The fourth edition of Lazarus Fest is scheduled for October 22nd and will take place at the Cultural Center in Lazarevo, organized by the citizens’ association RNR Zona Lazarevo, under the patronage of the City of Zrenjanin, the Lazarevo Local Community, and the Zrenjanin Cultural Center.

What makes this edition special is the first step towards internationalization of the festival—for the very first time, the program will include a band from Hungary and a band from Croatia.

What remains unchanged is our loyalty to the underground and the completely non-profit nature of the festival, as well as our dedication to nurturing modern genre trends while also “building bridges” between generations of heavy guitar sound enthusiasts.

LINE-UP:

RESTORE (Zrenjanin / Novi Sad, Serbia)
all-female peace metal / hardcore

One of the youngest bands on the scene today, a trio of girls delivering messages of peace and sobriety through the lens of childlike naivety—in the most positive sense—so vital in times when those very values are sacrificed to the forces of darkness and greed in the adult world. These messages are wrapped in heavy hardcore punk and metal riffs and rhythms, which the young trio delivers with growing confidence. So far, they have released three singles: Peace, Straight Edge and Put za raj (Road to Heaven).
Restore are: Andrea Radojčić (guitar/vocals), Teodora Medić (bass/backing vocals), Iva Jeftić (drums).

SIDES (Belgrade, Serbia)
djent / progressive metalcore

“It’s time to push one style to the very end”—a famous line from the cult movie The Promising Boy—and it seems that the djent style has never truly expanded or peaked in this region. Sides aim to change that, leaning more strongly and more convincingly than anyone here on the Meshuggah / Northlane legacy. They are currently working on their debut album, while having already released singles: Essence / Voices, Bloom, Quiet Soul.

LEDNIK (Novi Sad, Serbia)
post-metal / post-rock / instrumental

When talking about unique and rare gems of the local scene, it is impossible to overlook Lednik. With their debut album Celestial Monuments, they established themselves as one of the highest-quality representatives of the post-rock / post-metal sound in this part of the world. Moreover, the history of our festival cannot be told without them: they were among the first to believe in our idea and took part in what we consider the “zero Lazarus” exactly five years ago. May this symbiosis last long!
Lednik are: Dražen Đorđević (guitars), Eduard Tokoš (drums/keyboards), Alen Habek (guitars), Goran Zečević (bass).

JENNER (Belgrade, Serbia)
all-female thrash / heavy metal

Keeping alive the flame of old-school heavy/thrash metal in its finest tradition, three ladies will bring back the spirit of the 1980s—when these genres had their greatest global boom. The double peculiarity of Jenner lies in the fact that not only are they one of the finest heavy/thrash revival bands from this region, regularly performing beyond Serbia’s borders, but also a band that successfully overcomes the cultural machismo to which even the genre itself was not immune in its heyday. They have released one album, To Live is to Suffer, and one EP, The Test of Time, both on French label Infernö Records.
Jenner are: Aleksandra Lioness Stamenković (guitars, vocals), Anja Mirković (bass), Selena Simić (drums).

TORN FROM EARTH (Budapest, Hungary)
post-metal / doom / sludge

The Hungarian band Torn From Earth emerged in 2005, at almost the same time post-metal was making its global breakthrough led by Isis and Cult of Luna, building on the legacy of Neurosis. Since then, they have released three EPs: Torn from Earth, Lost and Found, Loss, and one full-length album Self. Their strongest asset is their live performance, and they are already a familiar guest in Serbia, having played at the “Love and Rage” and “Mount of Artan” festivals. This year they will perform at Lazarus Fest for the very first time!
Torn From Earth are: Viktor Hatalyák (guitars, vocals), Ödön Sultz (bass, vocals), Gáspár Binder (drums).

DEFIANT (Požega, Croatia)
blackened death metal

With 17 years on the scene, Defiant was formed largely under the influence of the famous Polish blackened death metal scene and bands like Behemoth, Vader, Hate, Decapitated, and others. They have released four albums: The End of Beginning, Era of Substitution, Morbid Spiritual Illness, Insurrection Icon; and are currently promoting their new EP Vanguards of Misrule, released on May 27 of this year. Get ready for the most extreme band ever to play Lazarus Fest!
Defiant are: Kristijan Krpan (guitars), Tomislav Kuternik (vocals), Sead Hadžić (drums), Khargash (bass).

VIOLENT CHAPTER (Belgrade, Serbia)
modern hardcore / metalcore

With 16 years on the scene, Violent Chapter are pioneers of the modern hardcore/metalcore sound in Serbia. The band went through numerous lineup changes until stabilizing with: Uroš Aleksić (drums), Miloš Srnić (guitars), Miloš Marjanović (vocals), Nenad Domuz (guitars), Aleksa Milošević (bass, vocals). They have two albums: Traces, Inverse Midas, and three EPs: Trapped, Selfmonument, Servitude. Beyond the band, they are also on a mission to create a scene rooted in brotherhood through their self-organized festival Decaying With the Boys. Their appearance at Lazarus Fest will be both a musical event and a symbolic act of “twinning” the two festivals, strengthening the scene between Zrenjanin and Belgrade.