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Aria (band)
Encyclopedia
Aria is a Russia
n 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
bands. Their music resembles the sound of NWOBHM bands, for which they have been dubbed "Russian Iron Maiden
" by the media. Most of Aria's lyrics have been written not by the band's members but by professional poets Margarita Pushkina
and Alexander Yelin.
Aria is the root of so-called "Aria Family": several bands formed by its former members. In 1987, four ex-members of Aria formed the band Master
, who are still considered, along with Aria, one of the most influential Russian metal bands. Vocalist Valery Kipelov
, who was the main voice of the band for the majority of albums they have released, departed in 2002 and formed his own heavy-metal band Kipelov
.
Till Lindemann
& Richard Kruspe of Rammstein
have covered an Aria song, "Shtil
" (Штиль). In this cover version, the song's name is Germanized and spelled as "Schtiel".
.
The name "Ария" was given to the band because it was short, catchy and easy transliterated to "Aria". There's a version that the band 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).
According to the band's website, Aria's birthday is celebrated on October 31, 1985; the date they finished working on their first album, Megalomania. 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 the drums and Kirill Pokrovsky on the 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 (formerly from "Alpha") replaced Lvov on drums.
Aria's first live show was on February 5, 1986 in DK MAI. The band was well received by the public, and soon became a laureate of the Rock-Panorama-86 and Lithuanika-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 and Pokrovsky left the band (Granovsky and Bolshakov later formed the thrash metal
band Master
). They were replaced by Vitaly Dubinin (Holstinin's university friend and former band mate) as bass guitarist, Sergey Mavrin
as 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.
(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
. 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, which was released in 1991.
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 Megalomania 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
.
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 Master
. 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, recording a 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, where Vitaly participated as vocalist. In 1998 Aria released Generator of Evil, the album where Terentyev made his début as songwriter. Next came Chimera and the breakthrough single "Lost Paradise", which did well in the NASHE Radio chart and raised Aria to the new level of popularity.
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 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 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 August 31, 2002 at Luzhniki
, Moscow
, 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 Kipelov
.
) was invited to be the new vocalist, and drummer Max Udalov returned. On December 5, Aria released the single 'Coliseum' followed by the album Baptism by Fire. A video for 'Coliseum' was shot. The release was successful, the songs "Coliseum" and "Baptism by Fire" reached #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
metal opera by Epidemia
. 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 released by CD Maximum, came out in 2006, where Aria invited two new lyricists and Berkut made his début as composer.
On April 3, 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.
In 2011, Berkut announced his departure from Aria. He was replaced by Mikhail Zhitnyakov, vocalist of heavy metal band Grand Courage. With Zhitnyakov, Aria released Phoenix (2011).
1986–1987
1987–1989
1989–1994
1995–2002
2002-2011
Current
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
band that was formed in 1985 in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
. 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
Russian rock
Russian rock refers to rock music made in Russia or in the Russian language. Rock and roll 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 , when the Soviet underground rock bands...
bands. Their music resembles the sound of NWOBHM bands, for which they have been dubbed "Russian Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band from Leyton in east London, formed in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. Since their inception, the band's discography has grown to include a total of thirty-six albums: fifteen studio albums; eleven live albums; four EPs; and six...
" by the media. Most of Aria's lyrics have been written not by the band's members but by professional poets Margarita Pushkina
Margarita Pushkina
Margarita Anatolyevna Pushkina is a Russian lyricist, singer, and writer. She has written lyrics for several Soviet and Russian rock groups, including Aria and Kipelov.-Early life and career:...
and Alexander Yelin.
Aria is the root of so-called "Aria Family": several bands formed by its former members. In 1987, four ex-members of Aria formed the band Master
Master (Russian band)
This article is about the Russian thrash metal band. For the American death metal band, see Master .Master is a thrash metal band from Russia, founded in 1987 by former members of Aria.-Biography:...
, who are still considered, along with Aria, one of the most influential Russian metal bands. Vocalist Valery Kipelov
Valery Kipelov
Valery Alexandrovich Kipelov Valery Alexandrovich Kipelov Valery Alexandrovich Kipelov (Валерий Александрович Кипелов (born July 12, 1958), is a Russian music artist and composer, who was the vocalist of heavy metal band Aria. Since 2002, Valery leads his own heavy metal band Kipelov.-Early...
, who was the main voice of the band for the majority of albums they have released, departed in 2002 and formed his own heavy-metal band Kipelov
Kipelov
Kipelov is a Russian heavy metal band formed and led by former Aria vocalist Valery Kipelov.-Origins:In 2002, dissension in the heavy metal band Aria led to Aria members Valery Kipelov , Sergey Terentyev and Alexander Maniakin leaving that band and joining with former Aria member Sergey Mavrin...
.
Till Lindemann
Till Lindemann
Till Lindemann is a German musician, actor and poet who is the frontman for the German Neue Deutsche Härte band Rammstein.-Biography:...
& Richard Kruspe of Rammstein
Rammstein
Rammstein is a German Neue Deutsche Härte band from Berlin, formed in 1994. The band consists of members Till Lindemann , Richard Z. Kruspe , Paul H. Landers , Oliver "Ollie" Riedel , Christoph "Doom" Schneider and Christian "Flake" Lorenz...
have covered an Aria song, "Shtil
Schtiel
"Shtil" is a song by the Russian band Aria from the 2001 album Himera.-History:The song was originally recorded for a Tribute to Harley Davidson and the title is a duet between Valery Kipelov and Udo Dirkschneider...
" (Штиль). In this cover version, the song's name is Germanized and spelled as "Schtiel".
History
Early days
The band was founded by Vladimir Holstinin and Alik Granovsky, two members of VIA Poyushchie Serdtsa" (Singing Hearts) and both formerly from the dissolved band Alpha. 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 Valery KipelovValery Kipelov
Valery Alexandrovich Kipelov Valery Alexandrovich Kipelov Valery Alexandrovich Kipelov (Валерий Александрович Кипелов (born July 12, 1958), is a Russian music artist and composer, who was the vocalist of heavy metal band Aria. Since 2002, Valery leads his own heavy metal band Kipelov.-Early...
.
The name "Ария" was given to the band because it was short, catchy and easy transliterated to "Aria". There's a version that the band name was thought up by Holstinin, who owns a guitar from the eponymous manufacturer
Aria (guitar company)
Aria is a Japanese manufacturer of acoustic and electric guitars and basses.- History :Aria was formed in Japan in 1953 by Shiro Arai as Arai and Company. They began retailing acoustic guitars in 1960, although the company didn't actually start manufacturing their own until 1964. Aria arranged for...
. Both fans and members of Aria are often informally referred to as "ariytsi" (Russian for aryans).
According to the band's website, Aria's birthday is celebrated on October 31, 1985; the date they finished working on their first album, Megalomania. 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 the drums and Kirill Pokrovsky on the 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 (formerly from "Alpha") replaced Lvov on drums.
Aria's first live show was on February 5, 1986 in DK MAI. The band was well received by the public, and soon became a laureate of the Rock-Panorama-86 and Lithuanika-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 and Pokrovsky left the band (Granovsky and Bolshakov later formed the thrash metal
Thrash metal
Thrash metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that is characterized usually by its fast tempo and aggression. Songs of the genre typically use fast percussive and low-register guitar riffs, overlaid with shredding-style lead work...
band Master
Master (Russian band)
This article is about the Russian thrash metal band. For the American death metal band, see Master .Master is a thrash metal band from Russia, founded in 1987 by former members of Aria.-Biography:...
). They were replaced by Vitaly Dubinin (Holstinin's university friend and former band mate) as bass guitarist, Sergey Mavrin
Sergey Mavrin
Sergey Konstantinovich Mavrin , nicknamed 'Mavrick' is a Russian musician and composer, who is credited as one of the best guitarists of Russian metal scene...
as 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 AsphaltHero of Asphalt
-Personnel:*Valery Kipelov - Vocals*Vladimir Holstinin - Guitars*Sergey Mavrin - Guitars*Vitaly Dubinin - Bass*MaXim Udalov - Drums*Sergey Levshin - Sound Engineer*Viktor Vekshtein - Manager*Dmitrii Baushev - Artist*Vasily Gavrilov - Design Artist...
(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
Melodiya is a Russian record label. It was the state-owned major record company/label of the Soviet Union.-History:It was established in 1964 as the "All-Union Gramophone Record Firm of the USSR Ministry of Culture Melodiya"...
. 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, which was released in 1991.
1990s
Hard Rock Cafe
Hard Rock Cafe is a chain of theme restaurants founded in 1971 by Americans Peter Morton & Isaac Tigrett. In 1979, the cafe began covering its walls with rock and roll memorabilia, a tradition which expanded to others in the chain. In 2006, Hard Rock was sold to the Seminole Tribe of Florida, and...
.
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 Master
Master (Russian band)
This article is about the Russian thrash metal band. For the American death metal band, see Master .Master is a thrash metal band from Russia, founded in 1987 by former members of Aria.-Biography:...
. 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
Night is Shorter Than Day
-Personnel:* Valery Kipelov - Vocals* Vladimir Holstinin - Guitar, Sound Engineer* Vitaly Dubinin - Bass, Sound Engineer* Sergey Terentyev - Guitar* Aleksandr Manyakin - Drums* Aleksandr Myasnikov - Keyboard* Margarita Pushkina - Lyrics* Aria - Management...
, which was released in September 1995. The band played a series of concerts in the Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
area, with Sergey Zadora as their new manager, recording a 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, where Vitaly participated as vocalist. In 1998 Aria released Generator of Evil, the album where Terentyev made his début as songwriter. Next came Chimera and the breakthrough single "Lost Paradise", which did well in the NASHE Radio chart and raised Aria to the new level of popularity.
Judgement Day
In 2001 Aria headlined the NASHEstvieNashestvie
Nashestvie is one of the largest open-air festival of Russian rock, organized by Nashe Radio station. It is held annually during the first weekend of August somewhere in the environs of Moscow, Russia, since 1999 to this day with the exception of 2007...
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 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 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 August 31, 2002 at Luzhniki
Luzhniki Stadium
The Grand Sports Arena of the Luzhniki Olympic Complex in Moscow, or briefly Luzhniki Stadium , is the biggest sports stadium in Russia. Its total seating capacity is 78,360 seats, all covered. The stadium is a part of the Luzhniki Olympic Complex, previously called the Central Lenin Stadium...
, Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
, 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 Kipelov
Kipelov
Kipelov is a Russian heavy metal band formed and led by former Aria vocalist Valery Kipelov.-Origins:In 2002, dissension in the heavy metal band Aria led to Aria members Valery Kipelov , Sergey Terentyev and Alexander Maniakin leaving that band and joining with former Aria member Sergey Mavrin...
.
With Arthur Berkut
Despite the rumours that Holstinin would disband Aria and start a new band called 'Chimera', in November 2002 a new line-up of Aria appeared. Sergey Popov from Master became the second guitarist, Arthur Berkut (ex-AutographAutograph (Russian band)
Autograph was a Soviet Russian art rock band, considered a pioneer of progressive rock music in Russia.The group was founded in 1979 by Alexander "Sasha" Sitkovetsky, and achieved a considerable success at the first Soviet state-sanctioned rock festival held in Tbilisi, Georgia with Sitkovetsky's...
) was invited to be the new vocalist, and drummer Max Udalov returned. On December 5, Aria released the single 'Coliseum' followed by the album Baptism by Fire. A video for 'Coliseum' was shot. The release was successful, the songs "Coliseum" and "Baptism by Fire" reached #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
Elven Manuscript
Elfiyskaya Rukopis' 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 the opera...
metal opera by Epidemia
Epidemia
Epidemia 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 made in 1995. The band was once nominated for an MTV Europe Music Award....
. 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
Sergey Mavrin
Sergey Konstantinovich Mavrin , nicknamed 'Mavrick' is a Russian musician and composer, who is credited as one of the best guitarists of Russian metal scene...
played at it, but Kipelov did not, because of his own tour schedule.
The newest album Armageddon released by CD Maximum, came out in 2006, where Aria invited two new lyricists and Berkut made his début as composer.
On April 3, 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.
In 2011, Berkut announced his departure from Aria. He was replaced by Mikhail Zhitnyakov, vocalist of heavy metal band Grand Courage. With Zhitnyakov, Aria released Phoenix (2011).
Band members
1985–1986- Valery KipelovValery KipelovValery Alexandrovich Kipelov Valery Alexandrovich Kipelov Valery Alexandrovich Kipelov (Валерий Александрович Кипелов (born July 12, 1958), is a Russian music artist and composer, who was the vocalist of heavy metal band Aria. Since 2002, Valery leads his own heavy metal band Kipelov.-Early...
- Lead vocals - Vladimir HolstininVladimir HolstininVladimir Petrovich Holstinin is a Russian guitarist. He is one of the founding members of heavy metal band Aria.Vladimir was born May 12, 1958, in Lyubertsy, Russian SFSR. He graduated Moscow Power Engineering Institute, where he met Vitaly Dubinin. The two institute mates became friends and...
- Guitar - Alik Granovsky - Bass guitar
- Alexander Lvov - Drums
- Kirill Pokrovsky - Keyboards http://www.kirillpokrovsky.com
1986–1987
- Valery KipelovValery KipelovValery Alexandrovich Kipelov Valery Alexandrovich Kipelov Valery Alexandrovich Kipelov (Валерий Александрович Кипелов (born July 12, 1958), is a Russian music artist and composer, who was the vocalist of heavy metal band Aria. Since 2002, Valery leads his own heavy metal band Kipelov.-Early...
- Lead vocals - Vladimir HolstininVladimir HolstininVladimir Petrovich Holstinin is a Russian guitarist. He is one of the founding members of heavy metal band Aria.Vladimir was born May 12, 1958, in Lyubertsy, Russian SFSR. He graduated Moscow Power Engineering Institute, where he met Vitaly Dubinin. The two institute mates became friends and...
- Guitar - Andrey Bolshakov - Guitar
- Alik Granovsky - Bass guitar
- Igor Molchanov - Drums
- Kirill Pokrovsky - Keyboards
1987–1989
- Valery KipelovValery KipelovValery Alexandrovich Kipelov Valery Alexandrovich Kipelov Valery Alexandrovich Kipelov (Валерий Александрович Кипелов (born July 12, 1958), is a Russian music artist and composer, who was the vocalist of heavy metal band Aria. Since 2002, Valery leads his own heavy metal band Kipelov.-Early...
- Lead vocals - Vladimir HolstininVladimir HolstininVladimir Petrovich Holstinin is a Russian guitarist. He is one of the founding members of heavy metal band Aria.Vladimir was born May 12, 1958, in Lyubertsy, Russian SFSR. He graduated Moscow Power Engineering Institute, where he met Vitaly Dubinin. The two institute mates became friends and...
- Guitar - Sergey MavrinSergey MavrinSergey Konstantinovich Mavrin , nicknamed 'Mavrick' is a Russian musician and composer, who is credited as one of the best guitarists of Russian metal scene...
- Guitar - Vitaly Dubinin - Bass guitar, Backing vocals
- Maxim Udalov - Drums
1989–1994
- Valery KipelovValery KipelovValery Alexandrovich Kipelov Valery Alexandrovich Kipelov Valery Alexandrovich Kipelov (Валерий Александрович Кипелов (born July 12, 1958), is a Russian music artist and composer, who was the vocalist of heavy metal band Aria. Since 2002, Valery leads his own heavy metal band Kipelov.-Early...
- Lead vocals - Vladimir HolstininVladimir HolstininVladimir Petrovich Holstinin is a Russian guitarist. He is one of the founding members of heavy metal band Aria.Vladimir was born May 12, 1958, in Lyubertsy, Russian SFSR. He graduated Moscow Power Engineering Institute, where he met Vitaly Dubinin. The two institute mates became friends and...
- Guitar - Sergey MavrinSergey MavrinSergey Konstantinovich Mavrin , nicknamed 'Mavrick' is a Russian musician and composer, who is credited as one of the best guitarists of Russian metal scene...
- Guitar - Vitaly Dubinin - Bass guitar, Backing vocals
- Aleksandr Maniakin - Drums
1995–2002
- Valery KipelovValery KipelovValery Alexandrovich Kipelov Valery Alexandrovich Kipelov Valery Alexandrovich Kipelov (Валерий Александрович Кипелов (born July 12, 1958), is a Russian music artist and composer, who was the vocalist of heavy metal band Aria. Since 2002, Valery leads his own heavy metal band Kipelov.-Early...
- Lead vocals - Vladimir HolstininVladimir HolstininVladimir Petrovich Holstinin is a Russian guitarist. He is one of the founding members of heavy metal band Aria.Vladimir was born May 12, 1958, in Lyubertsy, Russian SFSR. He graduated Moscow Power Engineering Institute, where he met Vitaly Dubinin. The two institute mates became friends and...
- Guitar - Sergey Terentyev - Guitar
- Vitaly Dubinin - Bass guitar, Backing vocals
- Aleksandr Maniakin - Drums
2002-2011
- Arthur BerkutArthur BerkutArtur Vyacheslavovich Mikheev , better known under his stage name Arthur Berkut , is a Russian singer. Through his career he participated in numerous bands, most notable are Autograph, Mavrik, and Aria....
- Lead vocals - Vladimir HolstininVladimir HolstininVladimir Petrovich Holstinin is a Russian guitarist. He is one of the founding members of heavy metal band Aria.Vladimir was born May 12, 1958, in Lyubertsy, Russian SFSR. He graduated Moscow Power Engineering Institute, where he met Vitaly Dubinin. The two institute mates became friends and...
- Guitar - Sergey Popov - Guitar
- Vitaly Dubinin - Bass guitar, Backing vocals
- Maxim Udalov - Drums
Current
- Mikhail Zhitnyakov - Lead vocals
- Vladimir HolstininVladimir HolstininVladimir Petrovich Holstinin is a Russian guitarist. He is one of the founding members of heavy metal band Aria.Vladimir was born May 12, 1958, in Lyubertsy, Russian SFSR. He graduated Moscow Power Engineering Institute, where he met Vitaly Dubinin. The two institute mates became friends and...
- Guitar - Sergey Popov - Guitar
- Vitaly Dubinin - Bass guitar, Backing vocals
- Maxim Udalov - Drums
Discography
- Mania Velichia (1985) (Megalomania)
- S Kem Ty? (1986) (Who are you with?)
- Geroy Asfalta (1987) (Hero of asphalt)
- Igra s ognyom (1989) (Playing with fire)
- Krov za krov (1991) (Blood for blood)
- Noch koroche dnya (1995) (Night is Shorter Than Day)
- Generator zla (1998) (Generator of the evil)
- Chimera (2001)
- Kreshchenie ognyom (2003) (Baptism by fire)
- ArmageddonArmageddon (Aria album)-Lyric themes:*"Strazh imperii" tells about Japanese kamikaze in World War II*"Novy krestovy pokhod" is sang from the point of Knight Templar*"Messiya" tells of the struggle between Christianity and Slavic Paganism...
(2006) - Phoenix (2011)
Music videos
- Pozadi Amerika (America is behind)
- Volya i razum (Will and reason)
- Ulitsa roz (Street of roses)
- Vse, chto bylo (All that was)
- Otshel'nik (Hermit)
- Gryaz' (Dirt)
- Voz'mi moe serdtse (Take my heart)
- Igra s ognyom (Playing with fire)
- Poteryannyi Rai (The lost paradise)
- Bespechnyi Angel (cover version of Golden EarringGolden EarringGolden Earring are a Dutch rock band, founded in 1961 in The Hague as the Golden Earrings . They had international chart success with the songs "Radar Love" in 1973, "Twilight Zone" in 1982, and "When the Lady Smiles" in 1984. In their home country, they had over 40 hits and made over 30 gold and...
- Going to the Run) - Oskolok L'da (Splinter of ice)
- Shtil (with Udo DirkschneiderUdo DirkschneiderUdo Dirkschneider is a German heavy metal singer who is best known as the vocalist in German heavy metal band Accept and later U.D.O.After leaving Accept in 1987, Dirkschneider formed the band U.D.O....
) (Calm) - Kolizei (Coliseum)
- Kreshenie ognyom (Baptism by fire)
- Tam visoko (High up there)
- Poslednyi zakat (The last sunset)