatment it has always deserved, now infused with today’s sonic firepower and symphonic scope.
Frontman and composer Mirai Kawashima did not take this task lightly. Despite hailing the original Hangman’s Hymn as one of his finest compositions, he has long been critical of its production quality, citing flaws in execution and instrumentation.
Now, with guitarist Nozomu Wakai and returning drummer Mike Heller by his side, Sigh has turned the page with an updated lineup and uncompromising sound that balances brutality and orchestration in equal measure.
The album’s lead single, Death With Dishonor, offers a chilling preview of what fans can expect. Mirai describes it as “one of the simplest songs by Sigh,” yet it packs a potent punch with furious double-speed drumming, real trumpet and violin sections, and a colossal chorus.
The new version, according to him, sounds “100 times more violent and symphonic than the original.” The video, directed by the ever-visionary Costin Chioreanu, captures the bleak theatricality that has become a hallmark of Sigh’s genre-defying style.
This is not just a remaster — it’s a rebirth. The newly re-recorded Hangman’s Hymn comprises 12 tracks, each reborn under the album’s new title.
“Hangman’s Hymn, which was released in 2007, is one of my best compositions of my whole career,” Mirai said. “But it does not necessarily mean that this is my favourite Sigh album. The excessively monotonous drumming must be the biggest issue. The guitars are sloppy. The production is far from the best. And my orchestrations and vocals could have been much better.
“So what if we re-record this with better musicians and today’s production? The idea was always in my head, and finally, the time has come to make it happen. I do know that re-recording can be a double-edged sword. Scorn Defeat has some flaws. So does Imaginary Sonicscape.
“But I will never ever re-record those albums, as I am sure that it would lose their magic. But Hangman’s Hymn is an exception. You can easily tell what I mean if you listen to this completely re-recorded version.”
From the haunting opener Introitus / Kyrie to the devastating Finale: Hangman’s Hymn / In Paradisum / Das Ende, this MMXXV version is more than a tribute — it’s a restoration.
Produced by Lasse Lammert and adorned with artwork from Eliran Cantor, the album is being issued in multiple formats, including white and gold marble vinyl, classic black vinyl, CD, and digital.
Sigh will support the release with a run of European summer shows, including appearances at Brutal Assault, Hellsinki Metal Fest, and Midgardsblot — fitting stages for a band that has, since 1990, walked the line between the avant-garde and the infernal.
From their Euronymous-backed debut Scorn Defeat to the psychedelic explorations of Shiki, Sigh have never repeated themselves — until now, with purpose and power.
This is more than nostalgia. I Saw The World’s End (Hangman’s Hymn MMXXV) is Sigh’s ultimate reclamation — a Heavy Metal reckoning with the past, sharpened for the future.
For more details and to pre-order, visit https://sighpeaceville.lnk.to/Hangmans2025FA.
