S.T.R.A.H. ( sr-cyr, С.Т.Р.А.Х.; trans. ''F.E.A.R.'') is a

Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin and the Balkans. It shares land borders with Hung ...

n and

Yugoslav Yugoslav or Yugoslavian may refer to: * Yugoslavia, or any of the three historic states carrying that name: ** Kingdom of Yugoslavia, a European monarchy which existed 1918–1945 (officially called "Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes" 1918–1 ...

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band formed in Belgrade in 1985. In the several years after the formation the band performed rarely, but managed to gain

cult status A cult following refers to a group of fans who are highly dedicated to some person, idea, object, movement, or work, often an artist, in particular a performing artist, or an artwork in some medium. The lattermost is often called a cult classic. ...

with its

horror Horror may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Genres *Horror fiction, a genre of fiction **Japanese horror, Japanese horror fiction ** Korean horror, Korean horror fiction *Horror film, a film genre *Horror comics, comic books focusing on ...

-influenced songs. They released one EP and disbanded at the beginning of

Yugoslav Wars The Yugoslav Wars were a series of separate but related Naimark (2003), p. xvii. ethnic conflicts, wars of independence, and insurgencies that took place in the SFR Yugoslavia from 1991 to 2001. The conflicts both led up to and resulted from ...

, while recording their debut album. In 2016 the band reunited, releasing their first full-length album in 2019.

History

1985–1991

Inspired by

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the " United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, ...

garage rock Garage rock (sometimes called garage punk or 60s punk) is a raw and energetic style of rock and roll that flourished in the mid-1960s, most notably in the United States and Canada, and has experienced a series of subsequent revivals. The sty ...

and

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English ...

pub rock Pub rock is a rock music genre that was developed in the early to mid-1970s in the United Kingdom. A back-to-basics movement which incorporated roots rock, pub rock was a reaction against the expensively-recorded and produced progressive rock an ...

acts, Milutin Krstić (vocals), Željko Debeljević (guitar, vocals),

Aleksandar Žikić Alexander is a male given name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here are Aleksandar, Al ...

(at the time a well-known music journalist, guitar), Saša Ristić (bass guitar) and Nenad Ivković (drums) formed the band S.T.R.A.H. The band chose their name after a fictional

secret organization A secret society is a club or an organization whose activities, events, inner functioning, or membership are concealed. The society may or may not attempt to conceal its existence. The term usually excludes covert groups, such as intelligence a ...

from the

comic a medium used to express ideas with images, often combined with text or other visual information. It typically the form of a sequence of panels of images. Textual devices such as speech balloons, captions, and onomatopoeia can indicate ...

'' The Steel Claw''. A year after the formation, Krstić left the band, so Debeljević took over lead vocals. The band performed rarely, but managed to gain

. In 1988, the band released their only release, the EP ''Mesec'' (''The Moon''), through Produkcija Slovenija record label. The EP, produced by Dušan Kojić "Koja" of

Disciplina Kičme Disciplin A Kitschme, originally known as Disciplina Kičme ( sr-Cyrl, Дисциплина Кичме, transl. ''Backbone Discipline''), was a Serbian and Yugoslav and, for a period of time, British rock band, formed in Belgrade in 1981. The ...

, featured four songs, "Mesec (Lunarni Mix)" ("The Moon ("Lunar Mix)"), "Mesec (Vampire State Dub Mix)", "Noćas" ("Tonight") and "Vudu lutka" ("

Voodoo Doll The term Voodoo doll commonly describes an effigy into which pins are inserted. Such practices are found in various forms in the magical traditions of many cultures around the world. Despite its name, the dolls are not prominent in Haitian Vod ...

").''Mesec'' at Discogs
/ref> The songs' lyrics were

-influenced, and the album artwork featured horror images and the inscription ''Metus dominus unus est'' (

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power ...

for "Fear Is the Only Master"). The back cover featured the logo and the address of the Count Dracula Fan Club from

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...

. After the release of the EP, Ivković was replaced by Aleksandar Timofejev. With the outbreak of Yugoslav Wars, the band disbanded while in the middle of recording their full-length début, Ristović and Debeljević emigrating to

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tota ...

."S.T.R.A.H.: Konačno ‘KVOG!’", Rockomotiva.com
/ref>

Post breakup

Žikić continued his career as a journalist, writing for

music magazine A music magazine is a magazine dedicated to music and music culture. Such magazines typically include music news, interviews, photo shoots, essays, record reviews, concert reviews and occasionally have a covermount with recorded music. Notable ...

s and working on television and radio. He wrote theatre plays ''Elvira je kul'' (''Elvira Is Cool''), ''Overdouz'' (

transliteration Transliteration is a type of conversion of a text from one script to another that involves swapping letters (thus ''trans-'' + '' liter-'') in predictable ways, such as Greek → , Cyrillic → , Greek → the digraph , Armenian → or ...

for ''Overdose'') and ''Ples aveti'' (''The Dance of the Spectres''). He wrote music books ''Fatalni ringišpil: Hronika beogradskog rokenrola 1959 - 1979'' (''Fatal Carousel: The Cronicle of Belgrade Rock 'n' Roll 1959, 1979'', 1999), ''Mesto u mećavi: Priča o Milanu Mladenoviću'' (''A Spot in the Blizzard: The Story of

Milan Mladenović Milan Mladenović ( sr-Cyrl, Милан Младеновић; 21 September 1958 – 5 November 1994) was a Serbian and Yugoslavian musician best known as the frontman of the Yugoslav art rock band Ekatarina Velika. Early life Born to Serbian ...

'', 1999), and a book about

whiskey Whisky or whiskey is a type of distilled alcoholic beverage made from fermented grain mash. Various grains (which may be malted) are used for different varieties, including barley, corn, rye, and wheat. Whisky is typically aged in wooden c ...

entitled ''Vatra iz vode'' (''Fire from Water'', 2003). He also wrote a pull-out book ''Electrodeo: Almanah nove američke muzike'' (''Electrodeo - The Almanac of New American Music''), published by magazine ''NON''. Timofejev was a journalist on

RTV Studio B RTV Studio B, more often called Studio B ( sr-cyr, Студио Б), is a radio and television broadcaster in Belgrade, Serbia. It was the first broadcast station outside the national electronic media system. Background RTV Studio B broadcasts i ...

, later moving to

Radio B92 RTV B92, or simply B92 (stylized as b92, formerly BΞ92 and B 92), is a Serbian news station and broadcaster with national coverage headquartered in Belgrade. Founded in 1989 as radio station, it was a rare outlet for Western news and informati ...

and eventually becoming program editor on TV B92. For a time he hosted his own

talk show A talk show (or chat show in British English) is a television programming or radio programming genre structured around the act of spontaneous conversation.Bernard M. Timberg, Robert J. Erler'' (2010Television Talk: A History of the TV Talk S ...

, ''Timofejev''.

2016–present

In 2016, after a 25 years long hiatus, three members of the last incarnation of S.T.R.A.H., Debeljević, Žikić and Timofejev, reunited, with new bass player, Miloš Marković "Felix". In June 2016, they played in Belgrade for the first time since 1991, at the closing of the Dok’n'Ritam musical documentary film festival. In September 2017 they had their first full concert since the reuinon, alongside fellow 1980s Belgrade garage rock band

Petar Pan Petar Pan (Serbian Cyrillic: Петар Пан; trans. '' Peter Pan'') is a Serbian and Yugoslav rock band formed in Belgrade in 1986. The band was a prominent act of the late 1980s and early 1990s Yugoslav rock scene. History 1986 – 19 ...

, in club Elektropionir in Belgrade. In May 2019 the band released their first full-length release, the album ''Kvog!'' through Mascom record label. The album was, as the band's 1988 EP, produced by Dušan Kojić "Koja".

Legacy

The song "Mesec" was covered in 2021 by Serbian musician Miloš Ratker."Miloš Ratker osvojio ‘Mesec’", Rockomotiva.com
/ref>

Discography

Studio albums

*''Kvog!'' (2019)

EPs

*''Mesec'' (1988)

References

{{reflist

External links

S.T.R.A.H. at Discogs
Serbian rock music groups Serbian garage rock groups Serbian gothic rock groups Yugoslav rock music groups Yugoslav gothic rock groups Death rock groups Musical groups from Belgrade Musical groups established in 1985 Musical groups disestablished in 1991 1985 establishments in Yugoslavia