It is not often that you go to a Heavy Metal gig only to find that it’s being presided over by Doris Day, Paul Newman, and Humphrey Bogart. But, here I was, and here they were. At least their imagery was. Lit up in candy-apple red and surrounding the entire perimeter of the upper balcony of the Cinema Sloga in Sarajevo was the face of every major star of stage and screen imaginable, eagerly waiting with anticipation the veritable feast of Metal mayhem that was to be imbued upon them. They were not to be disappointed. This was Scream For Me Sarajevo – 30 Years On.
Scream For Me Sarajevo – 30 Years On
This was no ordinary gig. The significance of this particular event cannot and must not be understated, for this was the 30th anniversary of the legendary Skunkwork’s gig, which took place in a besieged Sarajevo during the Bosnian war.
A lot has been written regarding Bruce Dickinson, Chris Dale, Alex Dickson and Alex Elena’s venture into a war-torn nation to play the gig of a lifetime. But, rather than me trying to recap such an incredible and momentous event, I will refer you to the MetalTalk article by Robert Adams, published on 5 November 2021. I urge you to read his piece below.
The original concert took place on 14 December 1994, in the Bosanski Kulturni Centar, with local rock and Metal bands performing before Skunkworks took to the stage. That concert spawned the critically acclaimed film Scream For Me Sarajevo, which documents the herculean effort in getting the gig off of the ground.
The documentary also shines a spotlight on the people of Sarajevo, highlighting the despair, the stoicism and the immense bravery of those living under the shadow of a war-torn city.
The gig was also the catalyst for the book Inside The Skunkworks Machine, a diarised account of those events written by the band’s bassist, Chris Dale. It is really worth watching the documentary and reading the book to get a true flavour of how the unlikely event unfolded and, of course, the subsequent impact on Sarajevo’s community.
GNU
This gig itself actually took place one day before the 30th anniversary of Skunkwork’s appearance in Sarajevo, with the after-party at the AG Club the following day. To start proceedings, a local band called GNU took to the stage.
This rather talented bunch of guys got together in 1994 under the backdrop of the siege of Sarajevo, recording the album State Of Misery in 1996, although the band consider it a demo due to recording constraints. 
The group disbanded shortly afterwards before reforming in 2019, with a lineup consisting of Nermin Lipa on vocals and guitars, Adnan Duraković on drums, Džemal Bijedić on bass and Mirsad “Sommy” Ćović on lead guitar, replacing original guitarist Mirza Coric, who left due to health issues in 2023.
GNU had their live debut after reforming in April 2024 as one of the headliners at the Sarajevan Eternal Flame Metal Festival. The Metal Heart gig, which is the group’s third show since 1996, didn’t go without a touch of drama, with the drummer playing through the pain barrier after suffering a back injury.
The band also suffered technical problems, including a broken kick-drum. But that notwithstanding, GNU were in superb form and managed to triumph over adversity. They drew on songs from the State Of Misery album as well as a new track, Stargazer, which went down well with an excited crowd. “GNU is back,” bassist Džemal Bijedić told us, “coming with new recordings, new songs and is ready to perform.”
This is a band well worth looking out for, so keep your ears open for them.
Metal Heart
With GNU rightly receiving the love of what was a packed house, Metal Heart then took to the stage for what was a tribute show of epic proportions, covering tracks from Judas Priest, Iced Earth and Black Sabbath. However, given the occasion, it would have been remiss of Metal Heart not to cover work from Bruce Dickinson and Iron Maiden. They did not disappoint.
Unusually, Metal Heart are not a group in the truest sense of the word. They are an amalgam of numerous exceptionally gifted musicians who are fully interchangeable at any given point in the setlist. The incredible thing about this group is that they are as tight as a Formula 1 car’s wheel nuts. Regardless of who is on the stage at any given point in the set, they are a well-rehearsed, well-disciplined unit.
Under the stewardship of the group’s de-facto leader Srdjan Bilić, Metal Heart bulldozed their way through an incredible three-hour set of 30 (Yes 30) songs. 
Kicking off proceedings with the Judas Priest number, Freewheel Burning, lead singer Rob Semivivus, who was one of eight vocalists in the group, tore the roof down with his soaring vocals. This was a taster to the other six tracks that he sang on, including the Scorpions classic, Blackout and the Anthrax favourite, Madhouse.
Cue a lineup change for the third song, which saw GNU’s Džemal Bijedić stepping in on bass, and a couple more tracks were blasted out. Other than the drummer, the only real constant within the troupe was the presence of Srdjan Bilić on guitar, featuring on 27 of the 30 tracks. 
As the setlist continued with a splash of Pantera and a smidge of Saxon, on came another vocalist. Sara Čejvan cut a striking figure as she entered the stage and proceeded to belt out Iron Maiden’s Fear Of The Dark followed by the Black Sabbath classic, Heaven And Hell.
The most poignant moment of the gig then followed when Skunkworks bassist Chris Dale entered the stage to rapturous applause and the deafening roar of the cheering crowd. Many will know that it was Chris Dale’s incredible work that helped bring the Scream For Me Sarajevo documentary to the fore, helping to highlight some of the tragic events that took place in the Bosnian capital.
Make no mistake, Dale is revered and loved in Sarajevo, and the audience made that abundantly clear. 
Kicking off with Bruce Dickinson’s Gods Of War, Dale was ably assisted by Alistair Hodgson, who bears a bit of a resemblance to Joe Satriani, and Srdjan Bilić on guitar. Not unsurprisingly, the crowd went wild as soon as the opening hit the listener’s lugholes.
This was followed up by the Kiss classic, Detroit Rock City, where John O’ Connell had replaced Hodgson on lead guitar for this song. This seemed to be a real favourite with the band, who really looked like they were enjoying themselves.This was followed up by another Dickinson track, The Tower, which highlighted Chris Dale’s extremely impressive bass-playing credentials.
Another change of guitarist ensued as Adam Breyer entered the fold for the Flight Of Icarus. With plenty of shapes being pulled by the three axemen, this was a real crowd-pleaser. At this point, Tasos Lazaris was doing the vocals on his fourth song, and there was not a single note dropped. He was absolutely superb.
Four more songs into the same line up before we get the “three tremors” on vocals. Rob Semivivus, Tasos Lazaris and Ŕökindja Nikolić performing the Queensrÿche classic, Queen Of The Reich, electrified the stage. All three vocalists brought the song to life with soaring vocals and incredible energy. There were no egos on the stage as each vocalist was happy to give the stage over to their vocal counterpart, and it worked well.
The final song in Chris Dale’s set was another Dickinson classic, Tears Of The Dragon. This was the performance of the night. Everything about the song was perfection, from the drumming right through to Srdjan Bilić and Adam Breyer’s fretwork, with Breyer’s fingers flying across the fretboard like a huntsman spider chasing down its quarry.
Then we had the dynamic between Dale and Breyer – the two musicians really seem to enjoy playing alongside each other and there were plenty of smiles and shapes from the pair. As the song was being performed, I decided to turn around and take a few moments to watch the crowd. The jam-packed venue was rocking out in a way that you just do not see at some of the bigger venues.
There was a look of joy on the audience’s faces that told a tale. The guys and girls who attended this event were totally immersed and invested in what they were witnessing. This was more than just a concert – it was a major, defining event, an emotional release for everybody there – and that stuck out like a sore thumb. It was a thing of beauty.
The final set was a nine-song extravaganza featuring tracks from Deep Purple, Heart and Helloween. The final two tracks featured Calvin Lever on bass and Ewan Mackay on vocals. The crowd was sent ballistic after Mackay decided to strip his top off and jump down from the stage into the mosh-pit while roaring out the vocals to Metallica’s Blackened and Slayer’s Raining Blood.
This heralded the end of what was a momentous event. There were so many musicians involved in this concert that it has been impossible to mention them all but, each and every one was at the top of their game. As for the organisation, credit deserves to be bestowed upon all those involved.
I’ve been to more gigs than I can remember, but this Metal Heart extravaganza was one of the best gigs that I have ever had the pleasure of attending.
It was not just about more than three hours of great music. It was not just about the fantastic performance of every musician there either.
This was about the people and the joy that they had in seeing and hearing these guys. It was a privilege to be invited to come along and be part of the event.
