Kerber

Kerber (Serbian Cyrillic: Кербер, lit. 'Cerberus') is a Serbian and Yugoslav hard rock band formed in Niš in 1981. The band was formed by vocalist Goran Šepa "Gale", guitarist Tomislav "Tomica" Nikolić, keyboardist Branislav "Bane" Božinović, bass guitarist Zoran Madić and drummer Zoran Stamenković; throughout the following decades, Šepa, Nikolić and Božinović would remain the mainstay members of the group. Their sound has evolved from heavy rock on their debut album towards melodic hard rock on their mid- and late 1980s releases. The group's debut album, released in 1983, brought them nationwide popularity. Their following releases launched them to the top of the Yugoslav hard rock scene, with a number of their songs becoming hits, most prominently their power ballads with poetic lyrics written by lyricist Duško Arsenijević, and the band's bass guitarist Zoran "Sosa" Žikić enjoying public's attention for his on-stage theatrics. The band released their latest studio album in 1996, performing occasionally only during the following decade. In early 2010s the band returned to live performances, releasing several new singles and a live album since. The band's beginnings can be tracked back to the band Top (Cannon), active in Niš at the beginning of the 1980s. Top performed their own songs, as well as covers of songs by foreign hard rock acts, often cooperating with the Treća polovina (Third Half) theatre. They gained local popularity, but did not have a steady lineup. In 1981, a steady lineup was formed, featuring Goran Šepa "Gale" (vocals), Tomislav "Tomica" Nikolić (guitar), Branislav "Bane" Božinović (keyboards), Zoran Stamenković (drums) and Zoran Madić (bass guitar). They adopted the name Kerber and decided to perform their own material. The songs were composed by all of the members, and the lyrics were written by Stamenković. Kerber had their first official concert in November 1981, in Muzički klub (Music Club) in Niš. During 1982, the band had numerous concerts in Niš and across Serbia, while working on the material for their first album. In early spring of 1982, Madić left the band to serve his mandatory stint in the Yugoslav army, and was replaced by former Mama Rock and Plamteće Nebo (Flaming Sky) member Zoran "Sosa" Žikić. Žikić had impressionable stage performances: he played an axe-shaped guitar and performed fire breathing. In May 1983, Kerber won the first place at the prominent Subotica Youth Festival with the song "Mezimac" ("Minion"). Several days after this success, they performed as an opening band on Galija concert in Belgrade's Tašmajdan Stadium. In July 1983, Kerber recorded their debut album, Nebo je malo za sve (The Sky Is not Big Enough for All), produced by Gordon Rowley, bass guitarist of the British heavy metal band Nightwing. Kerber members met Rowley while he was performing in Yugoslavia as a member of Peter Green's backing band, and after hearing the group's demo recordings, Rowley got interested in working with them. The album was recorded in Aquarius studio in Belgrade and mixed at Strawberry Studio in Manchester. It was released on ZKP RTLJ record label and immediately became successful, with 10,000 copies sold during the first week of the album sale. The album brought nationwide hits "Mezimac", "Nebo je malo za sve" and "Heroji od staniola" ("Tin Foil Heroes"). After the album release, Kerber performed as the opening band on Uriah Heep and Ten Years After concerts in Yugoslavia. In January 1984, during the tour through Macedonia, Stamenković contracted infectious hepatitis, so in March, during the Kerber's performance at the music festival in Opatija, he was temporarily replaced by Generacija 5 drummer Slobodan Đorđević. Despite the good performance, Kerber did not fit well in the pop format of the Opatija festival. During the tour, the band performed in Belgrade's Sava Centar on a various artist concert organized by ITD teen magazine, but the band's performance was interrupted after their pyrotechnics accidentally set fire to the stage. On 19 May 1984, during the band's open-air concert in Novi Sad, Žikić got second-degree burns while attempting to breathe fire under windy conditions. He continued the concert despite doctor's advice, and later on continued the tour with bandages on his face. After this accident, other members forbade Žikić to continue performing the fire-breathing act. On 25 May 1984, the band performed, with a number of other bands, on a large open-air concert on the Square of Marx and Engels in Belgrade, organised as a part of Youth Day celebration, and in June 1984, they were the opening act on Nightwing concerts in Yugoslavia. During the summer of 1984, the band performed in the discoteque Zana in Greece, and in October they were rejoined by Stamenković. In December 1984, Kerber traveled to Great Britain to record their second album, Ratne Igre (War Games). The album was recorded in Saughall, and the producer was once again Gordon Rowley. During their stay in Britain, Kerber performed in clubs in Liverpool and Chester. An English language version of "Mezimac", entitled "Get Me Out", was recorded on their concert in Liverpool and included on the album. Part of the album lyrics were written by the lyricist Duško Arsenijević, who would continue to work with Kerber on their future releases. In May 1985, only a week after Ratne igre was released, Stamenković went to serve the army and Slobodan Đorđević replaced him once again. On 15 June that year, Kerber, alongside 23 other acts, performed on the Red Star Stadium, on the concert which was a part of YU Rock Misija, a Yugoslav contribution to Live Aid. In October 1985, Slobodan Đorđević moved to the United States, and was replaced by former Mama Co Co, YU Grupa and Leb i Sol member Dragoljub Đuričić. In November of the same year, Kerber was awarded with Smeli Cvet (Courageous Flower) award, given by the League of Communist Youth of Serbia for contribution to Yugoslav rock music. In 1986, Kerber recorded their third studio album, Seobe (Migrations), which was produced by composer and former Korni Grupa leader Kornelije Kovač. Most of the album lyrics were written by Arsenijević, with two songs featuring lyrics written by Riblja Čorba frontman Bora Đorđević, and two songs featuring lyrics written by Riblja Čorba guitarist Nikola Čuturilo. The album brought numerous hits: "Hajde da se volimo" ("Let's Make Love"), "Čovek od meda" ("Man Made of Honey", which featured Bora Đorđević on vocals), power ballads "Kad ljubav izda" ("When Love Betrays", which featured a quotation from Pero Zubac's poem "Mostar Rains"), "Još samo ovu noć mi daj" ("Give Me just This more Night"), "Bolje da sam druge ljubio" ("I Should've Been Kissing Other Girls") and "Seobe", the latter inspired by the 1980s emigrations of Serbs from Kosovo. Following the success of Seobe, Kerber performed more than 200 concerts across Yugoslavia. The band went on the promotional tour with keyboardist Milorad Džmerković, formerly of Slomljena Stakla and Peđa D' Boy Band, as Branislav Božinović had to leave the band in July 1986, only a month after Seobe recording, to serve his stint in the Yugoslav army. In their home city Kerber held a concert on the Železničar Stadium, on 16 May 1987, featuring numerous guest bands. In 1988, the band released the album Ljudi i bogovi (Humans and gods), produced by Đorđe Petrović. By the time of the recording, Božinović had served his stint in the army and rejoined the group. Major hits were "Svet se brzo okreće" ("The World Is Turning Fast") and the ballad "Na raskršću" ("At the Crossroads"). The lyrics were written by Duško Arsenijević, with a part of them dealing with political topics. In the summer of the same year, Žikić left the band, and was replaced by former Suncokret, Bulevar, Propaganda and Idoli member Branko Isaković, which, due to Žikić being well-known for his stage performances, saw large covering in the Yugoslav press. The band recorded their