Alisa (, Russian analogue to the female name Alice) is a Russian hard rock band, who are credited as one of the most influential bands in the Russian rock movement.

Biography

Alisa was formed in November 1983 by bassist Svetoslav Zadery. The band's name originated from Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland. The band's lineup was finally completed in 1984, when new vocalist Kostya Kinchev (real name Konstantin Panfilov) and guitarist Petr Samoylov joined. Their debut album Energia was released by state publishing monopoly Melodiya and sold more than a million copies.

But the relations between two leaders, Konstantin and Zadery, were deteriorating, and finally Svetoslav departed from the band. This occurred just one hour before Alisa was to perform at a concert. Alisa had to ask Kino bassist Igor Tihomirov to replace him for one concert. Later Zadery created his own band Nate! ("Take it!").

The growing popularity of the band created a fan community called the Army of Alisa, known for their rough behaviour at concerts. It led to animosity between the band and Soviet officials. In 1987, the newspaper Smena accused Alisa's leader Kinchev of Nazi propaganda and worshipping Hitler. Kinchev filed a suit for calumny and moral loss compensation. After the year-long court process the magazine published the refutation. Alisa's next album was titled Article 206 part 2, a chapter ("Hooliganism") of the USSR Procedural Code, alluding to this process.

There were more changes in 1988, when guitarist Igor "Chuma" Chumykin joined the band. This change was followed by the heavier sound of next two albums, Shabash and For those Who Fell From the Moon. Alisa toured through Europe and Israel together with fellow Russian heavy metal band Aria. The album Black Mark, released in 1994, was dedicated to the memory of Chuma, who committed suicide by jumping from a window.

In the new millennium, with albums such as Seychas Pozdnee Chem Ty Dumaesh (It is Later Than You Think, 2003) and Izgoy (Exile, 2005), the sound of Alisa was changed to a heavier one, including elements of nu, industrial and Heavy Metal. Music critics credited Clawfinger as Kinchev's greatest new music influence. This gave Alisa a new fan base among Russian hard rock fans, and three songs from Izgoy continually reached the top of the NASHE radio chart. Follow-up "Stat Severa" and "Puls Hranitelia Dverey Labyrintha" were less alternative-oriented and made a blend of older and newer styles. Alisa shot a video for the Wolfhound fantasy movie, though the song itself was cut from the soundtrack.

Lyrics and relations with the Faith

Kinchev was baptised in 1990, and since then Christianity has been the main influence on his alignment and his lyrics. Although early Alisa lyrics were typical for Russian rock - social protest and rock 'n' roll hype - since the late 1990s their main theme has been ideas of Christianity, Russian patriotism, and Slavic unity.