ARIA – Guest from the Shadow Kingdom

2019-11-082019-11-08 Klaudia Weber

27.9.2019, M2BA, live DVD + 2 CD, 124 min

There might be some Metalheads in the Western hemisphere who had heard of ARIA before – they have been around since 1985 and fill arenas as Russian Metal-Superstars, a bit like “the Russian Iron Maiden”. This comparison works quite well too when it comes to the music, although I could also mention Accept, U.D.O., Sabaton or Queensryche. ARIA has been delivering ear candy albums containing Power Metal with a touch of Prog for decades but only their most recent output – their 13th – named “Curse Of The Seas” finally raised well-deserved attention in the West too (our REVIEW HERE). This DVD should also help to make the band more famous in the West because this is stuff that even the men around Eddie could be inspired by. I have seen a lot, live and on screens – and this stuff had my jaw drop several times and/or gave me goose bumps. A perfectly orchestrated 2-hour-spectacle and perfect entertainment!

A single three-level stage – with high-resolution LED screens for a height of 9 meters – was erected on the arena of the VTB Ice Stadium. The background of the stage was decorated with a 600 square meter (!) large screen. Which means you could feel sea-sick watching some of the scenes inspired by the new album … The video was recorded during the big Moscow show this April by director Yuriy Sokolov with whom the band did a lot of shows in the past. You can only guess how much work was put into the planning, coordination and preparation by everybody. And all those costume changes for singer Mikhail Zhitnyakov … and I don’t want to give too much away, but he had to undergo several days of special training for this show – kudos for all this hard work!

At some point you get so used to the Russian vocals you feel like shouting along – although all I could understand was the thanks (spassiba) to the Moscow (Moskva) audience in this huge arena. And as I watched the Lite streaming version, I can tell you that sound and visuals are delivered in perfect quality – a well deserved 10/10 just for that.

Summing up, Guest from the Shadow Kingdom is the perfect package to be introduced to ARIA, and maybe also a perfect X-mas-gift for Metalheads. There’s also a Digital Audio Version of this concert, available via Apple Music, Yandex Music, Boom, Google Play etc. The DVD + 2CD can be ordered via ARIA Website at Aria Shop or via Apple Music .

Setlist:
1. Race For Glory (Гонка за славой)
2. Kill The Dragon (Убить дракона)
3. Hero Of Asphalt (Герой асфальта)
4. Era Of Lucifer (Эра Люцифера)
5. The Curse Of The Seas (Проклятье морей)
6. Colosseum (Колизей)
7. Baptism By Fire (Крещение огнём)
8. Varyag (Варяг)
9. Point Of No Return (Точка невозврата)
10. Let It Be (Пусть будет так)
11. The Calm (Штиль)
12. Executioner (Палач)
13. Antichrist (Антихрист)
14. Deception (Обман)
15. The Sky Will Find You (Небо тебя найдёт)
16. Night Shorter Than Day (Ночь короче дня)
17. Torero (Тореро)
18. Street Of Roses (Улица роз)