Osvajači were a Serbian and former Yugoslavhard rock/heavy metal band from Kragujevac. Osvajači were originally formed in 1990. They recorded two studio albums, Krv i led and Sam, and disbanded in 1997. In 1998, former Osvajači vocalist Zvonko Pantović "Čipi" and keyboardist Nebojša Jakovljević formed the rock/pop/folk band Osvajači All Stars, which soon became known simply as Osvajači. In 1999, one of the original Osvajači members, guitarist Dragan Urošević, with a new band released the albumVrelina under the name Osvajači. This album is widely considered by fans and critics the continuation of the original Osvajači work, which is not the case with the albums released by Pantović and Jakovljević during the 1999–2002 period. In 2005, Pantović, Jakovljević and Urošević reunited under the name Osvajači, ending the cooperation in 2009.
Band history
1990–1997
The band was formed in 1990 by Zvonko Pantović, Dragan Urošević, Saša Popović and Miša Raca. The keyboardist Laza Ristovski and the bass guitarist Dejan Dačović were also involved in the band's activity. Ristovski played keyboards on the recording and produced Osvajači debut album, and performed with the band on various occasions. The band's debut album Krv i led, released through PGP-RTB in 1990, was mostly glam metal-oriented. In 1994, the band's song "Pronađi me" was released on Komunacompilation album . The band's second albumSam, released in 1995 through PGP-RTS, on which they were joined by the keyboardist Nebojša Jakovljević, marked the band's slight shift towards a heavier sound. After releasing a compilation album The Best Of in 1997, Osvajači disbanded. After recording the song "Vino crveno" with band Prvi Čin, Zvonko Pantović formed the rock/pop/folk band All Stars Osvajači. Nebojša Jakovljević soon joined Pantović's new band. All Stars Osvajači continued to be typically referred to as just "Osvajači", which caused confusion among fans.
1999–2000
In 1999, Urošević, with Nenad Jovanović, Saša Popović, Saša Marković and Nenad Branković "Konga", recorded the promo CD with songs "Samo ti" and "Minut ćutanja", and soon afterwards hard rock-oriented album Vrelina, released in 2000 through Take It Or Leave It Records under the name Osvajači. These releases are considered by fans and critics to be the continuation of the original Osvajači work, which is not the case with the albums released by Pantović and Jakovljević during the 1999–2002 period. This band, however, disbanded in 2000.
2005–2009
In 2005, Pantović, Urošević and Jakovljević reunited under the name Osvajači. They performed for several years, playing songs from Krv i led and Sam, but also the song "Minut ćutanja" previously recorded with Jovanović. The lineup, besides Pantović, Urošević and Jakovljević, featured the bass guitarist Mikica Zdravković and the drummer Dejan Nikolić. The band announced the release of a new studio album, performing several new songs on their live appearances. However, Urošević decided to leave the band. Pantović and Jakovljević continued to perform as Osvajači. Urošević and Pantović formed the hard rock band Čipi & Industrija. Pantović currently cooperates with both Jakovljević and Urošević, and is the vocalist for both bands.
Legacy
In 2011, the song "Maska " was polled, by the listeners of Radio 202, one of 60 greatest songs released by PGP-RTB/PGP-RTS during the sixty years of the label's existence.