''Kreshchenie Ognyom'' (; lit. ''Baptism by Fire'') is

Aria In music, an aria (Italian: ; plural: ''arie'' , or ''arias'' in common usage, diminutive form arietta , plural ariette, or in English simply air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrumental or orchestral accompanime ...

's ninth studio album, the first album not to feature long-time vocalist and co-founder of the band -

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 ...

. CD version of this release is enhanced and features the video for the song "Kolizey". The tracks "Kolizey", "Tam vysoko" and "Kreshchenie ognyom" had reached the top position in Russian radio charts in 2003.

Track listing

Lyric themes

*"Patriot" tells about fighting against Islamic terrorism. *"Kreshchenie ognyom" tells about pagan resistance against forced

baptism Baptism (from grc-x-koine, βάπτισμα, váptisma) is a form of ritual purification—a characteristic of many religions throughout time and geography. In Christianity, it is a Christian sacrament of initiation and adoption, almost inv ...

. *"Kolizey" recalls

Ridley Scott Sir Ridley Scott (born 30 November 1937) is a British film director and producer. Directing, among others, science fiction films, his work is known for its atmospheric and highly concentrated visual style. Scott has received many accolades thr ...

's ''

The Gladiator ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

''. *"Palach" tells the story of an immortal executioner who killed insane man called God's son and his inner struggle. *"Bitva" tells a science-fiction story of an alien invasion. *"Bal u knyazya tmy" is based on ''

The Master and Margarita ''The Master and Margarita'' (russian: Мастер и Маргарита) is a novel by Soviet writer Mikhail Bulgakov Mikhail Afanasyevich Bulgakov ( rus, links=no, Михаил Афанасьевич Булгаков, p=mʲɪxɐˈil ɐf ...

'' by

Mikhail Bulgakov Mikhail Afanasyevich Bulgakov ( rus, links=no, Михаил Афанасьевич Булгаков, p=mʲɪxɐˈil ɐfɐˈnasʲjɪvʲɪtɕ bʊlˈɡakəf; – 10 March 1940) was a Soviet writer, medical doctor, and playwright active in the fir ...

Personnel

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 ...

- Vocals *Vitaly Dubinin - Bass * Vladimir Holstinin - Guitar *Sergey Popov - Guitar *

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 Cover art by

Leo Hao Alexey Mikhailovich Shamrovsky (russian: Алексей Михайлович Шамровский) better known as Leo Hao is a Russian fantasy artist. He is famous for painting cover art and illustrations for fantasy books and metal albums. Works ...

References

2003 albums Aria (band) albums {{2000s-metal-album-stub