In 1989, three 16 year-olds and one 14 year old hunkered down in a suburban recording studio by the name of Shadow Productions outside of Chicago, run by two guys with Romantics-style hair-do's, to put down 8 original songs they had been working on for the previous 9 months - an eternity in high school years - in just two days time. They could smoke cigarettes and feel like real metal guys. They were hooked.

Ariah, a band literally named after both Slayer's Tom Araya and classical "arias", was forged in a basement in Hoffman Estates on Sunday's while Dad watched golf on the other side of the ceiling. These were straight A nerd kids, too smart for their own good, getting high and getting anxious about the state of the world.

"Dope, Smoke, B.O. and The Jock" - or so named by the drummer's mom - paraded in and out of that house like it was an important laboratory research job. The target was clear - harness the raw speed and power of Slayer, carry the song with the harmonies and melodies of Master Of Puppets, layer in the conceptual thoughtfulness of Pink Floyd, and lyrically incorporate the fluid free association of Skinny Puppy. Easy! They would have been completely unable to articulate this list of influences consciously. This...  more

released November 1, 2024

Ray Dybzinski - guitars and vocals
Chris Eichenseer - drums
Chris Southerland - guitars and backing vocals
Jim Urbanski - bass and backing vocals

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