Osvajači
Serbian hard rock band with a split-faction history.
Osvajači (Освајачи, meaning "The Conquerors") is a Serbian and Yugoslav hard rock band that started in Kragujevac in 1990. The founding members were vocalist Zvonko Pantović "Čipi", guitarist Dragan Urošević, bassist Saša Popović, and drummer Miša Raca. Not long after, experienced keyboardist Laza Ristovski, previously with Smak and Bijelo Dugme, joined the group. Their first album, *Krv i led*, came out in 1991 and showed off a glam metal sound. A second studio album, *Sam*, followed in 1995, recorded with new keyboardist Nebojša Jakovljević and new bassist Dejan Dačović. The band split up in 1997.
In 1998, Pantović and Jakovljević started a new pop rock project called Osvajači All Stars with guitarist Bane Jelić, which soon became known simply as Osvajači. At the same time, Urošević revived the original Osvajači name with Popović switching to rhythm guitar, vocalist Nenad Jovanović, bassist Saša Marković, and drummer Nenad Branković. This version released the album *Vrelina* in 2000. For a while, two bands with the same name, both including original members, confused the public. Most fans and the Serbian music press eventually saw Urošević’s group as the true continuation because it kept the hard rock style, while Pantović and Jakovljević moved toward pop and pop folk.
In 2005, Pantović, Jakovljević, and Urošević reunited as Osvajači, joined by bassist Mikica Zdravković and drummer Dejan Nikolić. After several years of performing together, Urošević left the band, and Pantović and Jakovljević continued with new musicians. In 2015, they released the album *Sad je na mene red*, recorded with guitarist Bane Jelić, and featuring Urošević as a guest on a few tracks.
- formed
- 1990
- origin
- Kragujevac, Serbia (then Yugoslavia)
- genre
- Hard rock, glam metal
- years_active
- 1990–1997, 1998–2002 (two factions), 2005–present
- label
- PGP-RTB, PGP-RTS, Sky Music Publishing
- notable_members
- Zvonko Pantović, Dragan Urošević, Nebojša Jakovljević, Laza Ristovski
Lore & Background
Osvajači originated from the Kragujevac band Bledi Ruž, which itself evolved from Pontonski Most. The original Osvajači lineup released two studio albums—Krv i led (1991) and Sam (1995)—before disbanding in 1997. After the split, two rival incarnations emerged: one led by Pantović and Jakovljević under the name Osvajači All Stars (later simply Osvajači), which moved toward pop and pop folk, and another led by Urošević, which retained the original hard rock sound and released the album Vrelina in 2000. The existence of two bands with the same name confused the public, but most fans and the Serbian music press eventually considered Urošević's faction the true continuation of Osvajači.
In 2005, Pantović, Urošević, and Jakovljević reunited, performing for several years before Urošević withdrew. The band continued as a duo of Pantović and Jakovljević, releasing the album Sad je na mene red in 2015, which featured guest appearances by Urošević. In 2022, they released a live album, Beer Fest (Live), and celebrated 30 years of activity (delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic) with numerous guest musicians. Founding drummer Miša Raca, who had retired after the original band's breakup, died on 3 July 2024.
Reader's Guide
Osvajači hold a notable place in Serbian and Yugoslav hard rock history, particularly for their early 1990s glam metal sound on Krv i led and Sam. Their legacy is complicated by the unusual period (1997–2002) when two separate bands operated under the same name, each featuring former members of the original lineup. This split, and the eventual public consensus favoring Urošević's harder-rocking faction, illustrates the tensions between commercial pop and rock authenticity in the post-Yugoslav music scene. The band's song "Maska (Sam)" was covered by Serbian progressive/power metal band Alogia in 2006 and was polled by Radio 202 listeners as one of the 60 greatest songs released by PGP-RTB/PGP-RTS. Their later work, including the 2015 album Sad je na mene red and the 2025 single "Više neće biti nas", shows continued activity into the 2020s. The death of original drummer Miša Raca in 2024 marked the loss of a founding member.
Did You Know?
- The band's original drummer Miša Raca died on 3 July 2024, having retired from music after the original incarnation disbanded.
- For a period in the late 1990s and early 2000s, two different bands named Osvajači existed simultaneously, each featuring former members of the original lineup.
- The song "Maska (Sam)" was covered by Serbian progressive/power metal band Alogia on their 2006 live album, with Dragan Urošević making a guest appearance.
- Osvajači competed at Beovizija 2019 with the song "Voda i plamen".
More in Serbian heavy metal musical groups 1-19
Spotted an error? Know more?
This is a living reference — every entry is fact-audited, and reader corrections feed straight into our audit queue. Suggest an edit · See this site's audit record