Gordi

Gordi is a Serbian and former Yugoslav rock band from Belgrade, active from 1977 to 1984 and fronted by guitarist and songwriter Zlatko Manojlović. The band starts as a progressive rock group before moving towards hard rock and heavy metal, and it becomes one of the better-known ex-Yugoslav heavy metal acts.

History and line-up

The band forms in Belgrade in 1977. Its first line-up includes Zlatko Manojlović on guitar and vocals, Stevan Milutinović on drums, Goran Manojlović on keyboards, and Dragan Janković on bass guitar. Manojlović has previously played in Džentlmeni, Fleš and Dah, while Milutinović has been in Dogovor iz 1804, Moira and Dah; Goran Manojlović has been in Dah and Land, and Janković has been in Buket Mojih Prijatelja.

Across its five studio albums, Manojlović writes all of the band’s songs. The albums Pakleni trio and Kraljica smrti are the most clearly heavy metal-oriented recordings and are the works for which the band is generally best known. On these albums, the line-up is Zlatko Manojlović on guitar and vocals, Slobodan Svrdlan on bass and backing vocals, and Čedomir Petrović on drums and backing vocals.

Recognition and later activity

In 1979, Gordi wins first place at an international rock festival in Poznań. The band disbands in 1984 after Manojlović releases his first solo album, Zlatko. In 2024, Manojlović reforms Gordi with a new line-up that includes his son Todor Manojlović on guitar and bass guitar, Marko Terlević on bass guitar, Dalibor “Dado” Marinković on drums, and Berislav “Bero” Blažević on keyboards. Marinković and Blažević are also full-time members of Parni Valjak.

The reformed band records and releases the comeback album Fenix through Croatia Records, with all songs authored by Manojlović. The album is described as mostly hard rock-oriented.