SawanoHiroyuki[nZk] “X.U.｜scaPEGoat”
Text by Mayumi Tsuchida
New world created through collaboration with various singers
SawanoHiroyuki[nZk] is a vocal song project launched in 2014 by Hiroyuki Sawano, Japanese musical accompaniment composer and musician who is known for his achievements in various fields including popular anime television series such as [Shingeki no Kyojin (Attack on Titan)] and [Aldnoah.Zero], as well as many movies/TV dramas/games. On its first release "UnChild", a collaborative piece with Japanese female singer Aimer, he created an opportunity for her characteristic husky voice to encounter heavy alternative tunes, including the theme song for "Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn". On the second release "A/Z｜aLIEz" and the third "&Z" with mizuki of Japanese indie rock band ITSUE as the vocal, he brought more impulsive emotions to her vocal than she does so in her original band. And now, the project's fourth, a double A side single "X.U. ｜scaPEGoat", has been released.
Both tracks on the single, used for opening and ending theme songs for the anime series [Owari no Seraph (Seraph of the End: Vampire Reign)"] in which humans and vampires fight in a devastated world, were written taking inspiration from the two main characters of the anime. The former that reflects the image of Yuichiro Hyakuya, who belongs to the army for vampire extermination, is an electro rock featuring 20-year-old, trilingual, new female vocalist Gemie's glossy singing on the beats filled with a sense of speed. And the latter that evokes Mikaela Hyakuya, an ex-human-turned-into-vampire after he was given blood of a vampire when he suffered a life-threatening injury, is a large-scale atmosphere rock ballad. Featuring Yosh, as the vocal, the front man of Japanese loud rock band Survive Said The Prophet whose split album "REDLINE RIOT!!" with other prominent next-generation artists in the ‘loud’ scene, such as Crystal Lake (Japanese metalcore band), NOISEMAKER (Japanese band) and wrong city (Japanese punk/metal/hardcore/screamo band) is still fresh in our minds, the song exemplifies pathos which can never be effaced from mind with his sensitive, emotional singing.
Looking back the above mentioned 4 works, I'm reminded anew, Sawano's keen eye for accurately hooking up talented newcomers. This might be one of the reasons why SawanoHiroyuki[nZk] never fails to amaze us with each new release, let alone his perfect songs that weave dramatic stories with the sounds appropriate for the venues/media where they are used.
