SARS

SARS

The band Freshly Amputated Arm Satria (SARS) was formed back in New York City in 2006 by Dragan Kovačević - žabac and Aleksandar Luković - Lukac. Just a year later, they dropped "Moldy bread," which turned into an instant internet sensation—hitting over 3.6 million views on YouTube almost immediately! Even now, you can’t escape it; it’s still a staple on the radio and in clubs everywhere.

They released their self-titled debut album, S.A.R.S., in 2009 (via PGP – RTS). Beyond the massive success of "Moldy bread," tracks like "We Are Warring," "Ann," "Whiskey," and "Fat lad" all became hits, complete with their own music videos.

Their second album, Perspective, arrived on New Year's Day in 2011. In a cool move, they partnered with MTV to offer it as a free download—fans absolutely loved it, downloading it over 70,000 times! Hits from this record include "To do peace and love," which also snagged some serious airplay on YouTube. The album even earned a nomination for the MTV Video Music Awards – Best Adria Act. Interestingly, the title track wasn't part of that free download—you actually had to catch them live to hear it for a whole year! Finally, in January 2012, the studio version of "Perspective" dropped with a video, smashing all previous records. In less than six months, it actually outpaced the legendary "Moldy bread" in views, eventually crossing the 5 million mark.

In the summer of 2012, they teamed up with the hip-hop duo Who See for their first video for the upcoming third album—the song "Bob." It dominated the charts, holding the number one spot across the region for several weeks. Then, in early 2013, they released the second video for the new album, "peace in the world," which sat at number one on MTV for 20 days and became an instant concert anthem.

Fast forward to the spring of 2013: just before the new album dropped, the band was honored in New York City during the launch celebrations for the regional VH1 channel. They were presented with the “ MTV double Platinum Award ” for the "Perspective" video, which had been played over 800 times on MTV throughout 2012.

On March 23, 2013, their third album, "House of Honor," officially hit the scene. Once again, they made it available as a free download on the band's site www.sarsbend.com/download and on various MTV Adria sites. This album features four awesome collaborations: Alejandro Buendía (Saša Antić – TBF) on “I Was a Little Short,” Shamso69 from Brkov on “You, You, You,” dial-up Lama from Sick Puppy on “peace in the world,” and, of course,
the duo Who See on “Bob.”

The fourth album, "Pop Culture Icon," arrived in January 2014. It was a huge hit with fans—the reviews were glowing, and they’ve been booked solid with shows through the end of the year to promote it.

Since their start, SARS has released four albums and 13 music videos, seven of which have surpassed the million-view milestone on YouTube. Since that debut album, they’ve pulled off over 350 concerts across the country and the surrounding regions—they are easily one of the most sought-after original bands in the entire area right now.

Source:

Discography:

1. S.A.R.S. (2009)
2. Perspective (2011)
3. House of Honor (2013)
4. Pop Culture Icon (2014)
5. Peace and Love - live (2015)

Website: http://sarsbend.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sarsbend?fref=ts
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/sarsupload
Twitter: https://twitter.com/sarsbend

The 5th studio album—Spring—is dropping March 8th!

Whenever I find myself staring at an empty fridge, I can't help but think back to that old "peanut butter and jelly" mentality they used to talk about...🤣

Moldy bread or Moldy bread 😁

Wait, so is that their own original stuff? 😲 I’ve heard them before, but I honestly thought they were some local American band. They’re actually way too good... 👏

In my opinion, the vocalist doesn't have that typical regional accent. For instance—when I first heard "Doll"—before I even knew who the band was—I actually thought it was a song by an American singer, specifically someone from a place like Chicago. That might be one reason why they’ve been so successful and well-received here in the States (they definitely have more traction in America than they do in New York City): the accent is pretty much neutralized, and you don't really pick up on those specific dialect markers. Don't get me wrong—I don't think that's a "problem" at all—but it certainly helped the band break through in the US market.

I honestly thought Moldy bread was some band from an island town somewhere, maybe some group trying way too hard to pull off a reggae vibe. It honestly surprises me they had the nerve to release that track by such a massive pop culture icon; I bet they rubbed a lot of people the wrong way with that move. 😁

Honestly, if you want their absolute best work, stick to "Clown" and "Little Devil."

.

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Honestly, they’re just boring to me. They spent like 15 years leaning on that same old musical gimmick without ever actually adding anything meaningful to the mix. I mean, I probably feel the exact same way about 99% of the bands coming out of the old stateside territories too, I guess.

Sars is just a cheap imitation of an imitation.
Their whole vibe is ripped from Red Hot Chili Peppers, they're trying way too hard to mimic some flying squadron, and honestly? It all sounds like watered-down bubblegum pop.

Pure garbage for the masses—basically a modern-day version of some fake indie band catering to pretentious hipsters and wannabe urbanites. You throw in a little blues, a bit of folk, maybe some reggae or an accordion riff, and just blast it until people's ears bleed. Then they start milking money from the unwashed masses through these manufactured subcultures. Look, I can’t stand extreme nationalists any more than anyone else, but at least those guys are honest about who they are. They don't pretend to be sophisticated; they just take it or leave it. But these groups of pseudo-intellectual accordion players, deep thinkers, and "edgy" kids acting like they belong to some elite underground movement? Total nonsense. It's all just noise designed to fleece the sheep. I give those types a wide berth. 🙂

O.o

lol, SARS was actually pretty refreshing—it's just that some people clearly have an issue with where it all started. Poor things...

Gary Palmer8 said:Lol, Sars is actually pretty refreshing; I guess some people just can't handle where they're from. Pathetic...

Let's not hide behind nationalism. That's getting old fast.
It's just a matter of taste.
To me, the band sucks because they're just a sugary, cheap imitation.

Look, man, I don't have any problem with where they're from, but I really can't stand it when people try to sell me a pile of garbage as if it's gold. To be perfectly honest, I’m not exactly a hater or anything, and besides, the core of this band actually comes from my hometown. But does that mean I'm supposed to force myself to hit that like button even if the music isn't actually good? Every single track sounds identical—just a little bit of reggae mixed with some accordion, and then they just lean into that whole "drinking moonshine" vibe. Give me a break. What bothers me most is how they try to shove these half-baked products into the urban scene as if they belong there.

O.o

Is every single song just the same thing now? Lol, honestly—I feel like we've got nothing left to talk about here!

I’d kindly request just a tiny shred of concentration—perhaps try utilizing at least 15% of your brain capacity when attempting to communicate with me, please.
I mentioned that every single song feels like it was made from the exact same mold, though, if I really sit back and think about it, that could probably apply to the entire genre.
I suppose it’s all quite shocking to you people when something suddenly disappears, mainly because you’ve never actually tasted anything better, higher quality, or even remotely different. To many of you, what passes for "creative genius" is really just cheap tunes masquerading as art—songs about moonshine, hunger, day-old pastries, faux rebellions, little quasi-revolutions, and all those similar fairy tales meant for little sheep wearing overpriced sneakers and Che Guevara t-shirts. I get it, kid, I really do, but I outgrew that kind of stuff a long time ago—those bloated anthems like TSG and those fundamentalist delusions about social justice and changing the world through catchy melodies and arrangements that are just glorified versions of old folk dances shoved into a pop beat. 😉
Naucices, you might learn something one day too; just listen, kid. 🙂

O.o

Gary Patel said:If you ask me, the singer doesn't have that typical Mexican accent. For instance, when I first heard Doll—before I even knew who they were—I honestly thought it was some local singer from a place like Chicago or maybe Philly. Maybe that’s part of why they’ve managed to pull more weight and find more success here in the States than back home... their accent feels pretty neutralized and you don't really catch that specific dialect. Don't get me wrong, I don't think it's a "problem," but it definitely helped them break through in the US market.

Well, you should have caught their interview on the local radio station when Matthew and the shaman were hosting...
The way they forced that specific dialect and accent was so much fake... if it were up to me, I’d shut it down and call out everyone responsible for arranging that appearance...
It's just awful... doing it purely to spite everyone who actually listens.🤮

Basically, in five years, nobody is going to remember them... they won't matter at all. And to make matters worse, maybe their fathers were even over there volunteering for Radovan Karadžić or the US Army...🤦

Absolutely impossible 🙏 🙏 🙏

Honestly, I’m kind of digging Dubioza.
They’ve got this fresh energy going on.

Maybe it’s just not my scene anymore, but honestly, once you grow up listening to Transglobal Underground, Fundamenthal, and all that similar nonsense, you eventually hit a wall with all that social commentary aimed at the working class—you know, the stuff always backed by those "ethnic" fusion parties. For me, that vibe held interest until about the mid-2020s. But then you outgrow it, and frankly, I’d be worried if I were still chasing the same thing a decade later. It just doesn't resonate with me anymore. I have enough real-world problems to deal with without having to sit through their quasi-revolutionary anthems and endless whining about social justice. It just doesn't sit right with me lately; it feels bland, tired, and so incredibly 90s. It's an old trope that’s been recycled to death. And they just keep showing up with the exact same act because they clearly don't know how to evolve.

O.o

Well, as I mentioned before, I actually hail from the very same city where this whole group first got its start, which means I’ve been watching the work of Adis and Almir since long before Dubioza even existed. I saw them working in total obscurity back in the day, always spinning cheap records of Rage Against the Machine, Transglobal, Fundamenthal, and all those other little trifles. Now, look—some people might find that style charming or novel, but if you ask me? It feels incredibly dated. Honestly, it's just exhausted. Good grief, they’ve been pushing that exact same vibe and playing those same tunes for nearly twenty years. There are so many more interesting influences and directions to explore out there. If we’re being perfectly honest, it feels like they’ve hit an evolutionary dead end; they're stuck circling these minor distractions and playing around with cheap ethnic undertones, all while shouting about social justice when, deep down, they know they're mostly just singing empty slogans.

O.o