After more than a year in development, composer Saori Kobayashi's latest musical journey will arrive on Bandcamp and iTunes on April 13. For those who know her prior work on Panzer Dragoon Saga, Orta and Crimson Dragon, you know what to expect - soaring, beautiful tunes that whisk you away into a fanciful, imaginative soundscape. We know these words can sound hyperbolic, but believe us, this is thoughtful, notable work.
What is Terra Magica? Here's Saori's own words from last year:
"For my solo album, the music takes precedence over any story or imagery, allowing listeners to visualize a world that only I have created. I hope to create an album whose music will inspire listeners and give them complete control over what they see in realm of their own imaginations.
"I personally enjoy fantasy games and RPGs; worlds where dragons soar across the sky, and cosmos where a vast bed of planets lie scattered across... these images are my fantasies. What are yours? I hope that when people listen to my solo album, they conjure up their own worlds like I do as I compose with Brave Wave."
While most of the tracks are instrumental, you'll also be treated to occasional vocals from Yumiko Takahashi (Suikoden II, Panzer Dragoon Orta) and Eri Ito (Saga and Orta). Their spirited contributions further elevate the Terra Magica experience and give the album a Studio Ghibli (or specifically Joe Hisaishi) feeling.
Rounding out the experience is the package itself. The art recalls unique architecture and distant horizons of past Panzer titles, and that's no accident - it's from Saga illustrator Manabu Kusunoki! Series fans will know the style well and how it's hard to articulate the "feeling" Panzer Dragoon artwork places in your mind... but it's our hope this album cover stirs those same feelings in you today.
But Terra Magica has two more important tidbits worth sharing ahead of its release - remixes by Castlevania's Michiru Yamane and Bayonetta's Takahiro Izutani. If you pre-order the album starting today, you'll have immediate access to these tracks ahead of the album's 4/13 release.
The music found within Panzer Dragoon Saga and Orta, and now Terra Magica, further demonstrate the talents and range of video game music composers. We sincerely hope you give it a listen and share with anyone who loves music in general - video game or not!
If you enjoy Terra Magica, then be sure to check out AKANE's 2nd album Journey, which Brave Wave released in September 2014. Like Terra Magica, Journey features new original music inspired by the Panzer Dragoon series of games, as well as compositions from Crimson Dragon, Crimson Dragon: Side Story, and a special appearance by legendary composer Nobuo Uematsu (of Final Fantasy).