The Battle of Sealand is Airiel's highly anticipated, mind-blowing full length album, capturing the raw energy that the band produces live, in 11 tracks of sonic bliss. Formed in '97 by Jeremy Wrenn, Airiel was initially a solo project supported by various drum machines. However, he had dreams of entertaining the masses located outside of the confines of his bedroom, so he drafted local music scene veterans Cory Osborne and John Rungger on bass and drums. But the heady mélange was not completed until guitarist Chris De Brizzio entered the fray. Many bands today are an exercise in minimalism, stripping everything down to the bone and sinew. Airiel takes a different approach. Injecting their well-crafted songs with enough effects to level a small village, they stretch and expand the sonic boundaries of the genre until the listener is completely deluged by an aural wave of reverb, distortion and sweat. They are advancing the art of sheer sonic energy while utilizing the power of a good melody to provide a basis for the effects, never forgetting the innate human desire to shake one's ass. In short, it's loud, it's beautiful, and you can dance to it. Airiel released a series of 4-song EP's titled Winks & Kisses. The EP's were also sold as a limited edition box set, capturing the evolution of Airiel into its current form. In June of 2005 Airiel released their self-titled EP, which further illustrates Airiel's ever-evolving sound and provides a glimpse at their promise with blistering waves of gorgeous guitars, kinetic drum beats and soaring vocal harmonies. The group was also asked to contribute to several international compilation cds, including the "Never Lose That Feeling" compilation by Club AC30(UK). In addition to playing such local Chicago landmarks as the Double Door, Empty Bottle, and The Metro, they have begun plying their trade farther afield. In 2005, they embarked on their first tour of the East Coast, hitting New York City, Washington D.C., Philadelphia, and points in between. Airiel has also opened for some high-profile acts, including The Dears, The Brian Jonestown Massacre, The Annuals, Snowden and Voxtrot. "Airiel's The Battle Of Sealand (High Wheel) dishes up churning psych-pop ala Spacemen 3, Ride, and their new nephews like Darker My Love and Black Angels, though this Chicago band lays off the dark side for the most part, and swirl out a curvier crunch that's perfect for summer drives off to nowhere in particular." -CMJ