The story of "The Eighth Force" and the time that gained sound

What a force, the band "Osma sila" could be seen on Saturday evening in Nikšić at the promotion of their album, documentary film, but also comic strip, and new video clip... and all of that "40 years later", united by the symbolic name "Born with a Feller".

Famous faces from different generations of Nikšić filled the hall of the Nikšić Theater, which was cramped for everyone who came to close a circle that began more than four decades ago. Melancholy, pride, respect, joy, music, a rare energy that Nikšić residents and artists recognize, know and share with each other... It was clear even earlier that this would not be a typical musical evening or a usual promotion, but a gathering, a reminder, a time machine and a space of emotions.

"If it weren't for Nikšić, we wouldn't exist either," are the words of the members of the band "Osma sila" that remind us that the city is not just a geographical point, but also a destiny, an encounter, and a sound.

"Thank you for being here tonight to close a circle that began more than 40 years ago. Nikšić was declared a UNESCO City of Music on October 31st. A city where music has long been more than just a sound - a way of life. 'The Eighth Force' was born from such a city," the actress reminded. Jelena Nenezić who hosted the program.

Nikšić in the late 1970s did not offer young people many choices other than promenades, cafes and time, she recalled.

"It was precisely at that time that the need for something to change arose. In some garage, basement or sports hall, a new musical identity began to be created. That's how 'Osma sila', our first original rock band, was born. In the following years, they recorded their first songs. They performed at festivals, shared the stage with big names of the rock scene at the time and played at concerts that marked an era. They played together for 10 years, and then parted ways peacefully. As they say, because of different views on where to go next," Nenezić sums up.

Perhaps all of this would have remained just a memory, notes Nenezić, if they had not reappeared at the Bedem Fest in 2019, after a 30-year hiatus.

"A few rehearsals before the concert were enough to give birth to a new idea... To finally finish what was left unfinished. The album we are promoting was created more than 40 years ago, at a time when music was recorded analogically, on multi-channel tape recorders, and its natural ending was precisely the vinyl record," Nenezić pointed out and added:

"While we celebrate the past, we also look to the future. The songs are available on Spotify, Deezer and other platforms... Their music has also found its way into the digital realm. Songs that were created in the analog age will now be heard by audiences around the world"...

The gramophone record, as proof of its longevity, was available to admirers and fans of the "Eighth Force" on Saturday evening, and It was accompanied by a copy of the comic book "The Eighth Force" by Dr. Luka Rakojević and Miodrag Spasojević, as another way for their romantic story to be heard and told.

"There are rehearsals that no one recorded, concerts that remained only in memory, songs that existed before they were recorded. And there is the time that passed between then and now. From the first days of 'Eighth Force', through the years of silence, to the reunion and the completion of the album that waited more than four decades to be recorded as it was intended...", said Nenezić, also announcing the screening of the film "Born with a Feller".

The film is a cross-section of a life, perseverance, youth, and durability, and was made by the director Sead Sabotic i Slobodan Bobo Dobrilovic, produced by “Blues Art”.

"The documentary is an 18-minute time machine through the band's existence, through conversations between friends who remember their shared youth and creation," said Nenezić, emphasizing that it is "a story about a time that did not disappear, but rather gained its own sound."

The film begins with a brief review...

“The group 'Osma sila' was formed from the Nikšić group 'Mir' in 1980. When they decided to change their name, everyone present at the time wrote their suggestion on a piece of paper. The piece of paper that was drawn read 'Osma sila'. The suggestion was made by a friend of the group Tile Batricevic. The group left an indelible mark on the Montenegrin rock and roll scene, however, the band never released an album. At Bedem Fest 2019, the group reunited after 30 years with the aim of playing again and releasing the studio album 'S felerom rođeni'... Today, the group 'Osma sila' consists of: Slobodan Bobo Dobrilović, Dimitrije Mićo Maksić, Željko Mrvošević, Zoran Ćele Ćetković, Zdenko Dejo Pekić", it is emphasized at the beginning, interspersed with old newspaper articles, photographic material from the band members' archives, with reminders of performances, socializing, successes...

On behalf of the group, Dimitrije Mićo Maksić addressed the audience and thanked everyone who contributed to the evening, but also to the gathering of the band members... During the evening, video messages were also shown, including one from Željko Milović from Bar, a writer, chronicler, publicist and musician who pointed out that "Osma sila" is a kind of "proof that Nikšić existed and survived on the musical map of Montenegro and Yugoslavia"...

"For all these years and decades, there has been regret that the two most important groups we had in the eighties, 'Ružin trn' and 'Osma sila', did not release an album, and they were one step away from doing so. 'Ružin trn' released its CD with old songs last August, and now 'Osma sila' has done the same, so that circle has somehow closed. If it had - it would have taken several decades for both of them to record an album within six or seven months, which is a curiosity with old songs. But it did, it would have been much nicer if it had happened when it was supposed to happen, both for the sake of their careers and for the sake of their lives... Since the dice obviously did not fall into place when it was supposed to, it is good now. Why? Because it is documented. This is proof that Nikšić existed and survived on the musical map of Montenegro and Yugoslavia. Unfortunately, they did not establish themselves on the map of Yugoslavia, and they should have. And this is proof that at least at that moment, as far as music and hard rock are concerned, Conditionally speaking, they were just barely with the rest of Yugoslavia," Milović pointed out.

He added that "Osma sila" managed to leave its mark during that period, but also that today they have something to be proud of, comparing them to almost the world's biggest bands from the seventies.

The evening closed as it should - with the introduction of the band members and music - the video for the famous song "Spominjem te" which was performed by Predrag Kecojevic.

And as the frames from the video were replaced on the screen at the end of the evening, it became clear that all of this was not just a recollection, nor a mere promotion of an album, a film, a comic book, but a confirmation that time can separate, but not erase, even after almost half a century. “The Eighth Force” remains and survives, both in life and friendship, as well as on vinyl, the movie screen, in comics, on digital platforms, but above all in people.