Original Soundtrack (OST) - Attack on Titan
The music of Attack on Titan is one of many aspects of this series that distinguishes it from the hundreds of anime released every year. From its catchy opening themes to intense soundtracks, many fans have come to instantly recognize several different tracks from Attack on Titan. The music from Season 1 to Season 3 also encompasses an array of major hit singles, albums, and original soundtracks that many fans have come to enjoy. Season 4 is expected to perform similarly as well.
Original Soundtracks
Currently, Hiroyuki Sawano has composed the soundtracks for all three seasons of Attack on Titan. Sawano has worked on a number of other high-profile anime series that both came before and after his work on Attack on Titan, like Blue Exorcist, Kill la Kill, and Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress. Sawano’s unique style often blends orchestral instruments along with a variety of electronic synthesizers, guitars, and vocals, creating a genre that might be called “electronic orchestral rock” by some. Many choruses from his more intense tracks are quite explosive in nature, leading fans to refer to these choruses as “Sawano drops”. That said, Sawano is capable of producing softer, more emotional pieces of music as well. Another interesting aspect of Sawano’s style of music is the way he names each track. Use of symbols and unusual accent marks are fairly common in his track names, resulting in tracks like “凸】♀】♂】←巨人”, which is supposed to be interpreted as “Titan’s Attack” or “Titan’s Invasion”.
Season 1 OST
The Season 1 soundtrack was released as two separate albums in 2013. Both discs were released under Pony Canyon’s record label. The first section of Season 1’s original soundtrack was released on June 28th, 2013 and contains 16 individual tracks. On the other hand, the second release was launched on October 16th later that same year and includes only 11 tracks. According to the liner notes, the soundtrack for Season 1 was recorded in a variety of locations, including Studio Sound Valley, Bunkamura Studio, Studio Green Bird, and Onkio Haus.
Season 2 OST
Unlike the OST for the first season, the OST for Season 2 was released in a single two-disc album that contained all of the music composed by Sawano. This OST was also released under Pony Canyon’s record label and launched on June 7th, 2017, shortly before Season 2 finished its original airing. In total, this OST contains 33 individual tracks that were all recorded in the same locations as the Season 1 OST, with the addition of LAB Recorders and Sound City.
Season 3 OST
The fourth and most recent original soundtrack for Attack on Titan is the OST for its Season 3, which was released on June 26th, 2019. Like its predecessor, it contains two discs and was released under Pony Canyon’s record label. There are 31 tracks in total.
Other OST Releases
There were also individual releases for first two Attack on Titan compilation movies, Attack on Titan Part 1: Crimson Bow and Arrow and Attack on Titan Part 2: Wings of Freedom. These albums are considerably shorter when compared to the other OSTs, but feature music composed by both Hiroyuki Sawano and Linked Horizon, the band responsible for the iconic opening themes of the anime series. The soundtrack for “Crimson Bow and Arrow” released on March 18th, 2015, while the release of Wings of Freedom’s OST came later that year on December 16th.
“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, however, released as a single, but was compiled along with the other two opening themes (and other original tracks) to create an album titled “The Trails of Advance” (“Shingeki no Kiseki”) that released on May 17th, 2017.
Singles Related to Attack on Titan
“Crimson Bow and Arrow” (also known by its Japanese name “Guren no Yumiya” and its German name “Feurroter Pfeil und Bogen”): This song plays as the first opening theme for the anime series. Its intense music and unique combination of both Japanese and German lyrics left quite a strong impression on viewers. The song was performed by Linked Horizon and composed by the band’s vocalist, Revo.
“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 released on July 10th, 2013.
Character Song CDs: A number of voice actors and actresses have released singles that relate to their respective characters in some way. For example, the voice actor for Levi Ackermann, Hiroshi Kamiya, released a character song titled “Dark Side of the Moon” on June 21st, 2017.