Kraljevski Apartman
Encyclopedia
Kraljevski Apartman is a Serbia
n heavy metal
band from Belgrade
.
band Apartman 69 (Apartment 69). The band recorded only one album Seti se moje pesme
(Remember My Song), in 1983. The line up which recorded the album consisted of Dragan Blažić (vocals), Zoran Zdravković (guitar
), Dejan Mihajlović (keyboard
, backing vocals), Milan Mastelica (bass guitar
, backing vocals) and Jovan Simonović (drums
). One of the band's lineups also included Zvonimir Đukić, today's frontman of the popular band Van Gogh
on rhythm guitar
and Vladan Dokić, drummer of the hard rock band Rok Mašina
. After the release of the album, due to the great popularity of New Wave bands, Apartman 69 ceased to exist.
's frontman Bora Đorđević, decided to form a new band and with vocalist Zoran "Lotke" Lalović formed Kraljevski Apartman in 1995. The first lineup of the band soon after had split and the new lineup consisted of Lalović (vocals), Zdravković (guitar), Zoran Rončević (drums), Nebojša Čanković (guitar) and Vladimir Rajčić (bass guitar). Riblja Čorba drummer Vicko Milatović
was approached to join the band as the bass guitarist, but eventually refused. This lineup recorded the band's first album Long Live Rock 'n' Roll
for Rock Express Records. The title track of the album is a cover version of a Rainbow
hit with the same title. The album included eight songs and the most notable were "Mračan grad" ("Dark City"), "Ne verujem u lažne anđele" ("I Don't Believe in False Angels"), "Misterija" ("Mistery") and "Oprosti mi" ("Forgive Me"). Promotional video was recorded for the song "Misterija". Zdravković provided most of the lyrics and music. The band performed as a support act on Riblja Čorba tour, and presented the album to the audience in Serbia.
In 1999, Rončević left the band and the lineup included a new drummer Srđan Duždević and rhythm guitarist Miroslav Šen. This lineup recorded the second album titled Izgubljen u vremenu
(Lost in Time). The album featured heavier sound and its main hits were "Izgubljen u vremenu", "Slomljeno srce" ("Broken Heart"), "Nikad se ne predajem" ("I Never Give Up"), "Ne traži đavola" ("Don't Tease the Devil") and "Posle oluje (Javi se...)" ("After the Storm (Call...)". The album also included the cover of Uriah Heep
's song "Lady in Black
", Kraljevski Apartman version titled "Slike" ("Images"). The CD edition of the album included four songs from Long Live Rock 'n' Roll as bonus tracks. All the lyrics were written by Zdravković except for "Jesen" ("Autumn") provided by Lalović and "Znak Zveri" ("Mark of the Beast") by Vicko Milatović
. A promotional video was recorded for the song "Posle oluje (Javi se...)".
, released in 2002 by Rock Express Records, the band added a keyboard player and switched to only one guitar making the band's sound more melodic. The album featured hits "Ranjena zver" ("Wounded Beast") and "Rocker" (a promotional video was recorded for the former), ballads "Za ljubav ne treba da moliš" ("You Shouldn't Beg for Love") and "Dama iz kraljevskog apartmana" ("Lady from the Royal Apartment"), and song "U lavirintu sedam greha" ("In the Labyrinth of Seven Sins") from the Lavirint movie soundtrack (bonus on CD edition). The album also featured the song "Niemandsland" (German
for "No Man's Land") with lyrics in German language and sang by Zdravković. All the lyrics were provided by Zdravković. After the success of Rocker, the band became well known in Czech Republic
, Slovakia
, Poland
and the albums was distributed in about twenty countries.
For the first time since in the band's history, the same lineup recorded two albums. Ruka pravde
(Hand of Justice) was released in 2004, this time for PGP-RTS
. The album was considered by both fans and critics to be one of the band's finest works. Songs "Ruka pravde", "Dao sam sve od sebe" ("I Did My Best"), "Izaberi jedan put" ("Chose a Path") and ballads "Sve u svoje vreme" ("There Is Time for Everything") and "Sve su noći iste" ("All the Nights Are the Same") became main hits. The band presented the album while touring with Belgrade's Radio 202
live show Hit 202. During the same year, the band, alongside Cactus Jack
, performed as an opening act on Deep Purple
's concert in Belgrade.
In 2005, the band entered its first decade of existence, and on the 10th birthay, a recording of a live DVD and album were scheduled. The DVD was recorded live in Belgrade's Studentski Kulturni Centar
and released under the title 10 Godina sa vama - Live SKC (10 Years with You - Live SKC). The DVD also includes interviews with the band members and others connected to the band and videos for "Ruka pravde", "Ranjena zver" and "Misterija". The soundtrack of the DVD featuring selected tracks from the concert was released as Best Of Live (1996 - 2005)
. After the release of the album, the band played various dates including opening, together with Alogia
, for Whitesnake
on Belgrade
's Tašmajdan. This was the last concert with the keyboard player Dejan Đorđević. Following Đorđević's departure, Zoran Rončević also left the band. He was replaced by Zoran Radovanović who previously played with Generacija 5
. After performing as a four-part band, Miloš Nikolić, Marko Nikolić's brother, stepped in on rhythm guitar. This lineup started writing new material and recorded demos for several tracks. One of them, "Čuvar tajni" ("The Keeper of Secrets"), appeared as a radio promo single.
On August 17, 2007 the band played at Belgrade Beerfest which was officially the last show with vocalist Zoran Lalović before September 2008. His replacement was a former Which 1 frontman Ivan "Đera" Đerković. The first and the only album with Đerković on vocals, Čuvar tajni
(The Keeper of Secrets) was released through PGP RTS in 2008. The band recorded nine new songs and made a new version of the track "Jesen", which originally appeared on the band's second album. A poromotional video was recorded for the track "Čarobni štap". Lalović formed his own band and after months of performing as The Untitled Band, the band got the name Lotke & Lavirint (Lotke & The Labyrinth) performing songs by Kraljevski Apartman. For a short time period a drummer of Lotke & Lavirint was Rončević, former Kraljevski Apartman drummer. After several promotional concerts for the new album, in September 2008, Marko Nikolić left the band. As Đerković was not well accepted by fans, Lalović was approached to return to the band, and during September he returned to the band replacing Đerković.
In 2009, the band released the single "Pandora".
.
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
n heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
band from Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
.
Apartman 69
The band's history begins in 1979, when guitarist Zoran Zdravković (a former member of the bands Exodus, Zvučni Zid, Bicikl, and Tvrdo Srce i Velike Uši) formed the hard rockHard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
band Apartman 69 (Apartment 69). The band recorded only one album Seti se moje pesme
Seti se moje pesme
Seti se moje pesme is the first and only album by former Yugoslav hard rock band Apartman 69 released in 1983. Following the release of the album, the band disbanded due to lack of popularity. In 1996 Zoran Zdravković, band's guitar player formed the band Kraljevski Apartman, but none of the...
(Remember My Song), in 1983. The line up which recorded the album consisted of Dragan Blažić (vocals), Zoran Zdravković (guitar
Electric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
), Dejan Mihajlović (keyboard
Musical keyboard
A musical keyboard is the set of adjacent depressible levers or keys on a musical instrument, particularly the piano. Keyboards typically contain keys for playing the twelve notes of the Western musical scale, with a combination of larger, longer keys and smaller, shorter keys that repeats at the...
, backing vocals), Milan Mastelica (bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, backing vocals) and Jovan Simonović (drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
). One of the band's lineups also included Zvonimir Đukić, today's frontman of the popular band Van Gogh
Van Gogh (band)
Van Gogh is a Serbian and former Yugoslav rock band from Belgrade. The band was formed in 1986, and released their debut alternative rock-oriented self-titled album the same year...
on rhythm guitar
Rhythm guitar
Rhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
and Vladan Dokić, drummer of the hard rock band Rok Mašina
Rok Mašina
Rok Mašina was a short-lasting former Yugoslav hard rock band from Belgrade. Rok Mašina was formed in 1980 by former members of the progressive/hard rock band Pop Mašina, and it is often considered a continuation of Pop Mašina.-1980 - 1982:The band was formed in 1980 by former Pop Mašina members...
. After the release of the album, due to the great popularity of New Wave bands, Apartman 69 ceased to exist.
1990s
After 13 years, Zdravković, with the support of Riblja ČorbaRiblja Corba
Riblja Čorba is a Serbian and former Yugoslav rock band. Their presence on the scene has lasted from 1978 to today. They reached their peak of popularity in the 1980s, but it has declined in the 1990s, partly due to controversial political attitudes of the band's leader Bora Đorđević...
's frontman Bora Đorđević, decided to form a new band and with vocalist Zoran "Lotke" Lalović formed Kraljevski Apartman in 1995. The first lineup of the band soon after had split and the new lineup consisted of Lalović (vocals), Zdravković (guitar), Zoran Rončević (drums), Nebojša Čanković (guitar) and Vladimir Rajčić (bass guitar). Riblja Čorba drummer Vicko Milatović
Vicko Milatovic
Miroslav "Vicko" Milatović is a Serbian musician best known as the drummer for the Serbian and former Yugoslav rock band Riblja Čorba.-Early career:...
was approached to join the band as the bass guitarist, but eventually refused. This lineup recorded the band's first album Long Live Rock 'n' Roll
Long Live Rock 'n' Roll (Kraljevski Apartman album)
Long Live Rock 'n' Roll is the debut album by Serbian heavy metal band Kraljevski Apartman released in 1997. With the support of Riblja Čorba members Zoran Zdravković, former Apartman 69 guitarist, decided to form a new band and started writing new material. The opening track on the album is a...
for Rock Express Records. The title track of the album is a cover version of a Rainbow
Rainbow (band)
Rainbow were an English rock band, controlled by guitarist Ritchie Blackmore from 1975 to 1984 and 1994 to 1997. It was originally established with American rock band Elf's members, though over the years Rainbow went through many line-up changes with no two studio albums featuring the same line-up...
hit with the same title. The album included eight songs and the most notable were "Mračan grad" ("Dark City"), "Ne verujem u lažne anđele" ("I Don't Believe in False Angels"), "Misterija" ("Mistery") and "Oprosti mi" ("Forgive Me"). Promotional video was recorded for the song "Misterija". Zdravković provided most of the lyrics and music. The band performed as a support act on Riblja Čorba tour, and presented the album to the audience in Serbia.
In 1999, Rončević left the band and the lineup included a new drummer Srđan Duždević and rhythm guitarist Miroslav Šen. This lineup recorded the second album titled Izgubljen u vremenu
Izgubljen u vremenu
Izgubljen u vremenu is the second studio album by Serbian heavy metal band Kraljevski Apartman. Following the release of their first album Long Live Rock 'n' Roll and good reactions of the fans and critics, the band, with a changed lineup, entered the studio to record the second studio album...
(Lost in Time). The album featured heavier sound and its main hits were "Izgubljen u vremenu", "Slomljeno srce" ("Broken Heart"), "Nikad se ne predajem" ("I Never Give Up"), "Ne traži đavola" ("Don't Tease the Devil") and "Posle oluje (Javi se...)" ("After the Storm (Call...)". The album also included the cover of Uriah Heep
Uriah Heep (band)
Uriah Heep are an English rock band formed in London in 1969 and regarded as a seminal classic hard rock act of the 1970s. Uriah Heep's progressive/art rock/heavy metal fusion's distinctive features have always been massive keyboards sound, strong vocal harmonies and David Byron's operatic vocals...
's song "Lady in Black
Lady in Black (song)
"Lady in Black" is a song by the 1970s rock band Uriah Heep. It is the fourth track of their 1971 album Salisbury.The song is credited to Ken Hensley. It tells the story of a man wandering through war-torn darkness and encountering a goddess-like entity who consoles him...
", Kraljevski Apartman version titled "Slike" ("Images"). The CD edition of the album included four songs from Long Live Rock 'n' Roll as bonus tracks. All the lyrics were written by Zdravković except for "Jesen" ("Autumn") provided by Lalović and "Znak Zveri" ("Mark of the Beast") by Vicko Milatović
Vicko Milatovic
Miroslav "Vicko" Milatović is a Serbian musician best known as the drummer for the Serbian and former Yugoslav rock band Riblja Čorba.-Early career:...
. A promotional video was recorded for the song "Posle oluje (Javi se...)".
2000s
In 2002, after appearing on Hard 'n' Heavy Festival as a headliner, numerous appearances on festivals and on their own, the band entered the studio Paradoks to record demos for the following album. For the recording of their third album, the band changed the lineup because Šen, Duždević and Čačija left the band. The new lineup included drummer Zoran Rončević, who recorded the first album with the band, bass guitarist Marko Nikolić (who had previously played with Vatreni Poljubac) and Dejan Đorđević on keyboards. For RockerRocker (album)
Rocker is the third studio album by Serbian heavy metal band Kraljevski Apartman. For the first time in the band's history, an official keyboard player was brought in substituting the second guitar. The band presented a heavy but at the same time a melodic approach to their music with heavy-riff...
, released in 2002 by Rock Express Records, the band added a keyboard player and switched to only one guitar making the band's sound more melodic. The album featured hits "Ranjena zver" ("Wounded Beast") and "Rocker" (a promotional video was recorded for the former), ballads "Za ljubav ne treba da moliš" ("You Shouldn't Beg for Love") and "Dama iz kraljevskog apartmana" ("Lady from the Royal Apartment"), and song "U lavirintu sedam greha" ("In the Labyrinth of Seven Sins") from the Lavirint movie soundtrack (bonus on CD edition). The album also featured the song "Niemandsland" (German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
for "No Man's Land") with lyrics in German language and sang by Zdravković. All the lyrics were provided by Zdravković. After the success of Rocker, the band became well known in Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
, Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
and the albums was distributed in about twenty countries.
For the first time since in the band's history, the same lineup recorded two albums. Ruka pravde
Ruka pravde
Ruka pravde is the fourth studio album by Serbian heavy metal band Kraljevski Apartman. The band got into more melodic style than ever and Ruka pravde became one of the band's finest works. Promotional video was recorded for the title track and was broadcast on national and some international chanels...
(Hand of Justice) was released in 2004, this time for PGP-RTS
PGP-RTS
PGP-RTS is a major record label based in Belgrade, Serbia. It is a successor of PGP-RTB which was established in 1958 in Belgrade, then capital of Socialist Republic of Serbia and Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia....
. The album was considered by both fans and critics to be one of the band's finest works. Songs "Ruka pravde", "Dao sam sve od sebe" ("I Did My Best"), "Izaberi jedan put" ("Chose a Path") and ballads "Sve u svoje vreme" ("There Is Time for Everything") and "Sve su noći iste" ("All the Nights Are the Same") became main hits. The band presented the album while touring with Belgrade's Radio 202
Radio Belgrade
Radio Belgrade is a state-owned and operated radio station in Belgrade, Serbia.The predecessor of Radio Beograd, Radio Beograd-Rakovica, started its program in 1924 and was a part of a state wireless telegraph station. Radio Beograd, AD started in March 1929...
live show Hit 202. During the same year, the band, alongside Cactus Jack
Cactus Jack (band)
-Band history:The band, originally named Caramba, was formed at the end of 1998 by Stevan Birak , Miodrag Krudulj , Vladimir Jezdimirović and Dušan Gnjidić ....
, performed as an opening act on Deep Purple
Deep Purple
Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in Hertford in 1968. Along with Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, they are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal and modern hard rock, although some band members believe that their music cannot be categorised as belonging to any one genre...
's concert in Belgrade.
In 2005, the band entered its first decade of existence, and on the 10th birthay, a recording of a live DVD and album were scheduled. The DVD was recorded live in Belgrade's Studentski Kulturni Centar
Studentski kulturni centar
Studentski Kulturni Centar , abbreviated as "SKC", is a cultural centre in Belgrade, Serbia.The center opened in 1971 in the building that had up to that point been used by state security agency UDBA. The opening of SKC was seen by many as the communist regime's concession to the youth of Belgrade...
and released under the title 10 Godina sa vama - Live SKC (10 Years with You - Live SKC). The DVD also includes interviews with the band members and others connected to the band and videos for "Ruka pravde", "Ranjena zver" and "Misterija". The soundtrack of the DVD featuring selected tracks from the concert was released as Best Of Live (1996 - 2005)
Best Of Live (1996 - 2005)
Best Of Live is a live album released by Serbian heavy metal band Kraljevski Apartman reconsisting of the band's finest works and presenting an aspect of the band's live appearance. The band members wanted to celebrate the first decadce of the band's existence by recording a live performance and...
. After the release of the album, the band played various dates including opening, together with Alogia
Alogia (band)
Alogia is a Serbian progressive/power metal band from Smederevo. Formed in 2000 by brothers Miroslav and Srđan Branković, Alogia is one of the top acts of the Serbian heavy metal scene.-History:...
, for Whitesnake
Whitesnake
Whitesnake are an English rock band, founded in 1978 by David Coverdale after his departure from his previous band, Deep Purple. The band's early material has been compared by critics to Deep Purple, but by the mid 1980s they had moved to a more commercial hard rock style...
on Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
's Tašmajdan. This was the last concert with the keyboard player Dejan Đorđević. Following Đorđević's departure, Zoran Rončević also left the band. He was replaced by Zoran Radovanović who previously played with Generacija 5
Generacija 5
Generacija 5 is a Serbian and former Yugoslav hard rock band from Belgrade.-1977—1982:...
. After performing as a four-part band, Miloš Nikolić, Marko Nikolić's brother, stepped in on rhythm guitar. This lineup started writing new material and recorded demos for several tracks. One of them, "Čuvar tajni" ("The Keeper of Secrets"), appeared as a radio promo single.
On August 17, 2007 the band played at Belgrade Beerfest which was officially the last show with vocalist Zoran Lalović before September 2008. His replacement was a former Which 1 frontman Ivan "Đera" Đerković. The first and the only album with Đerković on vocals, Čuvar tajni
Čuvar tajni
Čuvar tajni is the fifth studio album by Serbian heavy metal band Kraljevski Apartman. Čuvar tajni is the band's only album recorded with vocalist Ivan Đerković....
(The Keeper of Secrets) was released through PGP RTS in 2008. The band recorded nine new songs and made a new version of the track "Jesen", which originally appeared on the band's second album. A poromotional video was recorded for the track "Čarobni štap". Lalović formed his own band and after months of performing as The Untitled Band, the band got the name Lotke & Lavirint (Lotke & The Labyrinth) performing songs by Kraljevski Apartman. For a short time period a drummer of Lotke & Lavirint was Rončević, former Kraljevski Apartman drummer. After several promotional concerts for the new album, in September 2008, Marko Nikolić left the band. As Đerković was not well accepted by fans, Lalović was approached to return to the band, and during September he returned to the band replacing Đerković.
In 2009, the band released the single "Pandora".
2010s
In February 2010, Lalović stated that the band is working on the new album, which is expected to be released through PGP-RTS. In May 2011, Zdravković stated that the band's future album would feature eleven songs, including the song "Magija" ("Magic") dedicated to the late Ronnie James DioRonnie James Dio
Ronald James Padavona , better known as Ronnie James Dio, was an American heavy metal vocalist and songwriter. He performed with, amongst others, Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Heaven & Hell, and his own band Dio, which means God in Italian. Other musical projects include the collective fundraiser...
.
Studio albums
| Title | Released |
|---|---|
| Seti se moje pesme Seti se moje pesme is the first and only album by former Yugoslav hard rock band Apartman 69 released in 1983. Following the release of the album, the band disbanded due to lack of popularity. In 1996 Zoran Zdravković, band's guitar player formed the band Kraljevski Apartman, but none of the... |
|
Studio albums
| Title | Released |
|---|---|
| Long Live Rock 'n' Roll (Kraljevski Apartman album) Long Live Rock 'n' Roll is the debut album by Serbian heavy metal band Kraljevski Apartman released in 1997. With the support of Riblja Čorba members Zoran Zdravković, former Apartman 69 guitarist, decided to form a new band and started writing new material. The opening track on the album is a... |
|
| Izgubljen u vremenu Izgubljen u vremenu is the second studio album by Serbian heavy metal band Kraljevski Apartman. Following the release of their first album Long Live Rock 'n' Roll and good reactions of the fans and critics, the band, with a changed lineup, entered the studio to record the second studio album... |
|
| Rocker (album) Rocker is the third studio album by Serbian heavy metal band Kraljevski Apartman. For the first time in the band's history, an official keyboard player was brought in substituting the second guitar. The band presented a heavy but at the same time a melodic approach to their music with heavy-riff... |
|
| Ruka pravde Ruka pravde is the fourth studio album by Serbian heavy metal band Kraljevski Apartman. The band got into more melodic style than ever and Ruka pravde became one of the band's finest works. Promotional video was recorded for the title track and was broadcast on national and some international chanels... |
|
| Čuvar tajni Čuvar tajni is the fifth studio album by Serbian heavy metal band Kraljevski Apartman. Čuvar tajni is the band's only album recorded with vocalist Ivan Đerković.... |
|
Live albums
| Title | Released |
|---|---|
| |
|
Video albums
| Title | Released |
|---|---|
| |
|