Metal School - Aria: The Russian Iron Maiden

Aria have been around since 1985 and have become the biggest heavy metal band in Russia. Growing the foundation of their fanbase under the restrictions of the Soviet Union, and then developing it during the difficult economic times following the collapse of the USSR, Aria has managed to consistently put out outstanding power metal albums despite major hurdles. While they have been dubbed the Russian Iron Maiden, Aria’s sound has many influences from Maiden and Judas Priest to Helloween and Black Sabbath but with a distinctive Russian flavor. As a huge Iron Maiden fan, discovering Aria was like discovering lost Iron Maiden albums of the same quality from the 80s and 90s, plus so much more. Including their latest album from 2018, Curse of the Seas. A big thanks to Trond Nicolaisen of Tomorrow’s Outlook for his help with this video. It literally would not exist without him. Also several huge thank yous to Yana Filimonova for translations, additional research, and proofreading. Also check o