Alisa was formed in November 1983 by bassist
Svyatoslav Zadery. The band's name originated from Zadery's 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 recorded between 1985 and 1986.
Energia was released by the state publishing monopoly
Melodiya in 1988. The relations between Alisa's two leaders, Kinchev and Zadery, deteriorated, and Zadery left the band. This occurred just one hour before Alisa was to perform at a concert.
Kino bassist Igor Tihomirov was asked to replace Zadery for one concert. Later, Zadery created his own band Nateh! (). Zadery died on 6 May 2011 due to complications from a stroke at the age of 50. Alisa had 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 worshiping
Hitler. Kinchev filed a suit for
calumny and moral damage compensation. 2013 In 1988, guitarist Igor "Chuma" Chumychkin joined the band. This change was followed by the heavier sound of next two albums,
Shabash and
For those Who Fell From the Moon. Alisa toured through
Europe and
Israel together with fellow Russian
heavy metal band
Aria. The album
Black Mark, released in 1994, was dedicated to the memory of Chuma, who committed suicide by jumping from a window. In the new millennium, with albums such as
Seychas Pozdnee Chem Ty Dumaesh (It is Later Than You Think, 2003) and
Izgoy (Exile, 2005), Alisa's sound became heavier. Alisa ranked among the top ten most popular
Russian rock bands according to a Romir survey from 2005, and ranked first in the list of the most influential Russian rock groups according to a
Komsomolskaya Pravda readers' poll from 2004. ==Lyrical themes==