- published: 28 Oct 2010
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Alisa (Russian: Алиса) is a Russian hard rock band, who are credited as one of the most influential bands in the Russian rock movement.
Alisa was formed in November 1983 by bassist Svyatoslav Zadery. The band's name originated from Zadery nickname. The band's lineup was finally completed in 1984, when new vocalist Kostya Kinchev (real name Konstantin Panfilov) and guitarist Petr Samoylov joined. Their debut album Energia was released by state publishing monopoly Melodiya and sold more than a million copies.
But the relations between two leaders, Konstantin and Zadery, were deteriorating, and finally Svyatoslav departed from the band. This occurred just one hour before Alisa was to perform at a concert. Alisa had to ask Kino bassist Igor Tihomirov to replace him for one concert. Later Zadery created his own band Nateh! (Russian: НАТЕ! - "Take it!"). Zadery died on 6 May 2011 due to complications from a stroke at the age of 50.
The growing popularity of the band created a fan community called the Army of Alisa, known for their rough behaviour at concerts. It led to animosity between the band and Soviet officials. In 1987, the newspaper Smena accused Alisa's leader Kinchev of Nazi propaganda and worshipping Hitler. Kinchev filed a suit for calumny and moral loss compensation. After the year-long court process the magazine published the refutation. Alisa's next album was titled Article 206 part 2, a chapter ("Hooliganism") of the USSR Procedural Code, alluding to this process.