Junya Komori - Origins | KJ Warriors’ Sound

Junya Komori is a music composer who is from Japan. Komori’s unique sound is truly exceptional and this artist really knows how to capture themes within the soundscapes that he creates. We have listened to a lot of Junya Komori’s individual songs (a full list will be at the end of this article) and today we are excited to share our thoughts on Junya Komori’s album, Origins, which is the first full-length album he has released as KJ Warriors’ Sound, the name of his label.

Origins begins with the song “Festival of the Adventure” which starts things off very strong. This song feels to me like a gathering of great adventurers, sharing their epic tales of conquest before they set out on their next great journey. I think it is a perfect attention-grabbing lead song for the album. The second song on the album is “Dark Angel of the War” and through its menacing tone, we get to experience first hand Komori’s natural ability to capture a theme so effortlessly. Not only does this sound like the theme for a powerful evil foe, it also sounds like an absolute battle - or war - is going on within and the song is completely epic as a whole. “My Heart with the Dragon” is the third song and through its multiple movements, it builds towards an epic climax. To me, this song really captures the essence of adventure by starting slow and building towards an awesome moment; I could really imagine myself soaring on the back of a dragon while listening! “Modern Pirate” is the fourth song and this song captures the spirit of the high seas extremely well. Again, we hear Komori capture the spirit of adventure as this song captures an a certain urgency that cannot be ignored. These four songs really start off the album in an epic way, showcasing Junya Komori’s skillset while also crafting deeply dynamic soundscapes that are enjoyable to anyone.

Coming in as the fifth song is “Tailwind Armies” and from the opening moments - featuring some beautiful piano keystrokes - I found myself engaged. I cannot help but imagine a gathering of armies while listening to this song and I imagine it as a precursor to some kind of epic battle to decide the fates. The outro for “Tailwind Armies” is truly beautiful and those fleeting seconds feature some of my favorite work that I have heard from Komori so far. Up next is “Against the Storm” and from the outset, feelings of peril set in. At the 1:25 mark of the song, everything segues into this hazy kind of feeling that let me imagine what walking through a hurricane would feel like; as the song progresses, thunderous drums also come into play, truly showing that this song captures the essence of its title perfectly. “Across the Ocean” follows and this nautical-themed song is unlike anything you will have ever heard before. As the song builds, we are treated to heavy guitar work that is absolutely show-stealing. The way in which the rhythm section marches along throughout the song also gives it a certain edge that you will not find in every song. This one is truly epic! “Hunter’s Journey” is the eighth song and is brimming with feelings of anticipation. You really get a sense of the emotions that the titular hunter is feeling and this is a very fun song to listen to. These four songs show just how creative and innovative Junya Komori is within his music.

“Molto Avventuroso” is the ninth song from Origins and it is absolutely awesome. The strings in this song carry things forward extremely well and really capture the kind of energy that Komori was trying to capture while creating this song. I really enjoy this song because it feels like a thesis statement for the kind of music that Junya Komori creates. “King of the Hunting” is up next. Despite its short one minute and nine-seconds run time, this song says a lot in that short time and I think it really pairs well with the earlier song, “Hunter’s Journey” to really capture the outdoors-y thrill of the hunt. “Queen Anne’s Revenge” is the eleventh song and it sounds like the soundtrack to a revenge plan coming together. I also could not help but be reminded of playing Skyrim while listening to this song, due to certain techniques that Komori utilizes within this song, though that is just my personal observation; I will say that fans of that video game will definitely enjoy this song a whole lot! “A Sad Tale of the Samurai with the Princess”, which is the longest song on Origins, is the twelfth song and the story it tells is extremely powerful. Emotive and meaningful, this song will give you the chills and you can easily imagine the kind of relationship the titular Samurai and Princess had as well as envision their collective fate. These four songs pair well together because they each showcase the emotional depth that Junya Komori features in his compositions.

The final four songs from Origins are relatively short compared to most of the songs from the album so far but they say a lot in their short runtimes. “Confront into the Fate” has all of the energy and emotions you could expect from a final battle in a movie or video game and the absolute earth-moving power featured within this song is nothing short of epic. Truly an intense song, I found myself coming back to this song more than any other from Origins because of how much I enjoyed it. “Warrior’s Heart” is next and its soulfulness borders on spiritualism, something that sets the song apart. You can really feel the emotions of the titular warrior and I feel like it pairs well with the previous song, “Confront into the Fate” as it feels like the aftermath of the tense moments within that song. We have actually listened to “Warrior’s Heart” before and you can read our full thoughts through our previous review here. “Water in the Desert” is the penultimate song from Origins and also the shortest on the album. I really enjoy the climactic energy in this song as it truly feels like the moment a lost adventurer, nearing death, finds water in the middle of the desert, saving his life. “Dragon’s Snore Inn” closes out the album and its nostalgic atmosphere makes it the perfect note to end things on. This song feels like an adventurer stopping in at an inn at the end of along adventure, sharing his epic tales with a few close friends at the bar and just taking a well-earned break. Standing alone, this is one of my favorite songs from Junya Komori and I cannot say enough how perfect of a choice this one was to end the album on.

Junya Komori likens this album to a Library of Music and I think that idea plays well within this album. Throughout the listening experience, we are treated to many epic moments that are not only enjoyable from a listening standpoint, but also showcase the diverse skillset that allows Junya Komori to be an exceptional composer. The music we hear throughout Origins is deeply emotive and captures the themes of their respective titles perfectly which I think makes the entire listening experience something truly special. Junya Komori is more than just his music and I think by listening to his music you can get a feeling for how thoughtful and philosophical he is; all people have more than one dimension to them! Make sure that you keep up with Junya Komori and his KJ Warriors’ Sound through the KJ Warriors’ Sound website, Twitter, Facebook and you can find more music through YouTube and Spotify. We have Origins embedded below in its entirety - we hope you enjoy it as much as we have!