Doomed Confessionary: Elio, Sanja, Ilija & Marko (Kali Juga)
Photos by Marko Brusić // Editing by Grebo Gray
Kali Juga (Кали Југа) is a four-piece stoner/doom metal band from Belgrade, Serbia.
Formed in 2025, Kali Juga currently consists of Elio Rigonat (vocals, guitar, bass, keyboards), Sanja Rajić (guitar), Ilija Mikić (bass) and Marko Ničić (drums).
Kali Juga have released their debut album »Smrt Svetu« on May 5th, 2025, which is available on all major streaming platforms. Mixed and mastered by Luka Matković (Citadela Sound Production). Produced by Elio Rigonat. Artwork by Grebo Gray.
Can you please say a few words about your band?
Kali Juga (Кали Југа) is a stoner/doom metal band from Belgrade, started by Elio Rigonat in May 2025, with the release of the debut album »Smrt Svetu« (Death To The World) – eight tracks of slow, end-of-the-world doom. Elio is probably best known as the main force behind Kobold, a speed metal band (kind of a funny plot twist) that’s been around for more than a decade, with four albums, two EPs, two live albums, and lots of serious gigs, most recently in Malta, London (UK), and at Tolminator 2025 in Slovenia. On top of Kobold, Elio has put out four solo albums and, all together, close to 30 studio releases with various bands and projects.
Even though actual work on Kali Juga only kicked off in late 2024 / early 2025, the idea itself has been around for over a decade, growing out of a long obsession with bands like Electric Wizard, Acid Bath, Type O Negative, Down, and others.
The debut was originally meant to be a solo recording, but Sergej Radan – formerly of Kobold and currently drumming for Terrorhammer and Goatmare & The Hellspades – got involved, pretty much because he refused to lend his cymbals to Elio unless he played on the record himself.
Since then, Kali Juga has already wrapped up a seven-date promo tour in Serbia, which later grew into ten shows total, sharing stages with bands like Terrorhammer, Goatmare & The Hellspades, Northern Revival, Nula, and even opening for the mighty Dopelord from Poland.
What was the biggest challenge for the band?
Turning a two-person studio project into a real, functional live band in basically no time. We had to find a bass player, a second guitarist, and a new drummer (since Sergej was completely overbooked), and make it all sound tight, look convincing, and feel right – all within about two months, before the first shows hit. Pulling that off was borderline unbelievable. With Ilija Mikić on bass, Marko Ničić on drums, and Sanja Rajić on second guitar, the band really came together wonderfully.
What can you be most proud of so far?
Building an actual band – not just a project – with a clear and authentic identity in a very short time, and living up to the expectations of promoters and people who tuned in to support us, before we even had a full lineup locked in.
What was your biggest regret?
Not starting Kali Juga ten years earlier.
What was the best concert/tour so far and why?
We’ve only done one tour so far, so by default, that one wins, right? The biggest show was probably opening for Dopelord, but the best one was something completely different: a DIY gig in the small northeastern Serbian town of Kanjiža, at their own Underground Toranj Festival. It was a secret, private show in the basement of a music school. No stage, no bullshit – just insane energy and beautiful people. It was the last show of our first year together, we played better than ever, got extremely fucked up in the best possible way, and crashed afterwards in a cottagecoreish house. Nothing has topped that so far.
What was the biggest surprise on the music scene for you?
How strong and immediate the support has been. Also, for reasons we still don’t fully understand, people mosh violently to our slowest songs – like really slow, around 50 BPM. We also hang nooses all around our shows, and people completely lose their minds with those, trying to kill themselves or choke each other out. All in all, things have been going way better than we can really process.
What is currently in your heavy musical rotation?
The normal playlist consists mostly of Electric Wizard, Acid Bath, and Down. On top of that: Melvins, Reverend Bizarre, Lifelover, Thy Catafalque, for some reason, fucking Death Grips and many others. Ilija Mikić, the bass player, also loves to spam various random grindcore and slam music in the car when we are touring, so he is banned from the Bluetooth connector for now. Sanja, the other guitar player, plays us some great progressive rock and metal, indie music, and even post-hardcore; however, she sometimes goes too far with the emo metalcore stuff, so she receives a ban as well. Marko, the drummer, offers a solid middle ground with post-punk and gothic doom classics. Various influences are a great thing; however, a dose of elitism is needed if we are to keep our minds sane on our journey.
What was the best advice you’ve ever been given as a musician?
Keep doing the same thing over and over. Eventually, you’ll at least be better at it than most people.
What are your guilty pleasures?
Violent Vira 
Can you say something more about the current music scene in Belgrade / Serbia?
The alternative scene in Belgrade really grew and unified after the Covid lockdowns, but in the last year or two, it’s fractured hard. There’s no real sense of a shared scene anymore. Right now, it honestly feels dead and decaying. Politics in Serbia plays a huge role in that – corruption, repression, violence, and open hostility toward its own citizens, mostly young, educated people, are at an all-time high, and those people are basically the backbone of the alternative scene.
That said, the stoner metal and rock scene is rising. Bands like Burning Leaf, Nula, Northern Revival, Sora, and us are pulling people in and getting solid support wherever we play. Slow, end-of-the-world music seems to hit a nerve right now.
Where can we see you live this year (concerts/tours)?
We’ve got shows coming up in Kruševac (Serbia) and Timișoara (Romania), and we’re expected to play Reefer Fest in Malta. A Croatia tour is also in the works – dates coming soon.
What are your plans for the future as a band?
The first album was mostly a solo thing, but with the full lineup, we’ve been jamming nonstop and have already written most of the second record together. We want to get it out as soon as possible and keep touring deeper into Europe, wherever the road lets us.
How can people best support your band?
We sell our own homemade hot sauce, Smrt Čmaru (“Death to the Asshole”), at shows. Grab a bottle, eat it with chips, smoke a joint with your friends, and come see us live!
Do you have any message for your listeners?
Stay trve! Death to the world!
Bojan Bidovc // music enthusiast, promoter, misanthrop and sometimes a journalist as well