Ariel Coulombe is an outstanding singer-songwriter and musician. He is also the leader of his self-titled alternative band, ARIEL. As lead singer, guitarist and main writer of the band, ARIEL is a cross between a strand of dynamic glam Rock with straight ahead alternative combined with a dark introspective lyrical content which defines its deep roots in the Quebec fiber of respected bands.
ARIEL is; three guys, two girls, three vocals, a drum, a guitar, a keyboard and… two bass players performing songs composed by Ariel Coulombe.
The band was first brought to light after winning the Francouvertes contest in 2009. Critics branded ARIEL as being refreshingly unique and powerful for their ability to be both sober yet yielding a dynamic sound with impressive musicianship, and captivating presence.
The band’s first album, Après le crime, produced in Brooklyn by Gus van Go (The Stills, Les Trois Accords, Vulgaires Machins, Priestess), was nominated for Alternative album of the year at ADISQ 2011, and appeared on several Top albums of the year lists for 2011. All three videos of the band reached #1 on MusiquePlus, the song “Chargez!” is still holding on to the all-time longevity record on the French Top 5. That same video was also nominated for Video of the year at the Juno Awards.
After touring across the whole province of Quebec, and also touring in France and Belgium, ARIEL released his second album named “Fauve” in February 2014. Themes on “Fauve” explore the conflicting relations between the violent tendencies of men in comparison to their sometimes contradicting orderly and polite behavior. Mixed by Pierre Girard, this new album is the first album Produced entirely by Ariel Coulombe, with collaborations by Max Leclerc and Vincent Blain as soundman. The result: a pure indie rock recording, wild but on track where the odd combination of 2 bass guitars, electric guitars, saxophone (Roberto Murray) and keyboard are beautifully complementing each other, along with strong lyrics that lend themselves well to the heavy acid ambiance yet presented with a very organic sound design reminiscent of grunge music.
