Journey, the new album by Saori Kobayashi is now available:
You can buy the album or stream the entire album for free on Bandcamp. I recommend that Panzer Dragoon and Crimson Dragon fans purchase the album to encourage future music from Saori Kobayashi.
Unfortunately, I have not had time to write a full review, but I’ll sum up my thoughts causally here.
Journey is a must purchase for fans of Saori’s work. The album features three Crimson Dragon tracks, but these are different from the tracks included in the games. We have a piano remix of Crimson Dragon’s main theme and a song based on Crimson Dragon: Side Story’s menu music (now with vocals). I like what has been done with the music here better than the music in the games. Furthermore, the album features Pirika which was originally going to be Panzer Dragoon Saga’s theme music.
Besides Crimson Dragon and Panzer Dragoon music, there are a number of other great tracks. Maboroshi is my personal favourite. Most tracks are composed by Saori Kobayashi, and many have a similar feel to her earlier work. Not exactly the same style, but the resemblance is there. I think Saori Kobayashi sums it up best herself on the album page:
After composing the music for Microsoft’s Crimson Dragon (Xbox One) and meeting Brave Wave’s president Mohammed Taher, Kobayashi decided to revive AKANE in the form of a second album titled Journey. “Before encountering the series, I didn’t focus on a specific type of music, but composing for Panzer Dragoon Saga and Panzer Dragoon Orta and experiencing these games made me interested in working with similar musical elements. A big part of AKANE is inspired by the Panzer Dragoon series.”
The inspiration is evident and that’s certainly a good thing. In the album’s description, Saori Kobayashi and Yumiko Takahashi also leave a personal thank you message to fans of the Panzer Dragoon and Crimson Dragon games:
“We’re also very grateful to the people who learned of our music through games like Panzer Dragoon and Crimson Dragon. AKANE takes a different approach from the music of those games, mixing Japanese folklore with new, more modern sounds. As the title of the album suggests, AKANE is a band on a constant journey. We hope you will enjoy this new, mysterious journey with us!”
I’ve certainly enjoyed going on another Saori Kobayashi journey. If you liked the music of the Panzer Dragoon and Crimson Dragon games I think you will too.