Aria (russian: Ария, Ariya) is a Russian heavy metal band that was formed in 1985 in Moscow. Although it was not the first Soviet band to play heavy music, Aria was the first to break through to mainstream media and commercial success. According to several public polls, Aria ranks among top 10 most popular

Russian rock Rock music became known in the Soviet Union in the 1960s and quickly broke free from its Western roots. According to many music critics, its "golden age" years were the 1980s (especially the era of perestroika), when the Soviet underground roc ...

bands. Their sound resembled that of

NWOBHM The new wave of British heavy metal (commonly abbreviated as NWOBHM) was a nationwide musical movement that started in England in the mid-1970s and achieved international attention by the early 1980s. Journalist Geoff Barton coined the term i ...

bands, for which they were dubbed the "Russian

Iron Maiden Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band formed in Leyton, East London, in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. While fluid in the early years of the band, the lineup for most of the band's history has consisted of Harri ...

" in the media. The band has most of its lyrics written by professional poets,

Margarita Pushkina Margarita Anatolyevna Pushkina (russian: Маргарита Анатольевна Пушкина) is a Russian lyricist, writer and singer. She has written lyrics for several Soviet and Russian heavy metal groups, including Aria, Master and Kip ...

and Alexander Yelin commonly, and not by its band members. Since the band was founded, several of its founder members have gone on to form bands of their own resulting in Aria becoming the root of the so-called "Aria Family".

Master Master or masters may refer to: Ranks or titles * Ascended master, a term used in the Theosophical religious tradition to refer to spiritually enlightened beings who in past incarnations were ordinary humans *Grandmaster (chess), National Master ...

, a band formed by four ex-members of Aria, is one of the most influential Russian metal bands.

Kipelov Kipelov ( rus, Кипе́лов) is a Russian Heavy metal music, heavy metal band formed and led by former Aria (band), Aria vocalist Valery Kipelov. Origins In 2002, dissension in the Heavy metal music, heavy metal band Aria (band), Aria led to ...

is another example of a band formed by lead vocalist

Valery Kipelov Valery Alexandrovich Kipelov (Russian: Валерий Александрович Кипелов; born July 12, 1958) is a Russian musician and composer who was the vocalist and a founding member of heavy metal band Aria. Since 2002, Kipelov lea ...

, who remained with the band til 2002.

History

Early days

The band was founded by Vladimir Holstinin and Alik Granovsky, two members of the

VIA Via or VIA may refer to the following: Science and technology * MOS Technology 6522, Versatile Interface Adapter * ''Via'' (moth), a genus of moths in the family Noctuidae * Via (electronics), a through-connection * VIA Technologies, a Taiwan ...

Poyushchie Serdtsa (Singing Hearts). They both had played in the band Alpha, dissolved by that time. Holstinin's idea of creating a heavy metal band was enthusiastically accepted by Granovsky. By 1985 they had most of the material for their album ready, all that remained was to find a recording studio and a vocalist. They asked Victor Vekshtein to be the band's manager and allow them to use his studio. The vocalist position was soon filled by

. The name Aria was given to the band because it was short, catchy and easily transliterated. There is a version that the band's name was thought up by Holstinin, who owns a guitar from the eponymous manufacturer. Both fans and members of Aria are often informally referred to as "ariytsi" (Russian for ''

Aryans Aryan or Arya (, Indo-Iranian *''arya'') is a term originally used as an ethnocultural self-designation by Indo-Iranians in ancient times, in contrast to the nearby outsiders known as 'non-Aryan' (*''an-arya''). In Ancient India, the term ' ...

''). According to the band's website, Aria's birthday is celebrated on 31 October 1985; the date they finished working on their first album, ''

Megalomania Megalomania is an obsession with power and wealth, and a passion for grand schemes. Megalomania or megalomaniac may also refer to: Psychology * Narcissistic personality disorder * Grandiose delusions * Omnipotence (psychoanalysis), a stage of ...

''. The album was noticed by heavy music fans because it was much unlike any hard rock music played in the USSR at the time. ''Megalomania'' was recorded with only Holstinin playing guitar (with Alexander Lvov on drums and

Kirill Pokrovsky Kirill Vladimirovich Pokrovsky (Kирилл Владимирович Покровский; 25 March 19621 June 2015) was a Russian composer and musician. Kirill Pokrovsky learned to play and compose music from a young age, before receiving clas ...

on keyboards). The band needed a second guitarist to be able to play live. As a result, Andrey Bolshakov joined the band. In addition, Igor Molchanov (who had played in Alpha, too) replaced Lvov on drums. Aria's bands first live show was on 5 February 1986 in DK MAI. The band was well received by the public, and soon became a laureate of the Rock-Panorama-86 and Lituanica-86 festivals. Although they were still being ignored by the media, their popularity kept rising. In November 1986, Aria released their second album, '' Who Are You With?''. By this time, the band was divided by arguments concerning both the direction the band was heading, and Victor Vekshtein's management skills. After a tour in January 1987, Granovsky, Bolshakov, Molchanov, Pokrovsky left Aria and formed the

thrash metal Thrash metal (or simply thrash) is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music characterized by its overall aggression and often fast tempo.Kahn-Harris, Keith, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'', pp. 2–3, 9. Oxford: Berg, 2007, . ...

band

). They were replaced by Vitaly Dubinin (Holstinin's university friend and former bandmate) as the bass guitarist, Sergey Mavrin as the second guitarist, and Maxim Udalov on the drums. Their first large show after the reorganization, and the subsequent tour proved that despite all rumours, the band was not dead.

Rise to fame

In August 1987, Aria started working on their new album, '' Hero of Asphalt'' (originally named ''Serving the Forces of Evil''), which is considered one of the band's best albums. ''Hero...'' was Aria's first album published by the state music publishing monopoly

Melodiya Melodiya ( rus, links=no, Мелодия, t=Melody) is a Russian (formerly Soviet) record label. It was the state-owned major record company of the Soviet Union. History Melodiya was established in 1964 as the "All-Union Gramophone Record Firm ...

. Every show on the subsequent two-year tour sold out. Over a million copies of the album's LP have been sold. A music video for the song 'Rose Street' was filmed, with the band's fans in mass scenes. During that time, the band's relationship with their manager had reached a critical point. In October 1988, Udalov left the band because of the conflict, and in November Aleksandr Maniakin was invited to replace him. In 1989, the band then released their next album, '' Playing With Fire'', with Yuriy Fishkin as their manager. In 1990, Dubinin and Mavrin signed up with the band ''Lion Heart'', and left for Munich, only to return in August after finding an opportunity to cancel their contract. After celebrating their five-year anniversary with several live shows, the band began to work on their fifth album ''

Blood for Blood Blood for Blood is an American hardcore punk band from Boston, Massachusetts. It was formed in 1994 by Erick "Buddha" Medina and "White Trash" Rob Lind, drawing inspiration from the hardcore scene in Boston and New York. In 1997, they were sig ...

'', which was released in 1991.

1990s

In the early 1990s, the band decreased their activity significantly, greatly reducing the number of live shows they performed. In 1994, they created their own studio: "ARIA Records", and signed a five-year contract with the label Moroz Records. As a result, in the summer of 1994, the band's first five albums were released, including the earlier unreleased ''

'' and '' Who Are You With?''. In September, they toured through Germany for two weeks, with live shows in seven cities, including Berlin's

Hard Rock Cafe Hard Rock Cafe, Inc. is a British-based multinational chain of theme restaurants, memorabilia shops, casinos and museums founded in 1971 by Isaac Tigrett and Peter Morton in London. In 1979, the cafe began covering its walls with rock and rol ...

By the end of the 1994 tour in Germany, the band had a disagreement with the organizers, which also reflected on the relationship within the band. After the tour ended, Kipelov stopped showing up at the studio, where the band was hard at work at their next album. Within a month's time, he was found out to be playing with

. In December, Alexey Bulgakov (the lead singer for the band Legion) tried out as Kipelov's replacement. In January 1995, Sergey Mavrin left the band, stating that he did not believe that the band would succeed without his friend Kipelov. Sergey Terentyev was invited to replace him as a session musician, and later becomes a permanent member of the band. Kipelov returned to the band soon after they were threatened with sanctions by MOROZ Records for breaching their contract. He recorded the vocal parts for the new album '' Night is Shorter Than Day'', which was released in September 1995. The band played a series of concerts in the Moscow area, with Sergey Zadora as their new manager, and recorded the live album ''Made in Russia'', which ranked highly in the charts. In 1997, Kipelov and Mavrin reunited in the duo album ''Dark Ages''. Dubinin and Holstinin also recorded their own, entitled ''AvARIA'' (Russian for ''car incident''), where Vitaly participated as a vocalist. In 1998 Aria released '' Generator of Evil'', the album where Terentyev made his début as a songwriter. Next came ''

Chimera Chimera, Chimaera, or Chimaira (Greek for " she-goat") originally referred to: * Chimera (mythology), a fire-breathing monster of Ancient Lycia said to combine parts from multiple animals * Mount Chimaera, a fire-spewing region of Lycia or Cilicia ...

'' and the breakthrough single Lost Paradise, which did well in the

Nashe Radio Nashe Radio (russian: Наше радио, ''Our Radio'', pronounced ''Nashe radio'') is a Russian Rock music radio station. It was designed to promote Russian rock bands, as opposed to pop and Western music. Nashe is based in Moscow and broadcas ...

chart and raised Aria to the new level of popularity.

Judgement Day

In 2001, Aria headlined the

NASHEstvie Nashestvie (russian: Нашествие) was the largest open-air festival of Russian rock, organized by Nashe Radio station. It was held annually during the first weekend of July (first weekend of August until 2006) in the environs of Moscow, Rus ...

festival, where they played with a symphonic orchestra. This gave the band the idea for a 'Classical Aria' tour with an orchestra and a live album of the same name. Unfortunately, this was never released. During the tour, tension among the musicians and the band's management arose. Kipelov refused to record a new album, already written by Dubinin and Holstinin, and declared he wanted to start a solo career. Sergey Terentyev, Alexander Maniakin, and the band's manager Rina Lee supported him, opposing the two band leaders and producer Yuri Sokolov. 'Classical Aria' became the band's farewell tour. After the final gig on 31 August 2002 at Luzhniki,

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

, which was entitled 'Judgement Day' (this later became the name for the whole incident), Kipelov, Terentyev, and Maniakin left Aria. The next day, they started a new band named

With Arthur Berkut

In November 2002, a new line-up of Aria was announced. Sergey Popov from Master became the second guitarist, Arthur Berkut (ex-

Autograph An autograph is a person's own handwriting or signature. The word ''autograph'' comes from Ancient Greek (, ''autós'', "self" and , ''gráphō'', "write"), and can mean more specifically: Gove, Philip B. (ed.), 1981. ''Webster's Third New Inter ...

) was invited to be the new vocalist, and drummer Max Udalov returned to the band. On 5 December, Aria released the single 'Coliseum' followed by the album ''

Baptism by Fire The phrase baptism by fire or baptism of fire is a Christian theological concept originating from the words of John the Baptist in Matthew 3:11. It also has related meanings in military history and popular culture. Christianity The term ''bapti ...

''. A video for 'Coliseum' was shot. The release was successful, the songs "Coliseum" and "Baptism by Fire" reached No. 1 on the rock charts, though many fans criticized it, arguing that Berkut's voice did not fit Aria's music. Berkut and Holstinin participated in the ''

Elven Manuscript Elfiyskaya Rukopis' (Эльфийская Рукопись, Elven Manuscript, 2004) is a metal opera and concept album by Russian power metal band Epidemia. Vocalists from Aria, Arida Vortex, Master, Chorny Obelisk and Boney NEM participated in t ...

'' (2004) metal opera by

Epidemia Epidemia (russian: Эпидемия, sometimes referred to as 'Epi' by fans) is a Russian power metal band famous for doing the Elven Manuscript metal opera in 2004. It was formed by guitarist Yuri "Juron" Melisov in 1993, with the first songs ...

. Arthur played the role of Irdis the elven wizard while Vladimir played the lute and also produced the opera. In 2005, Aria celebrated its 20th anniversary with a new tour. The band's former members were invited to participate in the anniversary tour. 'Master' and Sergey Mavrin played at it, but Kipelov did not, because of his own tour schedule. The newest album ''

Armageddon According to the Book of Revelation in the New Testament of the Christian Bible, Armageddon (, from grc, Ἁρμαγεδών ''Harmagedōn'', Late Latin: , from Hebrew: ''Har Məgīddō'') is the prophesied location of a gathering of armies ...

'', released by CD Maximum, came out in 2006, where Aria invited two new lyricists and Berkut made his début as composer. On 3 April 2008, Kipelov and Mavrin made a brief re-union with Aria, during the tour celebrating the 20-year anniversary of the release of ''Geroy Asfalta.'' In November 2010, Berkut and Kipelov sang on stage together with Aria for the 25th anniversary of the band. The concert was called the AriaFest and there were events in Saint Petersburg, Moscow and

Ekaterinburg Yekaterinburg ( ; rus, Екатеринбург, p=jɪkətʲɪrʲɪnˈburk), alternatively romanized as Ekaterinburg and formerly known as Sverdlovsk ( rus, Свердло́вск, , svʲɪrˈdlofsk, 1924–1991), is a city and the administrat ...

. In 2011, Aria announced that Berkut was fired. No specific reason was given, but there were rumors that the band was unhappy with Arthur's live performances. He was replaced by Mikhail Zhitnyakov, vocalist of heavy metal band Grand Courage.

With Mikhail Zhitnyakov

In 2011, Aria released ''Phoenix'', followed the next year by ''Live in the Studio''. On 25 November 2014, Aria released their next album, '' Through All Times''. On 13 November 2018, Ariya released the album ''Proklyat'ye morey'' (''The Curse of the Seas'').

Band members

;1985–1986 *

– lead vocals *

Vladimir Holstinin Vladimir Petrovich Holstinin (russian: Влади́мир Петро́вич Холстинин) is a Russian guitarist. He is one of the founding members of heavy metal band Aria.(15 November 2010)«Ария» готовится отметить ...

– guitar * Alik Granovsky – bass * Alexander Lvov – drums
Kirill Pokrovsky
– keyboards ;1986–1987 *

– lead vocals Sergey Popov Aria

– guitar * Andrey Bolshakov – guitar * Alik Granovsky – bass * Igor Molchanov – drums * Kirill Pokrovsky – keyboards ;1987–1989 *

– lead vocals *

– guitar * Sergey Mavrin – guitar *

Vitaly Dubinin Aria (russian: Ария, Ariya) is a Russian heavy metal band that was formed in 1985 in Moscow. Although it was not the first Soviet band to play heavy music, Aria was the first to break through to mainstream media and commercial success. Ac ...

– bass, backing vocals * Maxim Udalov – drums ;1989–1994 *

– lead vocals *

– guitar * Sergey Mavrin – guitar *

– bass, backing vocals * Aleksandr Maniakin – drums ;1995–2002 *

– lead vocals *

– guitar * Sergey Terentyev – guitar *

– bass, backing vocals * Aleksandr Maniakin – drums ;2002–2011 *

Arthur Berkut Artur Vyacheslavovich Mikheev (russian: Артур Вячеславович Михеев, born 24 May 1962), better known under his stage name Arthur Berkut (Russian: Артур Беркут), is a Russian singer. Throughout his career, he has p ...

– lead vocals *

– guitar * Sergey Popov – guitar *

– bass, backing vocals *

Maxim Udalov Maxim Lvovich Udalov (russian: Максим Львович Удалов, born June 16, 1966, in Moscow, USSR) is the drummer of the Russian heavy metal band Aria. In his early career, Udalov participated in Chorny Coffee and Metallachord, where ...

– drums ;Current * Mikhail Zhitnyakov – lead vocals *

– guitar * Sergey Popov – guitar *

– bass, backing vocals *

– drums

Timeline

Discography

*1985: '' Мания Величия'' (Megalomania) *1986: '' С Кем Ты?'' (Who Are You With?) *1987: ''Герой Асфальта'' (Hero of Asphalt) *1989: '' Игра с огнём'' (Play with Fire) *1991: '' Кровь за кровь'' (Blood For Blood) *1995: '' Ночь короче дня'' (Night is Shorter Than Day) *1998: '' Генератор Зла'' (Generator of Evil) *2001: ''Химера'' (Chimera) *2003: '' Крещение огнём'' (Baptism by Fire) *2006: '' Армагеддон'' (Armageddon) *2011: '' Феникс'' (Phoenix) *2014: '' Через все времена'' (Through All Times) *2018: '' Проклятье морей'' (Curse of the Seas)

Music videos

* Pozadi Amerika (Позади Америка/America behind) * Volya i razum (Воля и Разум/Will and reason) * Ulitsa roz (Улица Роз/Street of roses) * Vse, chto bylo (Всё,Что Было/All that was) * Otshel'nik (Отшельник/Hermit) * Gryaz' (Грязь/Dirt) * Voz'mi moe serdtse (Возьми Моё Сердце/Take my heart) * Dai zharu (Дай жару/Get it Hot / Give 'em Hell) * Poteryannyi Rai (Потерянный Рай/The lost paradise) * Bespechnyi Angel (Беспечный Ангел/cover version of

Golden Earring Golden Earring (originally known as The Tornados) was a Dutch rock band, founded in 1961 in The Hague as The Golden Earrings. They achieved worldwide fame with their international hit songs "Radar Love" in 1973, which went to number one on th ...

– Going to the Run) * Oskolok L'da (Осколок Льда/Splinter of ice) *

Shtil Shtil may refer to: * Shtil', a space launch vehicle * Shtil, a heavy metal song by Russian band Aria * Schtiel, a rock song and cover of the Aria song by Till Lindemann and Richard Kruspe {{disambig ...

(with

Udo Dirkschneider Udo Dirkschneider (born 6 April 1952) is a German singer and songwriter who rose to fame with German heavy metal band Accept. After leaving the band in 1987, he formed U.D.O., with which he has also enjoyed commercial success. Biography Fo ...

) (Штиль/Calm) * Kolizei (Колизей/Coliseum) * Kreshenie ognyom (Крещение Огнём/Baptism by fire) * Tam visoko (Там Высоко/High up there) * Poslednyi zakat (Последний Закат/The last sunset) * Vremya Zatmeniy (lyrics video) (Время Затмений/Time of eclipses) * Tochka Nevozvrata (Точка Невозврата/Point of noreturn) * Ubit' Drakona (Убить Дракона/To Kill the Dragon)

References

External links

*
Aria on MySpace

Unofficial forum

Aria on MetalStormAria on Encyclopaedia MetallumInfo, discography and lyrics with English translationsAriya's official profile on VK
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aria Russian heavy metal musical groups Russian hard rock musical groups Soviet rock music groups Soviet heavy metal musical groups Musical groups from Moscow Musical groups established in 1985 1985 establishments in Russia 1985 establishments in the Soviet Union Musical quintets Articles which contain graphical timelines