Alogia, XXV Godina, guests The Fifth Rider
Saturday, 7 March 2026
Zappa Barka, Belgrade, Serbia
“Prog power heaven”
Alogia is not a particularly active live band, to put it mildly. Since you never know when — or in what lineup — you’ll get to see the Serbian kings of prog power melodicism in the flesh, the decision to hop on the Highway of Brotherhood and Unity and drive down to Belgrade wasn’t a hard one at all. With the great company of Silvija — a devoted lover of heavy sounds and long-haired men — the trip flew by.
On the way to Zappa Barka, a rock barge on the Sava river, we ran into a group of local metalheads who showed us a shortcut to the venue. While we were waiting to get in (for safety reasons they were only letting twenty people at a time across the gangway onto the barge), the support act, special guests The Fifth Rider, had already started. The band has been around since 2013, and their discography to date consists of — get this — a grand total of three singles. Prolific bunch.
US power metal with hints of thrash and occasional growl vocals was drifting from the barge. Energetic and listenable. We caught the last three tracks inside the hall, and the energy flowed in an unbroken stream between band and audience, with vocalist Mihajlo firing off jokes at machine-gun speed and cracking the fans in front of the stage up more than once. The band is tight, the music melodic and aggressive enough, so I wish them a more fruitful period ahead. They warmed up our necks nicely for the main event of the evening.
Setlist — The Fifth Rider:
01. Ascension
02. Legacy
03. Starseed
04. Powerslave (original Iron Maiden)
05. Ride of the Nephilim
06. The Black Banner
07. No More
Alogia was founded in Smederevo (Semendria!!!) in 2000 by two brothers and guitarists, Srdjan and Miroslav Branković. The band’s backbone is completed by vocalist Nikola Mijić, who possesses an exceptional voice, while the rest of the lineup rotates fairly freely. Currently, Srdjan‘s wife Nevena is also a permanent member on keyboards. The live rhythm section was shared among three drummers (one of them a member of The Fifth Rider) and two bassists. The original bassist Ivan Vasić actually handled the bass on a few tracks from the first three albums. Joining on vocals was Branislav Dabić, one of the two keyboardists on the debut album Priče o vremenu (2002). That album (and its follow-up, Priče o životu (2004)) made up the bulk of the setlist, with (far too many) covers thrown in as well.
Even the soundcheck before the show made it crystal clear we were in for a killer sound. The guitar tone cut through your bones like a chainsaw. When they kicked off with Eternal Fight from the latest album Semendria (2020), the crowd was nearly blown off their feet. An incredibly clean, punchy, and tight sound for a venue like this. Power and prog masterpieces traded places, guests came and went, and time flew by at the speed of light. The song selection was excellent — personally I’d have preferred more original material (especially the faster stuff) over all the covers, but even so I had nothing to complain about. The drummers (especially the young guy from Novi Sad) had the complex prog rhythmic patterns nailed down perfectly, and the Branković brothers shone brightest — they’re genuine guitar geniuses. Srdjan is also better known to the wider music world as a solo artist through the project Expedition Delta, but Miroslav doesn’t fall short of him in any way. Their trademark in the prog-power genre is notably hard and raw riffs, while their solos are pure heaven. Add Nikola‘s cosmic voice on top of that and you’ve got yourself a truly transcendent experience.
The floor of the sold-out barge swayed on the water under the pressure of a wild, emotionally charged crowd, and the band gave those same emotions right back — again and again. Miroslav‘s lyrics are always grounded in life, thoughtful and emotional, which naturally means all the fans sing along to every single word. Slavic souls, what can you do. The main set ended too soon, and for the encore the bassist and vocalist of Serbian Iron Maiden cover band Rainmaker appeared on stage — together they ripped through one Helloween and two Iron Maiden (naturally) covers at supersonic speed while the crowd went absolutely wild.
Personal highlights: the blistering Bajka, Zar sunce već zalazi (an excellent cover of the Conception classic Roll the Fire), Kad prodje sve (the standout from the otherwise underwhelming album Priče o snovima (2012)), the muscular Samson, and prog masterpiece Elegia Balcanica. I also have to mention the duet in Gde si u ovom glupom hotelu with Nikola‘s vocal acrobatics. Man, I still get goosebumps just thinking about it…
After the show, we spent quite a while chatting with the extremely friendly and down-to-earth Srdjan. According to him (and to my disappointment), we shouldn’t expect a particularly more active period when it comes to a new album or live shows. He’s focusing on the more commercially oriented project The Big Deal, and Alogia will happen when it happens.
We didn’t manage to reach the other band members, as the security staff very efficiently swept us out in no time.
Bottom line: the beer is still cold, the plum brandy is still strong, and Alogia is still a top-10 prog power band on a global scale. Some things just don’t change.
And the next day, a way-too-long drive back home…
Setlist — Alogia:
01. Eternal Fight (Semendria)
02. Metamorfoza (Priče o životu)
03. Novi dan (Priče o životu)
04. Bajka (Priče o vremenu)
05. What a Feeling (Priče o životu bonus track, original Irene Cara)
06. Vreme istine (Priče o životu)
07. Za nove pobede (Priče o snovima)
08. Zar sunce već zalazi (Priče o vremenu, original Conception (Roll the Fire))
09. Gde si u ovom glupom hotelu (Priče o životu bonus track, original Riblja čorba)
10. Lament (Priče o vremenu)
11. Kad prodje sve (Priče o snovima)
12. Elegia Balcanica (Elegia Balcanica)
13. Samson (Priče o vremenu)
14. Tonem u san (Priče o vremenu)
15. Forever and One (Semendria Japan bonus track, original Helloween)
16. Semendria (Semendria)
17. Kao snegovi (Priče o životu)
18. U tišini (Elegia Balcanica)
19. Lilith (Elegia Balcanica)
20. Sečanje na slike iz sna (Priče o vremenu, original Pretty Maids (A Place in the Night))
Encore with guests from Iron Maiden cover band Rainmaker:
21. I Want Out (original Helloween)
22. The Trooper (original Iron Maiden)
23. Wasted Years (original Iron Maiden)
Text and photos: Igorac
