Hiroyuki Sawano Celebrates 10 Years Of Sawanohiroyuki[Nzk] With His New Album

Hiroyuki Sawano is a well-known songwriter and composer, famous for creating music for popular anime series, TV shows, and films like Attack on Titan, The Seven Deadly Sins, Kill la Kill, Guilty Crown, Blue Exorcist, Mobile Suit Gundam UC, Promare, Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress, and many more. His special project, SawanoHiroyuki[nZk], focuses on tracks featuring guest vocalists.

To celebrate the project’s 10th anniversary, a greatest hits album called bLACKbLUE is now available – LISTEN HERE.

The album includes 38 songs with various artists as vocalists, including ASKA, Aimer, Akihito Okano (from Porno Graffitti), suis (from Yorushika), and TOMORROW X TOGETHER.

It also features two bonus tracks, which are brand new: “Twin Fates,” a collaboration with female rapper Awich, and “B-Cuz,” featuring SennaRin, a singer produced by Sawano.

Hiroyuki Sawano Celebrates 10 Years of Sawano Hiroyuki[nZk] (Credits: Sony Music) Before the album’s release, SawanoHiroyuki[nZk] debuted the new song “Twin Fates”, featuring Awich. This track was written as the theme song for the new set of the popular trading card game Magic: The Gathering, titled Wilds of Eldraine.

The trailer for this set, produced by Studio Pierrot and aimed at a global audience, was released on YouTube in September 2023.

It quickly gained over 4 million views, and fans eagerly awaited the release of the song. The combination of the beautiful animation depicting the world of Wilds of Eldraine and the song created a lot of excitement, marking a much-anticipated release after a year in development. Watch the trailer HERE .

Hiroyuki Sawano Celebrates 10 Years of Sawano Hiroyuki[nZk] (Credits: Sony Music)

“Before I knew it, 10 years have passed. It seemed to go by so fast, but looking back, I was given great opportunities to try and challenge many things in these 10 years.

This greatest hits album consists of two discs, with songs chosen to show two different sides of [nZk]. I hope you enjoy these songs, where I had the chance to collaborate with many different artists, as well as the special tracks that were important and meaningful in this project.”

Hiroyuki Sawano Celebrates 10 Years of Sawano Hiroyuki[nZk] (Credits: Sony Music)

ABOUT Hiroyuki SAWANO

Hiroyuki Sawano, born in Tokyo in 1980, is a composer best known for creating music for TV shows, anime, and movies. His most famous work includes composing for the global anime hit Attack on Titan as well as other well-known series like Promare, Blue Exorcist, Kill la Kill, and The Seven Deadly Sins.

In addition to his work in soundtracks, he also composes and arranges music for various artists. In the spring of 2014, Sawano started a vocal-focused music project called “SawanoHiroyuki[nZk].”

Milan Records has released the UZUMAKI (ANIME SERIES ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK), featuring music by GRAMMY® Award-winning saxophonist, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and composer Colin Stetson.

The album, available digitally, includes Stetson’s original score for Adult Swim and Production IG USA’s animated TV series, based on Junji Ito’s famous horror manga Uzumaki.

Following the digital release, Milan Records also announced a special vinyl edition: a 180-gram black and white spiral picture disc, packaged in a single-pocket jacket featuring custom artwork by Junji Ito, now available for preorder.

Uzumaki Anime(Credits: Junji ITO, Shogakukan / Production I.G., LLC)

Uzumaki tells the story of a small Japanese town where the residents fall victim to a mysterious curse involving spirals.

As the curse grows stronger, it physically and mentally devastates the town, discovering themes of psychological horror and obsession.

For the score, Colin Stetson used the concept of spirals as inspiration, translating it into music.

Known for collaborating with artists like Lou Reed, LCD Soundsystem, The National, and Bon Iver, as well as composing for films such as Hereditary, The Menu, and Red Dead Redemption 2, Stetson ventures into Japanese anime for the first time with Uzumaki.

Uzumaki Anime(Credits: Junji ITO, Shogakukan / Production I.G., LLC)

Colin Stetson’s Hypnotic Score Amplifies the Horror in Uzumaki’s Spiral Descent

Stetson’s distinctive circular breathing technique plays a central role in the score. His looping, serpentine saxophone melodies create an immersive soundscape, pulling listeners deeper into the story.

Along with woodwinds and strings (performed by frequent collaborator Matt Combs), Stetson weaves a hypnotic, cyclical score that mirrors the town’s descent into madness.

The music becomes a vital part of the unfolding horror on screen, following the eerie progression of the story.

Uzumaki Anime(Credits: Junji ITO, Shogakukan / Production I.G., LLC)

Stetson expressed his love for the project, saying, “I absolutely adored my time making this music and inhabiting the strange, gorgeous, horrifying, and spectacular spiral world that Ito-Sensei created.”

Co-produced by Adult Swim and Production IG USA, Uzumaki premiered on Adult Swim on Saturday, September 28 at 12:30 AM during the Toonami block.

New episodes are available for streaming on Max the next day. The series airs weekly on Saturdays in Japanese with English subtitles, and English dub versions air on Thursdays at 12:30 AM, starting October 3.

About Uzumaki

Kirie, a resident of Kurouzu-cho, tries to escape from her town as the people there become obsessed with spirals, due to an inexplicable curse.

About Colin Stetson

Colin Stetson is known for his prolific output of music, both in his own work and in his collaborations with artists like Laurie Anderson, LCD Soundsystem, The National, Chemical Brothers, Bon Iver, and Bill Laswell.

Since the early 2000s, he has earned a reputation as an exceptional musician, praised for his dedication to his craft and his constant drive to innovate.

Uzumaki Anime(Credits: Junji ITO, Shogakukan / Production I.G., LLC)

Stetson is particularly recognized for his powerful performances on the saxophone, especially the bass and alto saxophones, though he also plays soprano, tenor, and baritone.

His years as a wrestler, with its intense physical demands, shaped his performance style, along with his love for bands like Pixies and Fugazi.

He’s equally comfortable playing other instruments like clarinet, flute, French horn, and cornet, making him a versatile musician in any musical setting.