ABUSER - BLOOD MARKS

Released through Xtreem Music, Blood Marks arrives after years of silence following the band’s 2019 demo. Time as it may seem, has clearly not been wasted. Abuser sound sharp as fuck, attacking ten tracks with the kind of conviction most bands struggle to do. Influences of early Kreator, Sodom and Slayer runs deep throughout the record, but Blood Marks never gives in to the all too common copycat mimicry.

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The opening trio of “Cry Of The Innocent,” “Suspended In Torture” and the title track showcases what we’re in for on the album - frantic riffs, punishing shifts and an almost oppressive sense of unrelenting motion. Guitarists Dominiak and Matuszny barely linger on a single idea for too long, constantly driving songs into new pockets of violence without sacrificing coherence.

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Much of the album’s impact however, comes from drummer Klimkiewicz. His performance is relentless. Fills explode across nearly every transition, with precision never dissipating. There are moments throughout Blood Marks where the drums threaten to overpower the songs entirely, but the band pulls everything back into alignment at the exact right moment.

What differentiates Blood Marks from countless retro-thrash records is its dynamics. “Fin De Siècle” slows tempos into a darker, heavier crawl, allowing the band room to build atmosphere before launching back into the violence of “Monument Of Atrocity” and “Struggling For Reality.”

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Abuser show no attempt to modernise thrash metal in any way, but rather restore its sense of danger. A must listen for big fans of the genre.

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SCORE 9/10

Words by LearnTwoExist 

In collaboration with Headbangers Australia

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