Hiroki Kikuta, the legendary composer behind the soundtracks to role-playing classics like Secret of Mana and Trials of Mana, has a new album out, and it features some amazing artwork from the famous Japanese painter Hiroo Isono.
As some of you will no doubt know, Isono notably produced the cover art for Secret of Mana and also contributed a piece for the packaging for Trials of Mana (known as Seiken Densetsu 3 in Japan). However, he sadly passed away in 2013, leaving behind an impressive body of work — much of which is now available to license online.
As a result, Kikuta and his label Scarlet Moon have decided to license one of his previous paintings for the cover of the composer's new album to further tap into people's nostalgia for the iconic Square RPGs and give them something nice to look at while listening to the new set of compositions.
Killashandra & The Five Moons is a six-track album commissioned and directed by the video game musician Matthew Valente and uses Kikuta's previous work on Secret of Mana and the "imagery of a holy temple" as inspirations.
As well as featuring two contributions from Kikuta, it features four special arrangements from other members of the Scarlet Moon family, with the Snake Eater composer Norihiko Hibino notably contributing a lullaby-themed version of the track, while the musician Vectordrive provides an energetic synth-wave take on the title track.
"The song 'Killashandra' was written for Mathew Valente and his loved ones," the composer Hiroki Kikuta said in a press statement. "The first image that was presented to me was the song 'Whisper And Mantra' from Seiken Densetsu 2. However, as you know, 'Whisper And Mantra' was written to express the purity and holiness of the Seiken world in particular. As a melody to heal and cheer up the hearts of young people living today, it would be a bit too formal and stuffy. Therefore, I tried my best to create a song with a clean and beautiful atmosphere, but full of emotion, hope, love, joy, and brightness to illuminate the future."
If you want to purchase or stream the album, you can find it here. The digital album costs $10.