Epic and Terrifying /// Music Monday #73

I hope you're ready for today's song choice, because it gets intense!

The music of the day is none other than . . .

"Attack on Titan" from Attack on Titan: Season 1

Composed by Hiroyuki Sawano

About half a year ago, I began to get into anime. I bought Attack on Titan on basically a whim. I knew nothing about the show, but I'd heard from multiple people that it was really good. "Really good" is not an accurate enough description. "Phenomenal" works so much better.

There are many things to be praised about the show. There are fantastic character arcs, and every character--even the side ones--are brimming with life and detail. The animation is superb and crisp, getting better with each season and showing everyone's personality so well. There are extremely intense moments as Titans rampage and devour innocents while heroes swing in to slice their way to victory. There are also very emotional moments, and you fear for the good guys, wondering who's next on the "be eaten or crushed" list.

One facet that I particularly love about the show, one that I think no one can deny, is the music. The soundtrack adds to much to the amazing writing and animation. The first time that I really sat up and took note of the score was when the Titans engage in their first slaughterfest. The choir sings with power and conveys the absolute terror one should feel when witnessing these gigantic eating machines as they gorge on humanity. I don't know how the choir members are able to fuse people's dread and horror when confronted by the monsters with their own voices, but they pulled it off so fricking well!

The music also doesn't stick to one genre. Yeah, there's soaring orchestral parts, but there's a lot more that Hiroyuki throws in. He adds gritty electronic beats, an unconventional mix with the orchestra. Then he'll go with some rock, with wailing electric guitars and "typical" drumsets that add a different kind of percussion to the mix. Heck, even the female vocals in this particular track are significant. The singer, Mika Kobayashi, is actually singing in German. I kid you not, she is singing real words in German. The lyrics are as follows:

Die Erde dröhnt und wird rot

Die Leute erinnern sich an diese Tragödie

Ist das der Zerstörer oder der Schöpfer?

Mit der Glut des Hasses schwenken wir die Schwerter

Ist das unser Schicksal oder unser Wille?

Wir werden kämpfen, bis dieser heiße Wind unsere Flügel nimmt

Was finden wir jenseits dieses Horizontes?

When translated to English, it says:

The earth roars and turns red

The people remember that tragedy

Is this the destroyer or the creator?

With the blaze of hate we swing the swords

Is that our fate or our will?

We will fight until this hot wind takes our wings

What will we find beyond this horizon?

There are a number of other German songs as well. The show actually takes place in Europe, as the remainders of the human race have all huddled down there. Thus, there's definitely some European influence shown, especially German, with some of the names of characters and whatnot.

All in all, it's an incredible anime. Not a single part of it is lackluster in my mind. I highly recommend you watch it. Hopefully your mind will be blown as much as mine has been. It might help if you go into it as blindly as possible. Whatever you decide to do, be very wary of spoilers. Do not look at comments or video descriptions on YouTube. Do not venture to the wiki. Do not even Google a character's name. The show has a lot to offer, and nothing deserves to be spoiled.

Have you seen Attack on Titan or considered watching it? Had you heard any music from it before? What'd you think of this particular track?