Original Soundtrack (OST) - Attack on Titan
The music of Attack on Titan is one of the many aspects of this series that sets it apart from the hundreds of anime released each year. From its catchy opening themes to its intense soundtracks, many fans instantly recognized several different pieces from Attack on Titan. The music from Seasons 1 to 3 also includes a range of hits, albums, and original soundtracks that many fans have come to appreciate. Season 4 is also expected to have similar performances.
Original soundtracks
Currently, Hiroyuki Sawano has composed the soundtracks for all three seasons of Attack on Titan. Sawano has worked on several other high-profile anime series, both before and after his work on Attack on Titan , such as The Blue Exorcist , None, Kill la Kill , and Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress. Sawano's unique style often blends orchestral instruments with a variety of electronic synthesizers, guitars, and vocals, creating a genre that some might call "electronic orchestral rock." Many of the choruses in his more intense pieces are quite bombastic in nature, leading fans to refer to them as "Savano drops." That said, Sawano is also capable of producing softer, more emotional pieces of music. Another interesting aspect of Sawano's musical style is how he names each piece. The use of unusual symbols and accents is quite common in his song names, resulting in songs like "凸】♀】♂】←巨人", which is meant to be interpreted as "Titan's Attack" or "Titan's Invasion".
Season 1 Original Soundtrack
The Season 1 soundtrack was released as two separate albums in 2013. Both discs were released under the Pony Canyon label. The first part of the Season 1 soundtrack was released on June 28, 2013, and contains 16 individual tracks. In contrast, the second version was released on October 16 of the same year and only includes 11 tracks. According to the liner notes, the Season 1 soundtrack was recorded in various locations, including Studio Sound Valley, Bunkamura Studio, Studio Green Bird, and Onkio Haus.
Season 2 Original Soundtrack
Unlike the first season soundtrack, the Season 2 soundtrack was released as a single two-disc album containing all of Sawano's music. This soundtrack was also released under Pony Canyon's label and released on June 7, 2017, shortly before the end of Season 2's original broadcast. In total, this soundtrack contains 33 individual tracks, all of which were recorded at the same locations as the Season 1 soundtrack, with the addition of LAB Recorders and Sound City.
Season 3 Original Soundtrack
The fourth and most recent Attack on Titan soundtrack is the soundtrack to its third season , released on June 26, 2019. Like its predecessor, it contains two discs and was released under the Pony Canyon label. There are 31 tracks in total.
Other soundtrack releases
There have also been individual releases for the first two Attack on Titan compilation films, Attack on Titan - Part 1: Crimson Bow and Arrow and Attack on Titan - Part 2: Wings of Freedom. These albums are considerably shorter than the other soundtracks, but contain music composed by Hiroyuki Sawano and Linked Horizon, the band responsible for the anime series' iconic opening themes. The "Crimson Bow and Arrow" soundtrack was released on March 18, 2015, while the Wings of Freedom soundtrack was released later that year on December 16.
"Sacrifice Your Hearts!" (also known by its Japanese name "Shinzo o Sasageyo!" and its German name "Opfert eure Herzen!"): The first opening theme of Season 2. Like the previous opening themes, "Sacrifice Your Hearts!" was also written and performed by Linked Horizon. It was not released as a single, however, but was compiled with the other two opening themes (and other original tracks) to create an album titled "The Trails of Advance" ("Shingeki no Kiseki") released on May 17, 2017.
Singles linked to Attack on Titan
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"Crimson Bow and Arrow" (also known by its Japanese name "Guren no Yumiya" and its German name "Feurroter Pfeil und Bogen"): This song is used as the opening theme song for the anime series. Its intense music and unique combination of Japanese and German lyrics left a strong impression on viewers. The song was performed by Linked Horizon and composed by the band's vocalist, Revo.
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"Wings of Freedom" (also known by its Japanese name "Jiyu no Tsubasa" and its German name "Die Flügel der Freiheit"): The second opening theme for Season 1. It was also written and performed by Linked Horizon. The two opening themes were eventually released together as a single titled "The Advance to Freedom" ("Jiyu e no Shingeki" in Japanese). This single was released on July 10, 2013.
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Character Song CDs: A number of actors and actresses have released singles that relate in some way to their respective characters. For example, Levi Ackermann 's voice actor, Hiroshi Kamiya , released a character song titled "Dark Side of the Moon" on June 21, 2017.
