‘Noch’ Koroche Dnya’ was Aria’s first release after their string of classic albums (‘Geroy Asfalta’, ‘Igra S Ognëm’ and ‘Krov’ Za Krov”) and arguably their last great album with singer Valery Kipelov. Given the circumstances under which the album was recorded, it is a small miracle that the album came out as good as it is. Both Kipelov and guitarist Sergey Mavrin left the band, though Kipelov returned prior to the recordings. And while the record has some consistency issues, as well as an eyesore of an album cover, it contains some of the best eighties heavy metal released in the mid-nineties.

One thing that immediately stands out about ‘Noch’ Koroche Dnya’ is how organic it sounds. Aleksandr Manyakin’s snare drum falls a bit flat, but overall, it really feels like you are listening to a band playing music together rather than the overly processed productions that were slowly starting to pop up around that time. Main songwriter Vitaly Dubinin’s bass has a warm, yet trebly tone that can carry the guitars of founding member Vladimir Holstinin and newcomer Sergey Terentyev and Kipelov’s voice stands out, but doesn’t overpower the music. Combine that with a couple of excellent songs and you’ve got yourself a great heavy metal album.

Because to be fair, heavy metal is what Aria does best here. Multiple songs have loads of guitar harmonies, as well as a foundation of excellent traditional metal riffs. The surprisingly propulsive ‘Korol’ Dorogi’ and the powerfully dramatic ‘Duh Voyni’ are among the highlights of Aria’s discography for me, while its excellent build-up makes ‘Rabstvo Illyuziy’ one of their strongest openers to date. The closing title track has become a live staple and despite one section being particularly reminiscent of Iron Maiden’s ‘Hallowed Be Thy Name’ is an excellent epic with a perfect sense of dynamics.

When Aria experiments with styles on ‘Noch’ Koroche Dnya’, the results might need a little more time. The ballads – ‘Voz’mi Moye Serdtse’ and the remarkably impassioned power ballad ‘Angelskaya Pil” – are both excellent, the latter being a top three Aria ballad without any doubt. ‘Paranoya’ balances on the tightrope between hardrock and heavy metal and is probably my least favorite song here, but I have grown out of skipping it. ‘Uhodi, I Nye Vozvrashaysya’ seemed a bit too oriented towards big live sing-alongs initially, but actually is a fun heavy metal song with great vocals, while ‘Zver” is nothing particularly special, but enjoyable nonetheless.

If you ignore the album cover, ‘Noch’ Koroche Dnya’ leaves very little to be desired. Sure, it is not quite as good as the three albums that preceded it, but there is plenty of material here that deserves to be mentioned alongside Aria’s classic songs. The problems boiling beneath the surface of Aria at the time likely did not disappear, as despite the presence of a couple of undeniable highlights especially on 2001’s ‘Himera’, the two following albums were not quite as good and everyone except Dubinin and Holstinin left the band afterward. Nothing of that can be heard here though and as a result, ‘Noch’ Koroche Dnya’ is highly recommended to anyone who likes the better heavy metal bands of the eighties.

Recommended tracks: ‘Korol’ Dorogi’, ‘Duh Voyni’, ‘Angelskaya Pil”, ‘Rabstvo Illyuziy’