The brainchild of Masami Kurumada, the Japanese animated series Saint Seiya – Knights Of The Zodiac, created in 1986, explores the story of Bronze Knights who battle to protect the goddess Athena. The soundtrack is provided by Seiji Yokoyama, which suits the series quite well with his orchestral and atmospheric sounds that really struck a chord with fans of the show and are as colorful as the cover art.
The upbeat and rich climate of “Pegasus Ryu-Sei-Ken” opens the listen with soaring strings and warm synth alongside the playful bass that welcomes soothing, wordless vocals. “Sanctuary, Precepts Of Death” then follows, and it brings quivering strings, bursts of thick drums and even flowing vibraphone to a mysterious and cinematic delivery.
Landing near the middle, the ominous backdrop of “Burning Cosmos” leads with some buzzing before segueing into a driving progressive rocker, while “Avenging Phoenix” is an initially more subdued environment, where crisp drums, gritty guitars and animated brass turn the album highlight into a piece that would complement a chase scene.
Residing close to the end, the very intimate strings of “Brothers Of Sorrow” tug on the heartstrings with emotive interaction, and “The Era Of The Legend” exits the listen with a sweeping presence of agile strings, upbeat drums, meticulous keys and bright horns for a majestic and glorious finish.
Available for the first time on vinyl outside of Japan, this record comes on Cosmic Blue wax, and features 10 tracks (only the first song isn’t by Yokoyama). One doesn’t need to be familiar with the franchise to enjoy this LP. I actually had never heard of it myself, but that didn’t stop me from appreciating the elegance and textured songcraft that has made the series, films and video games to successful.
