The Battle of Sealand

{{For|the battle|Battle of Sealand}}

{{Infobox album

| name = The Battle of Sealand

| type = studio

| artist = Airiel

| cover = Airiel-thebattleofsealand2007.jpg

| alt =

| released = August 21, 2007

| recorded =

| venue =

| studio =

| genre = {{hlist|Dream pop|shoegaze}}

| length = 63:22

| label = Highwheel Records

| producer = David Golitko

| prev_title =

| prev_year =

| next_title = Molten Young Lovers

| next_year = 2017

}}

{{Album ratings

| rev1 = AllMusic

| rev1Score = {{Rating|3.5|5}}{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r1111165|title=Airiel – The Battle of Sealand}}

| rev2 = Pitchfork

| rev2Score = (5/10) [http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/10573-the-battle-of-sealand/ Pitchfork review]

| rev3 = Stylus Magazine

| rev3Score = (B) [http://www.stylusmagazine.com/reviews/airiel/the-battle-of-sealand.htm Stylus Magazine review]

}}

The Battle of Sealand is the debut studio album by American shoegaze band Airiel. It was released August 21, 2007, on Chicago-based Highwheel Records. The album was named after the Principality of Sealand.

According to an article on the Sealand News website, the members of the band were named official lords of Sealand in recognition of naming their album after the self-proclaimed micronation.{{Cite web|url=http://www.sealandnews.com/airiel-are-now-lords-of-sealand_157.html|title=Sealand News|date=September 24, 2007|website=Sealand News|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110727231115/http://www.sealandnews.com/airiel-are-now-lords-of-sealand_157.html|archive-date=July 27, 2011|url-status=dead|access-date=February 13, 2019}} On September 30, 2007, it was announced that Airiel would be the first rock band to perform at Sealand;{{Cite web|url=http://www.sealandnews.com/literally-rocking-sealand_162.html|title=Sealand News - News & Information from the Principality of Sealand|date=September 30, 2007|website=Sealand News|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110727231201/http://www.sealandnews.com/literally-rocking-sealand_162.html|archive-date=July 27, 2011|url-status=dead|access-date=2019-02-14}}{{Cite web|url=https://pressreleases.responsesource.com/news/33961/first-live-gig-to-rock-sealand/|title=First live gig to rock Sealand|website=ResponseSource Press Release Wire|access-date=2019-02-14}} however, the concert did not take place.

The band lineup for the album's recording included guitarist Chris DeBrizzio, bassist/vocalist Cory Osborne, drummer John Rungger and guitarist/vocalist Jeremy Wrenn. German electronic musician, remixer and Tangerine Dream member Ulrich Schnauss made a guest appearance on the track "Sugar Crystals".{{AllMusic|class=artist|id=mn0000808352|title=Ulrich Schnauss}}