Abuser is back with a vengeance!
Following a demo released in 2019, the Polish band led by Pawel (guitar/vocals, ex-Hexenaltar), Michal (bass, Pandemic Outbreak), Klimek (drums, Leprozorium), and Albert (guitar, Leprozorium) has signed with XTreem Music for their debut album, Blood Marks.
They dive right into the thick of things with Cry of the Innocent, an opening track that’s already highly aggressive, drawing on its Old School roots to deliver solid Thrash, but effortlessly picking up speed once the intro ends, this time welcoming the vocals, which are equally vengeful. Leads and groovy sections constantly interplay before giving way to Suspended in Torture, a track that leans toward thrash/death to deliver an effective foundation and build unifying choruses, promising some serious headbanging at live shows, just like Blood Marks, the title track that follows hot on its heels. This composition features everything that defines Thrash’s DNA, and although the bass takes a prominent role by developing catchy melodies, the riffs hit hard, just like on Painbringer, which, in under three minutes, will snap our necks by unleashing its rhythm at full speed. The tempo slows down noticeably with Fin de siècle and its martial approach, which remains effective, developing a heavier sound than usual and treating us to a lengthy instrumental section before a chaotic finale that leads into the more intense and ferocious Monument of Atrocity, which kicks off with a bang. We find that same infectious intensity on Struggling for Reality, which follows hot on its heels, sharpening the edge of the harmonics but with a similar approach rooted in pure effectiveness. Lethal Obsession takes over, offering a fresh dose of raw energy coupled with deliberately chaotic and screeching leads, and then the band strikes with Abuser, delivering its jerky riffs topped with aggressive yet still highly catchy vocals. The track’s length allows it to rev up the machine all the way to Witnessing Madness, the final composition that also doesn’t shy away from its influences and remains pure aggression, lining up all its sharp, cutting riffs to close out the album.
If you’re into Thrash, I have no doubt that you’ll love Abuser. The band never strays from its Old School influences, making Blood Marks a perfect successor to the genre’s pioneers.
80/100