Dezerter

Founded in Warsaw in 1981, initially under the name SS-20 before quickly adopting the name Dezerter, Dezerter formed within the context of the early‑1980s Polish punk scene, then under surveillance by the communist regime. Their repertoire is hardcore punk, with a direct, fast and tense sound driven by dry riffs, a nervous rhythm section and Polish lyrics focused on political violence, social conformity and mechanisms of authority. Very early on linked to Warsaw's alternative scenes and the Jarocin festival, Dezerter marked this period with the EP Ku przyszłości in 1983, and then with the albums Kolaboracja (1987), Kolaboracja II (1989) and Wszyscy przeciwko wszystkim (1990). Through lineup changes, the core formed by Robert Matera and Krzysztof Grabowski remained central; Dezerter today operates as a trio with Jacek Chrzanowski. The band also performed outside Poland — in Western Europe, in Japan and later in the United States — while remaining rooted in an independent punk practice. In the 1990s and 2000s Dezerter continued its path with Blasfemia (1992), Ile procent duszy? (1994), Deuter (1995), Decydujące starcie (2001), Nielegalny zabójca czasu (2004), Prawo do bycia idiotą (2010), Większy zjada mniejszego (2014) and Kłamstwo to nowa prawda (2021).