■What's “Sound Horizon”?

The fantasy band Sound Horizon is a group of artists led by the sound creator Revo (songwriter, composer and arranger). In order to express a fantastical story musically, he gathers and organizes suitable artists, without restrictions with regard to the number and sex of singers and storytellers.

■Sound

In a word, Sound Horizon’s music is “story music”. Its main characteristic is the way stories are depicted using a lot of poems, songs, talking, sound effects, etc., in accordance with the setting. The music is expressed in “suite form”; each album is made as though it were a suite.

■Concept

The concepts underlying their works question fundamental elements of human nature that have a contradictory dual aspect; they include life and death, light and shadow, love and hate, and happiness and sadness. The more one listens to the music, the more one understands its depth.

■Illustration

The “stories” performed by Sound Horizon are not only auditory they are presented as a “package”, the elements of which make further interpretation possible. The illustrations by Mr. Yokoyan, who makes all of the album jackets, play an important role in expressing the fantastic worldview of Sound Horizon.

■Stage

Sound Horizon gives two types of performances: “concerts” and “live tours”. At “concerts” held in conjunction with the release of a new album, with the concept of re-creating “story music” on the stage, the audience can enjoy a fantastic world in which “story music” is presented not only aurally, but also visually. The “live tours” are nation-wide tours with the name “Territorial Expansion Tour No. XX”. They consist of performances of a wide variety of numbers, including old music that was on an indie label and pieces by Revo himself, as well as music that is only performed live. The concept is for the entire venue to become a stage for the presentation of a “fantastical world”. One of the attractions of both types of performance is that they are set up for audience participation.

■Other Info

Even when not performing, he is constantly carrying out many projects that keep the band’s audience excited, while continuing to steadily expand their fan base. For example, “Sound Horizon Kingdom original passport” and “Sound Horizon Kingdom proof-of-entry stamp” which are designed differently every time. Furthermore, from a large number of general submissions received in response to a call for lyrics, Revo himself has rigorously selected and composed pieces such as the Sound Horizon national anthem “The Glory Kingdom”.