Yesterday, I informed you about the release of the Aria documentary ‘Behind The Shadow Kingdom‘. This documentary serves as an excellent introduction to the band’s material, but those of you who can’t read Russian, but still would like to dig deeper into the band’s material, may want some help. In the near future, I will publish a show & tell list of my favorite songs, but let’s start with ranking their albums. I am by no means an expert, but I love the band and have been following for a while and these are all of Aria’s album in what I consider least to most enjoyable. I consciously went for that choice of words, as “worst to best” would suggest a great difference in quality, while I think most of these are very well worth your time.

Interestingly, at the time I started writing this article, I had no idea what the outcome would be myself. My number one was a surprise even to myself until the list was finished. The simple fact is that Aria has a ridiculously consistent discography and most of these albums are worth owning if you are a fan of traditional heavy metal. And if you need a sample on an album that strikes you as interesting, each of them – except for the Artur Berkut-fronted albums – are available through platforms like iTunes and Spotify.

There are no strict rules for this list, except that it’s studio albums only and I try to include a limited number of songs as recommendations. Especially the higher ranking titles could really have most of their songs listed. Or all, in case of the number 1…

13. S Kem Ti? (1986)

Since Alik Granovsky and Andrey Bolshakov wrote all the material on ‘S Kem Ti?’, it would be tempting to say that Aria’s sophomore album is practically Master’s first album. At the time, however, both Aria and Master could do better than this. ‘S Kem Ti?’ is melodically lacking. ‘Volya I Razum’ and ‘Zdes’ Kuyut Metall’ became classics of the early Russian metal scene, but they also both could have a minute trimmed off the end. There are some cool songs on ‘S Kem Ti?’, but overall the album somehow shows Aria more confused about their identity than on the debut album. Ultimately the best thing about ‘S Kem Ti?’ is its cover.

Recommended tracks: ‘Ikar’, ‘Vstan’, Strah Preodoley’

12. Generator Zla (1998)

‘Generator Zla’ is a frustrating album. Again, it is a below average Aria album with an awesome cover, but contrary to ‘S Kem Ti?’, ‘Generator Zla’ does have a few songs that rank among Aria’s best. The particularly Maiden-esque ‘Obman’ has rightfully become a live staple for the band, ‘Smotri!’ is an enjoyable opener and I love the dirty hardrock grind of ‘Gryaz’. It’s just that many of the songs here have good moments rather than being great all the way through. Also, mildly altering the track order may have fixed some of the sequencing issues the album has. None of the last three tracks is bad by any means, but they could really have used being broken up by one or two more traditional metal tracks.

Recommended tracks: ‘Obman’, ‘Gryaz’, ‘Smotri!’

11. Armageddon (2006)

‘Amageddon’ is without a doubt the most modern-sounding Aria album to date. The album has a distinct contemporary power metal vibe, including the appropriate production, and while the band manages that style quite well, they also sacrifice a bit of their identity in the process. It is a very consistent album, which is admirable, but also in the sense that much of it goes by in a bit of a blur. That doesn’t mean that there is nothing to enjoy here. Especially the first half of the album has a bunch of songs with excellent melodies, ‘Krov’ Koroley’ is a classic Iron Maiden-styled epic and closer ‘Tvoy Dyen’, Artur Berkut’s sole songwriting contribution to Aria’s discography, is a refreshing melodic hardrock track.

Recommended tracks: ‘Strazh Imperii’, ‘Krov’ Koroley’, ‘Pozledniy Zakat’

10. Maniya Velichiya (1985)

Back when Aria debuted, there wasn’t really much of a Soviet metal scene to speak of or any template to follow. As a result, there is a freedom and spontaneity to ‘Maniya Velichiya’ that none of their other albums have. Vladimir Holstinin and Alik Granovsky just wrote what they thought was good. The drawback would be that ‘Maniya Velichiya’ lacks consistency, but even that is not much of a problem here. Aria had a great singer, a great guitarist and a bunch of interesting songs. ‘Torero’ is so good that it hurts. Although Aria was still in search of the identity that fit them best here, ‘Maniya Velichiya’ does an excellent job introducing Aria, though it does run out of steam a bit during the second half.

Recommended tracks: ‘Torero’, ‘Bivny Chërnih Skal’, ‘Eto Rok’

9. Kresheniye Ognëm (2003)

With a largely new line-up in place – only founding guitarist Vladimir Holstinin and bassist Vitaly Dubinin remained – ‘Kresheniye Ognëm’ is something of a second debut album for Aria – or third, if you count ‘Geroy Asfalta’ as the second. It has many of the same strengths and flaws as ‘Maniya Velichiya’ as well. ‘Kreseniye Ognëm’ is quite likely the most frontloaded album in Aria history. It starts out with a bunch of excellent songs that really support the legitimacy of an Aria without their legendary singer Valery Kipelov. It just fails to maintain momentum during the second half of the record. The album is somewhat underproduced to a fault as well. Artur Berkut is often described as the band’s worst singer and while he certainly is less impressive than the singers who preceded and followed him, he does a more than admirable job here. He sounds powerful and convincing.

Recommended tracks: ‘Kolizey’, ‘Kresheniye Ognëm’, ‘Patriot’

8. Himera (2001)

Often singled out as the album on which Aria started to fall apart, as no less than three members would depart the band after its release, ‘Himera’ is actually much better than the circumstances would suggest. It does suffer from some consistency issues, but when ‘Himera’ is good, it is excellent. I used to think that the ballads far outshone the more metallic tracks on the album – and, truth be told, ‘Oskolok L’da’ and especially ‘Shtil’ are simply excellent – the heavier material grew on me significantly. ‘Goryachaya Strela’ and the title tracks are fantastic heavy metal songs that I always liked, but recently, I have also really come to like the powerful melodic rocker ‘Put’ V Nikuda’ and the majestic epic ‘Tebye Dadut Znak’.

Recommended tracks: ‘Goryachaya Strela’, ‘Tebye Dadut Znak, ‘Shtil’

7. Noch’ Koroche Dnya (1995)

Created in a time of inner turmoil, with both guitarist Sergey Mavrin and singer Valery Kipelov leaving the band – though the latter would return before the album was recorded – it is something of a miracle that ‘Noch Koroche Dnya’ came out as well as it did. While it lacks the consistency of the three classics that preceded it, the highlights are every bit as good. ‘Angelskaya Pil’ is one of the best power ballads Aria ever recorded, ‘Duh Voyni’ and the title track are classic Aria in all their Maiden-esque glory, ‘Rabstvo Illusiy’ is one of my favorite Aria openers and ‘Korol’ Dorogi’ is an energetic masterpiece. That cover is an eyesore though.

Recommended tracks: ‘Korol’ Dorogi’, ‘Duh Voyni’, ‘Angelskaya Pil’, ‘Robstvo Illusiy’

6. Proklyatiye Morey (2018)

To be fair, an album that starts with a track as mind-blowing as ‘Gonka Za Slavoy’ could be totally uninspired otherwise and still manage to make a positive impression. Fortunately, there are many more good tracks on ‘Proklyatiye Morey’. The mix of long progressive tracks and shorter, punchier songs is in many ways reminiscent of Iron Maiden’s latter-day work, though it has to be said that Aria consists of less formulaic songwriters. Speaking of songwriting, Sergey Popov continues to prove himself a valuable addition to the songwriting team, having written several of the album’s highlights. ‘Proklyatiye Morey’ is slightly less consistent than the other Mikhail Zhitnyakov-fronted albums, but much better than any band in this stage of its career could wish to be.

Recommended tracks: ‘Gonka Za Slavoy’, ‘Ot Zakata Do Rassveta’, ‘Zhivoy’, ‘Ubit’ Drakona’

5. Igra S Ognëm (1989)

Out of all the classic Aria albums, ‘Igra S Ognëm’ is the darkest-sounding. Apart from the slighly too upbeat closer ‘Day Zharu’, all the songs on ‘Igra S Ognëm’ have a disillusioned, at times even melancholic feel. It also has the largest number of songs of which I constantly forget how great they are, possibly due to the fact that the album is often relatively poorly represented on the band’s setlists. The nine-minute title track is a masterpiece and ‘Raskachayem Etot Mir’ a crowd pleaser, but the aggressive defiance of the likes of ‘Boy Prodolzhayetsya’ and opener ‘Chto Vi Sdelali S Vashey Mechtoy’ should not be forgotten either, just like the hopeful, yet still fairly melancholic ‘Rab Straha’.

Recommended tracks: ‘Boy Prodolzhayetsya’, ‘Igra S Ognëm’, ‘Chto Vi Sdelali S Vashey Mechtoy’, ‘Rab Straha’

4. Krov’ Za Krov’ (1991)

‘Krov’ Za Krov” is one of those Aria albums on which just about every song became a classic. It is bookended by two of the greatest songs Aria ever released, but there is more than enough to enjoy in the intervening thirty minutes. The darkness of ‘Antichrist’ is quite unusual among Aria’s discography, but it works exceptionally well. And though Valery Kipelov refused to perform the song live due to a combination of his christian beliefs and fans misinterpreting the message of the song, it is one of his best recorded performances to date. The title track is another great epic, though it falls somewhat short compared to ‘Igra S Ognëm’, while ‘Ne Hochesh’ – Ne Ver’ Mne’ is one of the hidden gems in the band’s repertoire.

Recommended tracks: ‘Proshay, Norfolk!’, ‘Sleduy Za Mnoy!’, ‘Ne Hochesh’ – Ne Ver’ Mne’

3. Cheryez Vse Vremena (2014)

If the first Mikhail Zhitnyakov-fronted album rekindled Aria’s fire, its follow-up stokes it even further. On ‘Cheryez Vse Vremena’, Aria sounds more confident and energetic than ever. And they’re not exactly shy about it either, as the title track is one of the most propulsive opening tracks the band ever had. The whole album manages to retain the traditional metal feel that has basically become synonymous with Aria, but also sounds relevant and contemporary in the 21st century. Sergey Popov really establishes himself as a reliable songwriter on this record, having written three songs, including ‘Gorod’, a top three Aria song for yours truly. There is undeniable chemistry between the current members of Aria and that propels ‘Cheryez Vse Vremena’ into greatness.

Recommended tracks: ‘Gorod’, ‘Cheryez Vse Vremena’, ‘Angeli Nyeba’

2. Feniks (2011)

All obvious references to the titular character aside, ‘Feniks’ does really mark a triumphant return to form for Aria. It takes the contemporary productional approach of its predecessor ‘Armageddon’ and injects that into the traditional heavy metal compositions Aria is known for. Vitaly Dubinin really worked his ass off to make ‘Feniks’ count and it works. It has some of the greatest Aria songs to date and a singer that can carry them. After all, ‘Feniks’ was current singer Mikhail Zhitnyakov’s debut with Aria and his power, range and theatrical delivery immediately made him my favorite Aria singer. All the powerful riffs and guitar harmonies you could ever want are in these expertly crafted songs.

Recommended tracks: ‘Boi Bez Pravil’, ‘Chërny Kvadrat’, ‘Dalniy Svet’

1. Geroy Asfalta (1987)

By today’s standards, ‘Geroy Asfalta’ would qualify as an EP, with its six songs and barely half an hour of run time. Its brevity works in its favor, however. ‘Geroy Asfalta’ is truly one of those “all killer, no filler” affairs. I could spend ages signifying its importance for the Soviet metal scene, but the most important fact is that ‘Geroy Asfalta’ is an expertly written and performed heavy metal album. Bassist Vitaly Dubinin debuts on the album and immediately leaves his mark on the songwriting department. That also means that the Iron Maiden influence is dialed way up, but I also think the accusations of plagiarism are largely exaggerated – save for maybe the solo section of ‘Na Sluzhbe Sili Zla’. ‘Geroy Asfalta’ was the deserved breakthrough for Aria and still ranks as their most influential album.

Recommended tracks: ‘1100’, ‘Ballada O Drevnerusskom Voine’, ‘Mërtvaya Zona’