Ostatnia Próba is a really good hardcoreband which I got in contact via Hardcore Worldwide. They was fast sending a record for a review and there´s the interview which took place in the end of february-2024.

Please tell me a little about every member and the history of the band? Tell me a little about every member, previous bands and band on the side of Ostatnia Próba, work, age and what do you work with besides of the music?

-“Ostatni Proba” is a hardcore project created in 2022 by three friends who have been playing together since 1999. Then (1999) in Zakopane, we founded our first joint band, co-creating the Zakopane HC scene. Now, after many years, we decided to mobilize ourselves and try to record some good material that we have always dreamed of.

2023 we recorded our first album called “Weź Mniej”. To strengthen our message we also made some clips which are available on our YOUTUBE channel. Taking this opportunity we would like to thank our friends, family members and special guests who showed up there with us :)

Line up of Ostatnia Proba is as follows:

Rafał Szklarczyk - drums, vocals

Tomek Szelest - bass, vocals

Karol Kerneder - guitar, vocals

Now, regarding the history and foundation of our band. The most important thing is our friendship - three of us have known each other since early groundschool. Since then we have been doing everything together so it was obvious that if we would play music we would also make it together.

All started back in 1999 during high school. We met a long hair metal, hard music freak playing bass guitar. We set up the first band with him, bought guitars, drums. Through high school we have been building up our music skills, playing gigs with other friends and generally having fun. Unforgettable time, foundation of 99 CREW :) This album is some kind of tribute to this time. All these years later we made it somehow to stay together and created a big family with our closest and friends. Our band is a kind of a confirmation of it.

Your music is a style which came foreward many years ago, old favorites which you like today?

-As we started to think about our first band in 1999 we have been listening to bands like NEXT STEP UP, HARD RESISTANCE, RYKERS or ONLY ATTITUDE COUNTS.

Our main inspirations are classics like MADBALL, 25 TA LIFE, BACKFIRE, HATEBREED, TERROR but we also admire younger bands - ALEA ACTA EST , ROTNS, or DEEZ NUTS. Nevertheless a huge inspiration for us are our two greatest polish bands SCHIZMA and 1125.

The name Ostatnia Próba where did it came from? You weren´t afraid that not any other would be named so before? What does it mean? Your absolute favorite band name?

-Ostatnia próba means last try/last chance - last chance for the world to change, for people to stop wasting resources, destroying the planet and each other. It is also about treating every day and everything you do as a last try, like it is the last chance for you to improve things, relations and yourself. On the other hand we have that feeling that it was the last chance for us as a band who started playing together 25 years ago to make once again music together. 

Is it important to release physical things? Or can you feel that you have done a record if you only release it digitally? Have you done anything except Wi´z Mniej? What does that mean??

-“Weź Mniej” means “Take less” - it is the main thought of this album. People in the “Western  world” live like the earth, world, resources would be endless. They take as much as they can, thinking that they just deserve it, that their high standard of life is just given to them forever, while most people in the rest of the world don't have anything and suffer also because of our wellbeing and enormous consumption. At the same time politics tell us to consume as much as we can to improve the economy.

You have never been to Sweden and played or been here as tourists? With this band or any other band you have been in? If you not have when do you come?

-Our bass player was once in Sweden during studies in the central part of Dalarna region. Great time and memories. Happy to visit Sweden and play with Ostatnia Próba if opportunity occurs :)

Which countries have had the pleasure to be hearing the band live?

-We played various gigs with our previous bands and side projects in Poland. Ostatnia Próba is brand new so we are planning to start playing live gigs in a few weeks. We are excited and looking forward for it as only then real power of  hardcore music release :)

Please tell me a little about the following lyrics….and who wrote it and why?
The most important songs according to the lyrics for us are:

Ostatnia próba - Last try - like in the main topic of the album - taking less, buying less, leaving more for others who can't have what's normal for us.  

Powrót do dziś - back for today - everyone has moments in life when something goes extremely wrong, you suffer and you say yourself “ if i only could turn back time and make my mistake good” if i try to treat every day, the presence, like i would have turned back from the future to repair my failure it would be almost like i really would turned back , almost :)
Sprawiedliwosc - justice - again the theme of social and global justice - the more we take, consume , the more suffer the poorest in the world, the resources are not endless despite what we hear from politicians who try to make out of the gross domestic product a god for us.

Who does the lyrics? Which is most important is it the lyrics or the music? Never in English?

-Karol (guitar and voc.) makes all the lyrics. Lyrics and music are in symbiosis here. There is no graduation. Our lyrics, manifests are strengthened by music and our common shout. It must work hand in hand.

We decided to write polish lyrics because it's somehow more honest, more real for ourselves.

I think while writing english lyrics as a non native speaker there is a risk that they become trite and simply not true.

Is there any subject you never will sing about?

-Tough one :)  We do not set ourselves any limits here. But we try to write about what's important for us, not just talk about some trivial stuff.

How is it to live in Poland nowadays, racists, politic, Ukraina-war?

-Think we are trying to live normally but of course there is a sense of feeling that the times are changing by the war at our borders and we all are at the crossroad thinking what it may bring and how it will end eventually. 

Is it better to live in Poland nowadays if you compare for say about 25 years ago? Or is it not so good?

-Of course it is great now. The difference between the nineties and now is insane. The wellbeing level in Poland is nowadays almost as high as in the “western” countries. But we think that not everyone appreciates that and is grateful for this. People also have a lot in Poland but they still want more and more. That is also a reason for our lyrics.

What is typical for people in Poland?

-Polish people are open and friendly but also quite conservative which sometimes causes social problems. I guess we also have a good sense of humor.

Beer is expensive in Sweden. I have a very big interest in beer and brew myself? Your favourite beerstyle ? You don´t have an own Ostatnia Proba-beer? If you do that or will do that what is it going to be called? Or maybe you are straightedge?

-No no, we are not straight edge :) We also don't have our band beer but it's a great idea to have one. Thanks. For me it should be something like APA or IPA.

Is there any good bands from Poland worth to mention? Old and new bands?

-As already mentioned - 1125 and Schizma but those ones you probably already know. We would recommend HARD WORK, GOOD OLD DAYS, SUNRISE, RATRACE.

What is your strength when you play live? What is the most difference between playing nowadays and if you compare when you started to play?

-As mentioned above we have not played with Ostatnia Próba yet.. but it will change in just a few weeks. We still have in mind and memories this excitement and great feeling of playing live. We are missing it.

Do you buy much records, or is it only Spotify and those type of things to listen to music? Any good record store in your town?

-I still remember those times when we had to take hundreds of tapes and a huge boombox with us every time we went somewhere together on vacations so there was almost no place left for food or clothes :) That's why we appreciate a lot that we have Spotify now :) We do not collect CDs. On the other hand it was great to have our album on a real cd. 

Which is your own favoritesong among your own songs? And which song is the people choice?

-We realize after some time of playing our songs that the best ones for playing live are the simplest like “Dam Więcej” or “ Nie wierzę”. Of course when we write a song we want to put there many ideas and riffs but it's important to be able to reduce it to the most essential things.

You have played many band I presume, is it only hardcorebands or what sorts of band do you play together with? Which is the dreamband to play with?

-“In ancient times” ;) we played mostly with punk, hardcore bands coming from the southern part of Poland. We also had a death metal project on the way and had some gigs with metal bands. Great time as well.

How would you describe your music in there words?

-Forceful, hard, raw

Is music a good way to get out frustration and become a nicer person outside the music?

-Absolutely. HC is a special kind of music in this context. It gives strength (like you wrote in the review) it is powerful and gives sometimes a feeling you can afford everything. But it also has a huge amount of rage which must stay under control otherwise it may turn into anger or aggression.

Politics and music, does it belong together?? Which is your most political song or do you not want to put politics into your music?

-We do not turn our songs directly to any specific political option, party or politician but try to  show consequences of bad politics in the economy, environment, unlimited greed and choices that we make as a society which has a direct impact on our planet.

Any good Swedish bands you like?

-In Spite of hardcore we listen to a lot of metal especially death and black metal so YES Sweden is a homebase of metal for us. The most important Swedish band for us remains for 25 years, TIAMAT. We just love it - so early as the latest albums.

Is it boring with interviews? Is it much interviews? What do you prefer Telephoneinterviews, face to face or as this one via e-mail?

-Frankly speaking, it is our first interview :) So thank you for that opportunity. We highly appreciate it.

Future plans for the band?

-We already started the second album. Gigs, records, clips.

Future plans for yourself?

-Keep appreciating what we have.

Wisdom word?

-Less is more :) - quote Frank Lloyd Wright

Something more to add?

-Thanks alot for Your interest and we hope you keep following our activities.