Ariel’s Attic is Jenn Hailey – Vocals Bob Ross – Bass, Keyboards and Percussion Gary Campbell – Guitars Mike Olson – Guitars, Keyboards and Percussion With an assist from Mr Stefano Landi as ‘The Dark Voice’ Formed in 2013 by guitarist Mike Olson and bassist Bob Ross, the band began as a natural evolution of the music on Mike’s second solo instrumental CD (Rise To Your Knees, 2012), on which Bob played bass. However the idea of adding a female vocalist and a second guitarist would take two years to come to fruition. After auditioning what seemed like countless singers, Jenn Hailey got the call in 2015 (after sending in a demo of herself singing into her phone) and the band Mike and Bob had envisioned became a reality. Part of that vision was a big twin guitar sound and Gary Campbell was asked to join shortly thereafter. Gary and Bob had been playing together in a metal cover band around Ottawa for some time and the fit was natural. Recording of the debut album Garden of the Gods began in mid-2015 and the album was released in the summer of 2017.
The album began collecting accolades almost as soon as it was released. The band was named Band of the Month for November 2017 by the Women of Metal Radio Show on Insane Realm Radio, and found it’s way into the top 50 favourite albums of 2017 by the hosts of both the Women of Metal Radio Show and the Twisted Mind Radio Show (also on Insane Realm Radio). The band’s cover of Leonard Cohen’s classic track ‘Hallelujah’ has surpassed 80000 streams on Spotify and shows no signs of slowing down. Born out of a love for music with grand concepts and ambitious arrangements, Ariel’s Attic brings together their various influences into a melting pot of styles that sounds unique yet somehow familiar, with a nod towards bands like Rush, Nightwish, and Savatage, while blending in symphonic elements. The result is a bone crunching, driving metal foundation provided by Mike, Gary and Bob, tempered by Jenn’s powerful yet angelic voice. In the band’s own words, “We call it raw precision, and we think you’ll enjoy listening to it as much as we enjoyed making it”. The band is currently working on the follow up to Garden of the Gods.
