Aria_Official

The history of Russian metal began exactly 30 years ago.
In a country where rock was almost non-existent, the ice was broken by
Aria, a Moscow band that has been at the forefront of the genre ever
since.

Aria's secret of success lies in the band members' faith in personal
ideals and the constant pursuit of their chosen path.
The band's attitude quickly led it to fame, critical acclaim and an
impressive fan base, with numbers growing year by year.
The band jokes about its more recent gigs, calling them "family
events": new teenage fans often come alongside their fathers, who
frequented Aria concerts in the 1980s -- a unique phenomenon on the
Russian rock scene.

Although Aria was brought up on classic rock acts -- Deep Purple, Led
Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Grand Funk Railroad, etc. -- their style was
more influenced by the new wave of British heavy metal, more
specifically -- Judas Priest and Iron Maiden. With time, the band
developed its own original sound, coming a long way from the early
productions.

Aria's discography boasts 12 studio albums, 5 live releases and
several compilations -- all of which have been consistently successful.
As time goes by, the band manages to stay highly resonant within the
music industry: in the early days, Aria's songs topped the Soviet
charts, and the band rocked stadiums nationwide, sometimes giving two
performances a day! In 2010, Aria is no less popular -- the band's
songs have secured airtime on radio and TV, and the band is often
called away from the studio to go on the road even while recording new
material.

Aria have played many, many festivals, but are known for touring and
performing on their own. Only once was an exception made for German
metal veterans U.D.O. and Rage, who joined Aria on several large scale
tours of Russia. During that period, Aria and U.D.O. frontman Udo
Dirkschneider collaborated on the song and video 'Schtiel' (that would
later be covered by Till Lindemann and Richard Kruspe of Rammstein).

Aria's side projects have included a computer game soundtrack, an
unplugged album, a Russian-rock-all-star-collaboration on the band's
20th anniversary remake of an early hit song and several projects with
a symphony orchestra, including the highly publicized Classical Aria
tour.