We hope you will find a huge number of Romans we put into our works - in commemoration of the release of the single "Truth to Truth", which includes the theme song for "Shinkaku no Kyojin Season 3"! Interview with Revo (Linked Horizon)

Linked Horizon has been singing the theme song of "Shinkage no Kyojin" since "Kouren no Yumiya" in Season 1, including the movie version, while changing the form of the OP and ED. What kind of theme was included in the song, what does the culmination mean, and what was the intention of Revo, who created the song, to enclose it in a single song called "Longing and the Road of the Corpse"? Therein lies .......

A goal for the characters

--Revo: With the original "Shinkage no Kyojin" and perhaps the anime still going on, can you tell us why you decided to make the OP theme the "culmination" of the story at this time?

Revo I know that there is more to the story, but when I think back to when the serialization started, Part 2 (the second half) of "Shinkoku no Kyojin Season 3" is the goal point in terms of what the main characters were working for. From here on, the story will unfold in ways that we could never have imagined from the beginning of the series. Therefore, I considered the completion of the first part to be a turning point in the series.

--Revo: Even if there is a "Season 4," the characters' positions and the circumstances surrounding them will change drastically.

Revo I don't know what kind of idea Mr. Isayama had when he started the series and how it has come to this point, but maybe the part that corresponds to "Season 4" will be like "Vegeta has come to Earth". I thought that defeating Piccolo Daimaou would be the end of the series, but I thought it would go on for a little while longer.

-- (laughs). It's true that the storyline where you think it's only about Earth and then you find out that Son Goku is an alien is similar to the storyline in "Shinkage" where you think the world is only inside the walls and then you find out that it's .......

Revo From there, the Android came out, Majin Buu came out, and so on for quite a while. Collecting Dragon Balls is no longer the main goal. They've settled down to being useful items for bringing dead friends back to life.

--It was used as a key item from time to time.

Revo: At the end of the story, there was a woobie.

--Do you want to expand on that? (Laughs)

Revo If you start talking about "Dragon Ball," it's not good. ......

--(laughs) Revo I went all the way to Planet Namek.

Revo We even went to the planet Namek. There was also a master of the dragon.

--I'm forcing myself to go back (laughs). The song "The Road of Longing and Corpses" is also a culmination in the sense that it incorporates existing songs, which has been done in previous "march" songs as well.

Revo That's right. That is something we have done in the past.

--The songs "Give Me Your Heart! and "Wings of Freedom" and "Kouren no Yumiya" are included in the CD.

Revo But I didn't know about it until people bought the CD and listened to the full version. So it was easy for us to do something a little crazy. This time, however, we included the TV size version in order to make it feel more like a culmination of our efforts. This was a constraint, though, and we had to make sure we had enough time to do so. I wanted to get through as much as possible in 90 seconds. I wanted another 30 seconds or so (laughs).

Hidden sounds" that are unnoticeable but necessary

--The way you sped up the existing songs reminded me of DJ Revo (=Revo's name for the impromptu remixes he did during the "Tracks of Progress" tour).

Revo (laughs).

--(Laughs.) - Were there any innovations you made in terms of sound quality or acoustics?　I think you must have paid a lot of attention to the sound quality of the theater version ("Linked Horizon Live Tour 'Trail of Progress' All Hands Gathered: The Triumphant Return") that was shown on DOLBY ATMOS, since you had to adjust the channels and sound pressure quite a bit.

Revo: When you come back to the CD production after doing the movie version, it is obvious that there is a limit to the amount of information you can provide, and there was a lot of trial and error in trying to find a way to make the audience hear the music in this inconvenient situation. For me, I think all the sounds in the album are necessary, so I want all the sounds to be pretty or audible. However, in reality, that is not possible. （I tried various ways of shaking the LR (stereo channel) and scattering the sounds in the same bandwidth, because if you put too many sounds in the same bandwidth, it would be difficult to understand them. But there is also the idea that you don't need people to understand all the sounds, and when there are dozens of instruments all doing different things, there is no way to distinguish between them. It would be impossible even if Prince Shotoku were here (laughs).

But for example, when two instruments are doing the same thing, my sense is that it is similar to mixing which paint with which paint to paint a picture. If you mix red and blue, you get purple. But if that purple is one dot in a complex painting, it is impossible to try to make the viewer perceive the subtle nuances of both red and blue. And in the moment. Music is a time-based art. Therefore, there are sounds outside of our perception that we can hear but do not notice, or rather, "hidden sounds. The color and thickness of the music changes greatly depending on these hidden sounds, so they play a very important role, but I think there is probably a part of me that is open-minded about letting people understand the music at first hearing. In the past, I might have been dissatisfied if I didn't make people understand everything, but now I think I've given up on that somewhere. Of course, I don't take lightly the significance of enlightening activities like DJ Revo? I don't take lightly the significance of enlightening activities such as DJ Revo.

--I don't think it's easy to make people understand the meaning of a song, but I think it's more important for people to understand the "story" behind the song.

Revo If a song can't be enjoyed unless people understand everything about it, it won't sell well because people will choose who they listen to it. However, not only the secret ingredient, but also the food is good even if you don't know what ingredients are used. However, I also wonder if my life is truly rich if I continue to eat food that I think is good without knowing what the ingredients are, so I want to leave clues inside in case I ever want to know. I want to leave clues inside in case people want to know. I think they will be deeply moved when they find out.

--Revo That idea is already in the "story.

Revo That way of thinking is already "narrative music-like. Maybe you are trying to leave some story inside the person. A discovery becomes a story within that person. It is not just music, but once the work is delivered, there is nothing more the creator can do. The recipient discovers on his/her own and creates his/her own episodes. For those who follow me, that is what "Roman" is all about. We put a huge number of "Romans" into our works, but if the listener does not feel them, they do not become "Romans. The "Roman" is something that you have to find for yourself.

--I think it goes back to what you just said, but with "Halloween and the Night," you wanted more people to know about your songs, so you said, "I took advantage of the Halloween event. With "Kouren no Yumiya," you were able to get your music heard by a wider audience.

Revo I think that the power of a simple melody is required to reach the masses, but I don't think it is enough to make a big hit. There are other factors besides pure music that have a strong influence on the success of a song. I have always been aware that I make maniacal music, but when even one song becomes a big hit, it makes me think, "If the conditions are right, it has the potential to reach the masses. At least I don't feel downhearted if my songs don't sell. I don't think that this has shaken the most important foundation of my creation.

--Revo: I think "Kouren no Yumiya" was a song in which you kept Revo's sound and stuck to the "Shinkage no Kyojin" theme.

Revo Yes, I didn't write this song with the intention of selling well. I had a feeling that the people who love "The Progress of the Colossal Titan" would be pleased with it. But of course, I felt that it would be difficult to make it a hit in the same way for many years to come. It was already a social phenomenon. After thinking about various things and going several rounds, I have now come back to the point of just trying to make something good.

--Do you feel that you have naturally reached your initial state of mind?

Revo For a moment, I felt business pressure to sell more. Of course, we are working on a large project that goes against the times, so it would be great if we could sell a lot to continue our activities (laughs).

This work has always excited me since the beginning.

--Revo: As this is the culmination of your work, was there anything you felt again in terms of the difficulty of creating "marching" songs?

Revo It shouldn't be easy, but I'm not sure if it's difficult or not anymore. It's not just about "march," but compared to the first song, the need to make it clear that it is a song for that work has changed, and I have to create it in the midst of the worldview I have created so far. So, even though I have my own quirks, I think it has become nothing but "march. I think I have cumulatively chosen words that are appropriate for "march" in the lyrics.

--Revo: So you don't have to read the original work anymore?

Revo: Oh, if you talk about it that way, I read a lot.

--What was the key to "The Road of Longing and Corpses" in reading the original work?

Revo I don't need to tell you specific episodes, but the human race is on a bloody road paved with the corpses of our dead brothers and sisters, isn't it? Moreover, Erwin, the leader of the group, is easy to understand, but he is making that road of corpses himself. That is what readers and viewers will realize in this series. It appears in a brutally convincing way. He is not killing because he wants to kill, but because "longing" exists as the driving force. It may sound like a nice word when you say "longing," but on the other hand, it is like a "curse. It is a kind of "curse." Because of this yearning and fascination, one commits a sin. I think that what has existed at the root of the work from the beginning of the serialization is now clearly visible.

--As someone who has created stories, do you feel that this is a theme or story that you could not have created yourself?

Revo It is a story that was born out of Mr. Isayama's personality. There are things I can relate to, but there is a difference in that it is a story created by someone who has a different sense from my own, and that is interesting. I think the original story is going to depict the sense of original sin, or the good and evil of being born into this world, through the Eldians, but when I see it, I feel like I have a more positive view of the world. I think I have a more positive view of the world than you do, but that's just my impression. I feel like I'm making something that says, "I died for a lot of reasons, but I have no regrets," or rather, "It's after I die that the real work begins.

--(laughs) - What do you find attractive about the work "Shinkage no Kyojin" at the moment?

Revo There is always a "mystery," and the work makes you want to know the answer to that mystery. I think it is a manga with that kind of pull. Even though the storyline has changed, the "what will happen next month" part has not changed at all, and that has continued for many years. It's the kind of work that makes me excited.

--I feel that there are similarities between your music and Revo's.

Revo I hope so. In terms of releasing works, I work for a longer span of time, but I wonder what the next album will be like. The desire to know what is going to happen next is a driving force in human life, so even if the story is a painful one, if people are curious about the rest of the story, they will try their best until then. Even if the story is a painful one, if people are interested in the next installment, they will try their best until then. Even if it does not have the power to help people in an extreme situation, I believe that it will definitely have a positive effect. That is an absolutely necessary element when you call yourself an entertainer. Excitement is a must.

The viewpoint of a person who sees those who "yearn for it

--Why did you have Yui Ishikawa, who plays Mikasa, sing the c/w song "13 Winters"?

Revo: First of all, "longing" was a very important element. I wanted to combine it with the song "Longing and the Way of the Corpse," which expresses the part of the song that would be missed if it was just one song, so that we could create a world view as a single CD. However, I think the character that comes to mind when people hear the word "longing" is a boy. Or, even if it is not a boy, the character may be seen as a dream held by the person in question.

However, I think it would be good to have "longing" from Mikasa's point of view, representing the person who sees the person who longs for something. I also thought it would be timing, or if I ever did write a song for Mikasa, it would be more towards the end of the story. She doesn't seem like a character who will die soon (laughs). So I thought it was too early to talk about Mikasa in general, but then I reconsidered that there are songs that can only be created now, because it is now. Mikasa in the original timeline is now in a state of having certain problems pending, but after those problems are resolved, you can't get the live feeling you have now. When I thought about this, I thought, "This is Mikasa ......, there it is. That thought was added to the "longing" element, and this time it became Mikasa's song. And I thought these two songs were enough. There may be three songs secretly included on the CD, though (laughs).

--When you decided on Mikasa's song, did you ask Mr. Ishikawa to sing it?

Revo Yes, that's right. I thought that Mr. Ishikawa was the only choice for this song, so I asked him to sing it from the moment I thought "Yes, there is a song". Probably, the song was not yet ready when we first talked about it, but we had to go through a number of things, such as his schedule, his feelings, and the approval of the production committee. While I was waiting to hear back, the song was ready.

--Did you have confidence that you would get the OK?

Revo: No. I thought that if I didn't get an OK, the song would be put on hold. But for creators, making something is not something that can be stopped. Once I had an idea for a song, I had no choice but to make it once and then think about what to do next. But I thought it would be a shame if the song didn't turn out well, since it was so good, but it turned out OK (laughs).

(laughs) -- Did you ever consider having the voice actors sing the songs?

Revo: When we thought about who could sing the songs without limiting the freedom of the music, and who could sing and act in serious character songs that are not comedic in nature, it might be difficult to have a "middle-of-the-road" character song sung by a voice actor. It may be difficult to have voice actors sing "middle of the road" character songs, right? Even if we get approval, it is still unofficial. That is why we decided to use that form when we released the "Tracks of Progress" album, but we also thought that we could expand the possibilities for the future. I thought it would be possible for him to sing. Now that we've done it, if there is a next album, we can do either pattern (for the "march" song) (laughs).

--(Laughs.) - How was it actually directing the song?

Revo: In a way, it was probably easy. When you ask singers to sing and act, they are professionals with singing skills, so you can be assured that they will sing the song musically and make it their own, but it is important to explain the story and to direct them in a way that conveys the feelings. But the direction is more important. But this time, on the contrary, I left that to them. There was no need for me to say, "If Mikasa were Mikasa, she would have thought this way at this moment. When creating a single work, there are various people involved, such as the person who does the casting, the person who writes the music, and the person who writes the lyrics, but my priority in directing at the scene was much lower than usual.

--I was the one who was in charge of directing the project, and I was the one who wrote the music and sang the lyrics.

Revo Once I had given her the situation, the tune, and the words that were easy for her to put her feelings into, all I had to do was say, "Please. Please put your feelings into it as you like.

--How did you proceed with the recording process?

Revo: I asked the singer to gradually break down from the clean singing and proceeded in the direction of acting. However, emotion is a "raw" thing. I didn't think it was necessary to tell them in detail how much they should break down. I told them, "It is better to have various emotions come out each time you sing than to sing well, so let's record the song several times. So I asked the singers to sing freely and chose from several layered takes. And then we just combined them. Of course, we had to pay close attention to the tone and emotional flow of the song.

--I think I was able to do this because it was a Linked Horizon song, and that may be the difference between this song and the Sound Horizon (SH) song.

Revo In SH, the story is only in my head, so I have to help (the vocalist), but this time I don't have to create a character. But I think I basically left it to them in SH as well. I may explain the story, but I am not the type of person to force my thoughts on a character. Unless I think something is "wrong," I value the sensitivity of the performer or singer in terms of how much emotion to put into the song. As I mentioned earlier, music is an art form that is based on a time axis. There is the outpouring of emotion from moment to moment. There is a great deal of beauty in how the music flows within that context. That is something I pay attention to.

Melody created by myself

--Revo: There are SH elements scattered in "Longing and the Road of the Corpse" as well.

Revo Yes (laughs).

(laughs) -- This is an interview about the "Road of Longing and Corpses," but I think it would be a bit silly to ask "Why did you put it in there?

Revo Haha. Yes, it is. He is a stable Sanholla comedian who says it is uncivilized, but at least mentions it. I couldn't help but blow it out of the water (laughs).

--I wanted to move on to your future SH activities, and in that sense, you recently held an event called "Revo's Acoustic Night," where you performed your own songs with acoustic arrangements. I sang and performed the songs from Mizu. Did it give you an opportunity to reflect on your own songs?

Revo: One thing that became clear to me as I sang the songs that were arranged for me was that the range of the songs I originally sang was quite broad. The orchestra for "Acoustic Night" was wide enough to allow for gentle singing. It was okay to sing softly where I wanted to sing softly, and it was also okay to sing hard where singing softly would be boring. It was a wide range of expression that was allowed. That is very important as an expressive person, and as a singer, I was able to sing with a fresh feeling.

In recent "march" songs, I have been trying to find the only form that is close to the original, but there is a part of me that can only be achieved if the song is strong. Especially in recent years, the orchestra has been very thick, so I think I have been singing in a strong way a lot. In that sense, it was a good opportunity for me to look back.

--Revo: If you had sung "Revo's Acoustic Night" followed by the production of "Longing and the Road of the Corpse" in that order, it might have had some influence on your work.

Revo Perhaps. I'm talking about "if.

--Revo It's a difficult song, isn't it?

Revo It is a difficult song. But I don't think I've had an easy song in recent years. But it is the "culmination" of our work, so there is nothing we can do about it. I think that feeling of giving it your all was an indispensable element. If I wrote a song I couldn't sing, there would be nothing I could do, but I couldn't limit myself to songs that were easy to sing, so I had to make do with what I could just barely get away with. I don't know about live performances, though (laughs).

--(laughs). (laughs) But you also said that there is still room for growth as a vocalist. You also said that you are battling against age.

Revo That's right. I am an old man, so I don't know how long I can keep growing taller, but growing taller is a sign that there is still a place I want to reach. If I stop growing taller, I wonder what will happen if I am satisfied with the status quo. So, in the spirit of an artist, I think it is fine to grow taller. However, even if you are feeling tall, your body is becoming more and more like an old man.

--Revo I think this was an opportunity for you to realize the "power of melody" in your own songs in various ways.

Revo I was able to reconfirm that the songs are good, or rather, I discovered new charms in them. I only release melodies that I think are good. But I usually decorate them quite a bit. That worldview is my pursuit of narrative. But there was definitely a sense that sometimes it would be nice to just sprinkle salt on it without a deliciously elaborate sauce.

-I'm looking forward to seeing what kind of "near future" (Revo declared in 2015 that near future = the new SH album, 8th Story "Rinne," will appear in the near future).

Revo (laughs). I guess only the goddess of fate knows whether or not we will feel the influence of "Acoustic Night," but I hope we can look forward to it.

CD Info.

Marching Toward the Truth / Linked Horizon

On sale now!

Price: [First Edition] 1,389 yen (excluding tax) *Luxury sleeve specification, [Normal Edition] 1,111 yen (excluding tax) *Limited first shipment jacket

＜Included songs

1. yearning and the path of the corpse (TV anime "Shinkaku no Kyojin" Season 3 Part.2 opening theme)

2. 13 winters