Arija
| Arija | |
|---|---|
 v. l. To the right: Maxim Udalow, Sergei Popow, Vladimir Cholstinin, Michail Schitnjakow, Vitali Dubinin |
|
| General information | |
| Genre (s) | Heavy metal |
| founding | 1985 |
| Website | http://www.aria.ru/ |
| Current occupation | |
| Mikhail Schitnyakov | |
Electric guitar , guitar, mandolin
|
Vladimir Cholstinin |
guitar |
Sergei Popov |
Bass , vocals |
Vitaly Dubinin |
| Maxim Udalov | |
Arija (often also Aria ; Russian Ария , Arie) is a Russian heavy metal band. It was founded in 1985 and is considered to be one of the first bands of this genre in the former Soviet Union . Arija plays classic heavy metal, which is comparable to Iron Maiden and Judas Priest , the lyrics are all in Russian .
history
The beginnings
The original line-up of Arija recruited in the spring of 1985, several of members of Soviet music groups and consisted of singer Valeri Kipelow of Lejsja Pesnja ( Лейся песня ), guitarist Vladimir Cholstinin and bassist Alik Granovsky Alfa ( Альфа ) and keyboardist Kirill Pokrovsky and drummer Aleksander Lwow of Pojuschtschie Serdza ( Поющие сердца ). In this line-up, the debut album Manija Velichija ( Мания величия ) was recorded and released in October 1985. Drummer Lvov left the band shortly after the album was released, and Igor Moltschanow from Alfa took his place. A second guitarist was needed for Arija's planned live performances, which is why Andrej Bolshakow from Bim Bom ( Бим бом ) joined the band. With two guitarists, Arija released the second album S kem ty? ( С кем ты? ). Soon there was tension within the group. In addition to personal problems between the two guitarists, there was disagreement about the future musical direction, which Bolshakov wanted to change from classic heavy metal to thrash metal . Then at the end of 1986 all members except Cholstinin and Kipelow Arija left and founded the band Master . The vacant positions were filled in early 1987 with bassist Vitali Dubinin from Alfa, guitarist Sergej Mawrin and drummer Maksim Udalow.
Period of perestroika
During the early stages it was almost impossible for Arija to play live due to the political situation in her home country. But as perestroika began , the band manager Viktor Weckstein succeeded in signing an album contract with the Russian state record label Melodija . Within a month, Arija recorded the album, which was originally to be called Na slushbe sily sla . Melodija changed the name arbitrarily and released the album in 1987, initially as a music cassette , in 1988 a record version was also released by Melodija . The musicians only received around 500 US dollars for the recording, and the record version alone sold over a million times. At the end of 1988 there was renewed tension within the band because Dubinin and Cholstinin no longer wanted to be looked after by manager Weckstein. For this reason, Dubinin and Cholstinin wrote the songs for the next album Igra s ognjom ( Игра с огнём ) single-handedly . The new drummer Aleksander Manjakin participated in the recordings. The album was released in 1989, the line-up remained stable until 1995. In 1989 Arija appeared for the first time in Germany in Berlin at The Days of the Wall . In 1991 the fifth studio album Krow sa krow ( Кровь за кровь ) was released. Due to the political upheaval, interest in heavy metal in Russia fell sharply in the early 1990s, Arija hardly sold any albums and only 300 to 400 visitors came to the concerts. For Cholstinin this marked the end of the first era of Arija and Dubinin described this time as the most difficult in the history of the band, as they lost everything they had built up in the previous years. So the band decided to take a break.
After the break
During the break, Arija worked on the sixth studio album Notsch korotsche dnja ( Ночь короче дня ). For this purpose, the band had set up their own recording studio called Aria Records . At the beginning of 1995 guitarist Sergej Marwin left the band and was replaced by Sergej Terentjew from Up To 30. With this line-up, the album was finally completed. Arija was signed to Moroz Records , where the album was released in 1995. Cholstinin called this a "rebirth", interest in the band increased noticeably over the next five years and at the end of the 1990s Arija was able to record audience numbers of up to 8,000 at concerts. In 1998 the seventh album Generator sla ( Генератор зла ) was also released on Moroz Records, in 1999 Arija released the album Tribute to Harley-Davidson on SNC Records. From this album, the single Poterjannij raj ( Потерянный Рай ) was released in 2000 , which was recorded together with a symphony orchestra and a music video was made for it. The 2001 album Chimera ( Химера ) contains a song called Schtil ( Штиль ), which the band re-recorded with Udo Dirkschneider during his stay in Russia. Then Arija went on tour through Russia together with UDO .
Breakdown and new beginning
At the beginning of 2002 the line-up of Arija collapsed, all members except Dubinin and Cholstinin left the band and founded a new group under the name of the previous Arija singer Kipelow. Arija seemed to be history, but the two remaining musicians managed to reorganize the group. For this they brought back drummer Maksim Udalow, who had left the band in 1988. The line-up was supplemented by guitarist Sergej Popow from Master and singer Artur Berkut from Zooom. On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Harley-Davidson , Till Lindemann and Richard Kruspe recorded a cover version of the Arija piece Schtiel , the single was released at the official ceremony in Moscow in 2003. Also in 2003 was Kreschtschenije ognjom ( Крещение огнём ), in 2006 Armageddon ( Армагеддон ). In the summer of 2011, singer Berkut left the band and was replaced by Mikhail Schitnjakow. This can be heard for the first time on the 2011 album Feniks ( Феникс ). The so far last studio album with the title Tscheres wsje wremena ( Через все времена ) was released in 2014. On the occasion of the 30th anniversary in 2015, the band played two sold out concerts in Moscow in front of around 9,000 spectators.
Music and lyrics
Band founder Cholstinin grew up with hard rock in the 1970s from groups like Deep Purple and Black Sabbath , but he lacked the "hardness, energy and speed". Therefore, heavy metal from groups like Iron Maiden and Judas Priest were among the main influences, but Arija could never identify with contemporary Russian rock music. Especially the albums up to the beginning of 1990 show very strong similarities to Iron Maiden. This earned them the reputation of being a Russian copy of Iron Maiden, but they have managed to adapt the sound of their role models and bring it into their own style.
The lyrics are written in Russian, which, according to Dubinin, is one reason why Arija is little known and hardly successful outside of Russia. In terms of content, they have changed over time. As a young band in the 1980s, the musicians were interested in women and alcohol, which was reflected in their lyrics. Later the content changed to historical topics, which the band tries to shed light on from a new perspective, the band gets inspiration from books and films. But Arija also deals with political issues in the texts.
Cast overview
Discography
Studio albums
- 1985: Мания величия ( Manija Welitschija , megalomania)
- 1986: С кем ты? ( S kem ty?, Whose side are you on?)
- 1987: Герой асфальта ( Geroj asfalta , Asphalt Heroes )
- 1989: Игра с огнём ( Igra s ognjom , playing with fire)
- 1991: Кровь за кровь ( Krow sa krow , blood for blood)
- 1995: Ночь короче дня ( Notsch korotsche dnja , The night is shorter than the day)
- 1998: Генератор зла ( generator sla , generator of evil)
- 2001: Химера ( Chimera )
- 2003: Крещение огнём ( Kreschtschenije ognjom , baptism of fire)
- 2006: Армагеддон ( Armageddon )
- 2011: Феникс ( Phoenix )
- 2014: Через все времена ( Tscheres wse wremena , Through all times)
- 2018: Проклятье морей ( Prokljatje morej , The Damnation of the Seas)
Live albums
- 1996: Сделано в России ( Sdelano w Rossii , Made in Russia)
- 2003: В поисках новой жертвы ( V poiskach novoj schertwy , In search of a new victim)
- 2004: Живой огонь ( Schiwoj ogon , Blazing Fire)
- 2007: Пляска ада ( Pljaska ada , Hell Dance )
- 2019: Гость из царства теней ( Gost iz tsarstva tenej , guest from the realm of shadows)
Singles
- 2000: Потерянный рай ( Poterjannij raj , Paradise Lost)
- 2002: Колизей ( Kolisej , Colosseum )
- 2002: Штиль ( Schtil , calm)
- 2006: Чужой ( Tschuschoj , stranger)
- 2008: Поле Битвы ( Pole bituj , battlefield)
Compilations, miscellaneous
- 1997: АваРИЯ ( AwaRIJA , side project by Dubinin & Cholstinin)
- 1998: Легенды русского рока ( Legendij russkowo roka , Legends of Russian Rock Music )
- 1999: Лучшие песни ( Luschije pesni , The best songs; double CD)
- 1999: Tribute to Harley Davidson
- 1999: 2000 и одна ночь ( 2000 i odna notsch , 2000 and one night)
- 2000: Grand Collection (Best-of)
- 2000: Дальнобойщики-2 ( Dalnoboishchiki-2 , soundtrack to the computer game Fernfahrer 2)
- 2003: Легенды русского рока 2 ( Legendij russkowo roka 2 , Legends of Russian Rock Music 2)
- 2004: Беспечный ангел ( Bespetschnij angel , Carefree Angel)
- 2008: Герой Асфальта: ХХ лет ( Geroj asfalta XX let , 20 years asphalt heroes )
- 2012: Live In Studio
Web links
- Arija at Allmusic (English)
- Ария on MusicBrainz (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d Дерево Арии (German: family tree of Arija). Retrieved August 10, 2019 (Russian).
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j Iwan: Arija "The Metal Legend of Russia". In: Metal Glory. November 15, 2000, accessed February 26, 2016 .
- ↑ a b c d e f Stefan Glas: Arija: Mütterchen Metal . In: Rock Hard . No. 345 , February 2016, p. 76 .
- ↑ a b c Børge: Heavy Metal in Russia; Arija. In: Metal Glory. April 29, 2004, accessed February 26, 2016 .
- ↑ Till Lindemann & Richard Kruspe - Schtiel at Discogs
- ^ Eduardo Rivadavia: Aria: Biography. In: Allmusic . Retrieved February 26, 2016 .
- ↑ a b Arto Lehtinen: ARIA - Legendary Russian metal band. In: Metal Rules. September 5, 2013, accessed February 26, 2016 .