Aria is the first, greatest and most popular Russian heavy metal band. Thirty-three years after its foundation, the band has now released its thirteenth legitimate studio record and is still going strong. Guitarist and sole remaining founding member Vladimir Kholstinin is still delivering gripping, melodic and uplifting riffs. The rhythm section around versatile drummer Maxim Udalov and dominant bass guitarist Vitaly Dubinin joined two years after the band saw the light of day and are still playing with the refreshing juvenile spirit of yore. Second guitarist Sergey Popov joined about one and a half decades ago and gave the band some new energy as he participated on some of the band's best releases. Most recent addition is skilled singer Mikhail Zhitnyakov who joined seven years ago and brought a breath of fresh air to the veteran band. Aria had most recently experimented with classical sounds and performed their classics with orchestras. This recent development had a positive impact on thirteenth studio record Curse of the Seas. The songs are more elaborate, epic and melodic and include sometimes piano and string passages. The song writing has also become slightly more progressive and this album is the band's longest so far, including eleven songs and clocking in at an impressive running time of more than seventy-five minutes. The closing title track that unites all of the band's qualities and trademarks even clocks in at just above twelve minutes, making it the longest track in the band's impressive history.

Many contemporary heavy metal bands try to sound more epic, experimental and progressive and forget about what made these bands great in the past. This isn't the case for Aria as the record opens with the powerful, melodic and fast ''Race for Glory'' that has a running time below five minutes and sounds like a revamped version of passionate traditional heavy metal that should appeal to fans of Accept, Iron Maiden and Saxon.

The more experimental tracks are executed with care. ''Varangian'' is one of the greatest songs the band has ever written, opening with truly enchanting piano and string sounds before evolving into an epic heavy metal anthem for the ages. ''It's Hard to Be a God'' impresses with a particularly engaging rhythm section as the drums are truly energetic and the bass guitar is at the core of this excellent track. ''Everything Begins Where the Night Ends'' shifts brilliantly between mid-paced melodic passages and up-tempo heavy metal outbursts. ''Alive'' sounds much shorter than its running time of nine minutes and tricks you into starting like a heartfelt ballad before evolving into a heartfelt heavy metal anthem that does its title justice and is filled with dynamic changes that work out instantly but request multiple spins to grow on you. Closing epic ''Curse of the Seas'' recalls the greatest heavy metal epics of the eighties and convinces with atmospheric sound samples, cinematic storytelling and a multitude of creative ideas. It wouldn't be exaggerated to compare this song to Iron Maiden's ''Rime of the Ancient Mariner'' without copying it or sounding old-fashioned at any time.

Many fans claim that the band's line-up with original singer Valery Kipelov was the greatest and one can't deny that this line-up formed and shaped Russian heavy metal as it is today. However, the records released with Artur Berkut in the last decade were a step forward for the band as his arrival represented the right change at the right time. This is now also the case for Mikhail Zhitnyakov who has released two very good albums with the band in form of Phoenix and Curse of the Seas and one above average output with Through All Times. Aria is one of the few heavy metal veterans that have become stronger with line-up changes instead of struggling with them. Curse of the Seas offers excellent heavy metal entertainment that finds the perfect balance between traditional trademarks and fresh ideas. The Russian lyrics only add an emotional depth to the material as it's a very poetic, diversified and simply beautiful language that suits this genre very well. The stunning album cover is only the cherry on the cake. Even though Aria doesn't reinvent heavy metal, this record is a very serious candidate for heavy metal album of the year.

Final rating: 86%

Two years after the outstanding zombie movie Train to Busan, South Korea comes around with yet another extremely memorable zombie film entitled Rampant. Instead of copying the concept of yore, Rampant walks off the beaten path and mixes gripping horror movie elements with historical fiction and political intrigues. The story takes place during an era when the kingdom of Joseon was controlled by the Qing Dynasty. The heir apparent organizes a revolt against his own father who is manipulated by the minister of military. When his treason is uncovered, his allies and himself decide to commit suicide, leaving his pregnant wife behind. His last wish is that his pregnant wife is brought to safety in China and his estranged brother travels from China to Joseon to look after her. Upon arriving, the estranged brother realizes that a strange plague that originated from a foreign merchant ship is haunting the country and spreading like wildfire. He has the challenging tasks to survive the attacks of the immortals, save his dead brother's pregnant wife and defy the minister of military who wants to overthrow the dynasty and seize power. At the same time, he has to annihilate the hordes of zombies, be a leader for the suffering villagers and ultimately find his own identity.

There are numerous elements that make this excellent movie entertaining from start to finish despite a surprisingly long running time of one hundred twenty-nine minutes. The historical context is authentic, complex and fascinating. The settings look at times gloomy or majestic. The special effects are gripping and stunning. The sound effects are even more haunting and best enjoyed at your local movie theatre. The characters have depth and development. The acting performances are diversified and outstanding. The story has numerous twists and turns without ever losing itself in unnecessary subplots. The horror elements are bloody, dynamic and haunting which makes for an excellent mixture. The action scenes includes martial arts sequences, gun fights as well as epic confrontations with archers. The dramatic elements in the film are fleshed out and give this horror movie some unusual emotional and intellectual depth.

There is no doubt that Rampant is the best horror movie of the year and follows the contemporary trend of outstanding South Korean horror movies such as the creepy, mysterious and surreal The Wailing. If you don't have the chance to watch this movie in your local cinema that blindly supports vapid Hollywood productions, buy a physical copy of this masterpiece to support everyone involved in this epic project to make sure we can witness movies of similar quality in the future. Even if you don't like horror movies in general or might find zombie films superficial in particular, open your mind and enjoy this film to the fullest and forget endless, predictable and repetitive American series like The Walking Dead that can't compete with this masterpiece.

Ladies and gentlemen!

Here are some pictures from my November break weekend in Toronto. I have attended a Toronto Maple Leafs game against the New Jersey Devils as well as a Toronto Raptors game against the New York Knicks. I have also attended a concert at Coalition with Solarus, Seven Kingdoms and Borealis. I have watched two excellent movies at a local movie theatre as well with Indian pirate film Thugs of Hindostan and Korean horror movie Rampant. I have also gone on a Christmas shopping spree. The only downside to my trip was the screaming junkie next to my hotel who awoke me in the middle of the night and continued to make noise for more than three hours. I'm already looking forward to returning to Toronto next year! 

Ladies and gentlemen!

Here are a couple of pictures taken in Ottawa this past weekend. One of my friends traveled seven hundred kilometres to visit and we have had a great time going to restaurants, visiting museums and attending the game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Ottawa Senators.