This is not an April Fools joke; Saori Kobayashi, composer of the amazing soundtracks from Panzer Dragoon Saga, Panzer Dragoon Orta, and the Crimson Dragon games is releasing an epic new album also featuring work from Eri Ito and Manabu Kusunoki! Terra Magica is described as “a love letter from Saori Kobayashi to her fans” and judging by the quality of the two preview tracks this is definitely the case. Terra Magica is available for pre-order on Bandcamp now and will be released on the 13th of April in physical and digital editions.
Among the contributors, Terra Magica features the vocals of none other than Eri Ito herself, who sung the theme songs Sona Mi Areru Ec Sancitu (Panzer Dragoon Saga) and Anu Orta Veniya (Panzer Dragoon Orta). Check out the first preview track “Mother” on the Bandcamp page to hear Eri Ito’s beautiful voice and Saori Kobayashi’s compositions together again at last!
Furthermore, the cover art was created by Manabu Kusunoki, illustrator of the Saturn Panzer Dragoon games. The distinct art style from those games is very evident here. The second preview track is titled “Dance of Seekers”. Although Terra Magica’s music and art isn’t explicitly based in the Panzer Dragoon world, listening to the album’s music while gazing at the wonderful cover art makes me imagine the journey of Gash’s Seekers as they travel in search of a new home.
As if all this wasn’t enough to satisfy the Panzer Dragoon fan hungry for more, the album will feature notes from series creator Yukio Futatsugi. I personally cannot wait to hear the full album. If you like what you’ve heard so far, please pre-order the album and support the artists to promote work of this calibre.