Unboxing [JP]: Susumu Hirasawa - Ash Crow (CD)

I acquired a couple CDs from Japan and I figured I'll add them to my blog. The first one is from composer Susumu Hirasawa with his latest album, focused solely on a compilation of new and old songs from the Berserk franchise.

Susumu Hirasawa (平沢 進) is a Japanese composer and music artist who's been working in the music business since the late 1980s. His music genre is a mix of electronic and experimental but he's been involved on many soundtracks, including anime from director Satoshi Kon with the likes of Millennium Actress, Paprika, and Paranoia Agent. But he's also very notable for handling the music to the Berserk franchise, including the 1997 anime, the two video games released on Dreamcast and PlayStation 2, and adding some assistance for the Golden Age movie trilogy and the recent 2016 CG anime adaptations.

This album Ash Crow is the latest work from the composer. It's more or less a compilation of all of the best songs he has worked on combined with new remixes of classic hits and brand new tracks from the 2016 Berserk anime series. This CD is self-explanatory but it's still worth picking up for every Berserk fan out there.

The track-list includes the following:

01 - "Ashes" (灰よ Hai yo) - Berserk, 2016

02 - "BERSERK-Forces 2016" - Sword-Wind Chronicle (Berserk 1997), 1997

03 - "Aria" - Golden Age Arc, 2012

04 - "FORCES II" - Chapter of the Flowers of Oblivion (Sword of the Berserk: Guts' Rage), 1999

05 - "ZODDO II" - Chapter of the Flowers of Oblivion (Sword of the Berserk: Guts' Rage), 1999

06 - "Horde of Thistledown" (冠毛種子の大群 Kanmō Shushi no Taigun) (Large Chamber ver.) - The Secret of The Flowers of Phenomenon, 2012

07 - "INDRA 2016" - Chapter of the Flowers of Oblivion (Sword of the Berserk: Guts' Rage), 1999

08 - "Ash Crow" - Berserk, 2016

09 - "Sign" - Chapter of the Holy Demon War, 2004

10 - "Sign-3" - Chapter of the Holy Demon War, 2004

11 - "Aria" (Karaoke) - Golden Age Arc, 2012

12 - "Ashes" (灰よ Hai yo) (Karaoke) - Berserk, 2016

13 - "Ash Crow" (Karaoke) - Berserk, 2016

This album is only available via physical disc as far as I'm aware, but there's enough stock around.