Parni Valjak

Croatian and former Yugoslav rock band

Parni Valjak (; "steamroller") is a Croatian and former Yugoslav rock band. They were one of the top acts of the former Yugoslav rock scene, and one of the top rock bands in Croatia.

Parni Valjak was founded in 1975 in Zagreb. Unlike many rock bands that would come later, their style was becoming more mainstream, becoming closer to pop, especially compared with the bands like Prljavo kazalište or Film. As years went by, their refusal to change their style proved to be an important factor in the band's longevity. Parni Valjak kept a loyal following in 1980s and in 1990s, refusing to allow elements of folk and turbo folk music to become part of their repertoire. Because of that the band enjoys great respect among many Croatian rock critics, being seen as the embodiment of "true" rock and urban culture and many of their songs are considered evergreen in the former Yugoslavia like "Sve još miriše na nju", "Jesen u meni", "Ugasi me" and "Zastave". Parni Valjak kept a relatively small but dedicated following for 30 years, and many people attend their concerts marked by energetic performances, despite the advanced age of the band members: Aki Rahimovski vocals, Husein Hasanefendić Hus guitars, Marijan Brkić Brk guitars, Berislav Blažević Bero keyboards, Zvonimir Bučević Buč bass guitar, Dražen Scholz Šolc drums, Tina Rupčić vocal, Anita Mlinarić sax. In December 2005, Parni Valjak made a farewell tour of Croatia and Slovenia on their 30th anniversary. Their last public performance in 2005 was a concert on New Year's Eve in Ban Jelačić Square in Zagreb, though they stated that more concerts may be held in future. In November 2009, they began a reunion tour in Croatia. In October 2010, Parni Valjak held two concerts at Belgrade Arena, Belgrade that were followed by great public turnout (more than 44,000 people in two days). Aki Rahimovski, the band’s lead vocalist, died on 22 January 2022, at the age of 66. After a year of touring with various singers, they hired Igor Drvenkar as a new lead vocalist, immediately releasing new single "Moja glava, moja pravila" (My head, my rules).