Aria

Having amassed nearly two decades of activity, Aria rank among Russia's longest-established and most enduring heavy metal acts. Their popularity within the country remains considerable, yet limited record distribution combined with an almost exclusive use of Russian lyrics has kept the band largely hidden from listeners abroad. Guitarist Vladimir Holstinin and singer Valery Kipelov assembled the group during the early 1980s, before glasnost had taken hold, and Aria issued their self-titled debut in 1985. The records that quickly followed—1986's Whom Are You With?, 1987's Hero of Asphalt, and 1989's Play With Fire—revealed a pronounced, occasionally overbearing, debt to Iron Maiden, while the supporting cast rotated constantly aside from bassist Vitaly Dubinin, who has remained a constant member.

Activity diminished through the 1990s as live albums and a retrospective collection outnumbered new studio efforts, among which were Blood for Blood in 1991, Night Is Shorter Than Day in 1995, and Generator of Evil in 1998. A Harley-Davidson-sponsored promotional deal in 1999 produced the Tribute to Harley-Davidson EP and restored the group's forward motion, leading directly to Chimera in 2001, Steel in 2002, and Christening By Fire in 2003. The last of those introduced vocalist Artur Berkut, second guitarist Sergey Popov, and drummer Maxim Udalov, indicating that Aria intend to continue releasing albums well into the future.