Block Out

BLOCK OUT

formed in Belgrade in late 1990, the group was founded by the singer Milutin Jovancic. Nikola lived for 4 years in Moscow before returned to Belgrade in 1990. Nikola helped out then popular Serbian band Ruz for one tour and performed some gigs with then legendary Satan Panonski as well, before joining Block Out.

in 1992 Take It Or Leave It published Live KST, Akademija only as a tape release, and it was a collection of songs played live in famous Belgrade rock clubs.

the first studio debut, Crno Belo Srebrno (released on ITMM) came out in 1994.

Godina Sirotinjske Zabave (Metropolis) came out in october 1996, and the album was proclaimed by the Belgrade Parliament as the album of the year.

in late 1998 came out the long awaited San Koji Srecan Sanjas Sam (Metropolis), the album that defined the unique Block Out style of depression and heavy melancholy, which varied from Pink Floyd and King Crimson via Bauhaus and Discharge to the legacy of Ekatarina Velika. Again, many critics hailed it as the album of the year, while some of the critics' references were "how would OK Computer sounded if it was recorded in Serbia" or San being "the Serbian Black Album".

Izmedju Dva Zla (Metropolis) was a double live CD that came out in february 2001 (recorded in SKC 11th Sept 1999). it just confirmed how strong Block Out sounded live, and the evidence that it was possible to perform the thick production of San live was more than convincing.

after a serious amount of concerts with Block Out, Nikola Vranjkovic self-released the book Zaovdeilizaponeti in 2001, a collection of all poems and lyrics he had ever written. it came out with a bonus CD of his own solo project, mainly calm and acoustic based, but very close to what Block Out is about poetically.

Block Out spent about year and a half in making and recording of their 4th full-length, Ako Imas S Kim I Gde (Multimedia, 2004). it surely represents Block Out's strongest statement, a kind of final part of the trilogy to some (Godina/San/Ako Imas). the calm parts got more atmospheric, the heavy riffs got heavier. more complex than ever before, it can be heard through every track that the band spent many months in making of that one. Nikola himself handled the production duties, and the possible comparisions that can be drawn might be Tool, Deftones, Opeth and Katatonia, but covered with the band's acknowledged unique style.

it remains unclear if Block Out will ever make a follow-up to Ako Imas S Kim I Gde. after all they have given to the Serbian music scene, they don't have to. the making of album itself was a monstrous task, and it surely represents one of the best albums ever made in Serbia, ex-Yugoslavia as well. artistic-wise, how the album's real musical and social perspective will get fully absorbed in public remains to be seen in years to come.

the band is still active live.

(written by Danilo Nikodinovski, April 2006)

discography:

- Crno, belo i srebrno (1994)
- Godina sirotinjske zabave (1996)
- San koji srecan sanjas sam (1998)
- Izmedju dva zla (2001)
- Ako imas s' kim i gde (2004)

website

download:
BLOCK OUT Beograd 1991 - 1993 (KST - FLU)