Sound Horizon: fantasy rock for your fantasy reading
A good song can tell a story just as well as the best fantasy noveljust in a different way. Songs weave their magic through sound and lyrics just as novels draw you in through their characters and motivations. I’m one of those people who like to have some music going on in the background while they read. I find it helps create an atmosphere where I can really look past the mundane world and become entranced by the combination of music and words.Obviously, not just any band will work. It helps when the music is focused around the same mood or themes as the story I’m reading. One band that I’ve found very adept at helping to create the appropriate mood is the Japanese band Sound Horizon, or Sanhora as some fans refer to them.People have labeled this band with a variety of genres, including “art rock,” “progressive metal,” “neoclassical,” and “symphonic metal.” Even if you’re not familiar with what all of these labels mean, you can probably tell that Sound Horizon is pretty hard to classify. The band itself calls themselves a “fantasy band,” which makes them perfect for readers of this blog.Because they are a Japanese group, you may have to pay a little extra for their albums since they have to be imported. However, you can still find many of them on Amazon. Their later albums will be the easiest to find. For example, I really like Moira, which was released in 2008. On this album, you’ll hear narrated portions, sound effects, and songs that are both heavy and enchanting. Since the language is primarily in Japanese, it’s easy to just let the sounds wash over you (unless you know Japanese, in which case you might find yourself more interested in the story of the album than in your own book!).Another album I really like is Elysion: Prelude to Paradise, Sound Horizon’s first major label release in 2004. Just check out the track “Ark” from this album to see what you think of the band’s sound (at least at that stage). The names of some of the other tracks on the album will also give you an idea of the kinds of lyrical territory that Sound Horizon is embracing, like “Magician Sarabando,” “The Genealogy of the Thunder God,” and “The Flower in the Prison.” Even if you can’t understand Japanese, the intent still comes through.If you’re an anime fan, you should also enjoy the work of Sound Horizon. Anime voice actors often provide narration on their story albums, and some of their songs have appeared in shows and video games.