Review by Greg on May 8, 2026.

Ah, Poland. As a metalhead, I often associate it with quality stuff – there's just so much of it coming out of the country, both in the past and currently. As such, I'm pleased to add Abuser from Wroclaw to this elite. The guys aren't your typical up-and-coming thrash band, having recorded their first demo back in 2019. Nevertheless, they seemed destined to fade into obscurity since that, before bursting back onto the scene with debut full-length "Blood Marks". There's a certain charm to the chronophotographic artwork, which is not something you see every day, but what piqued my interest were the lineup additions of guitarist Albert Matuszny and especially drummer Jakub Klimkiewicz, whom I was acquainted with via their main band Leprozorium, following a recommendation from fellow obscure thrash connoisseur Olivér.

Unsurprisingly, the drumming is what stood out to me the most, just like the first time I heard "Skaza Ludzkości". I like to picture Klimkiewicz as the Polish equivalent to Charlie Benante, Gammacide's Jamey Milford, or, perhaps even more accurately, Brann Dailor if he were to play thrash metal. There's snare and tom fills all over the place – so much so that I suspect he needed to replace them after recording each song – at times even breaking into mini drum solos, yet he keeps a strict and tight rein on the tempo at all times. Comparisons like the above aren't common enough, so this is why this man never fails to leave a good impression on me. Whether you like this hyperactive approach or not, I'm all for it. For the rest, Abuser are complete thrash devotees – way more aggressive than the norm, but still without leaving much room for external influences. So, as much as I'd have liked to compare "Blood Marks" to the latest Desolus (the fact that I've been listening to both in short order didn't help), underneath the frontal aggression and the drums' lightning-fast pace the foundation is way more American than German. It's hard not to hear a Slayer influence in the riffs and even in some of the noisier – although generally more competent – solos, as shown by the deflagrating opener 'Cry Of The Innocent' already, or perhaps even more in the 'Mandatory Suicide'-like spoken coda of 'Fin De Siècle'. Accordingly, the vocals of frontman Paweł Dominiak (formerly in blackened thrashers Hexenaltar, due for their debut album soon, as well) are more of the low-register, rapid-fire screaming variety, rather than just aiming for prime Mille Petrozza. He isn't a particularly distinctive vocalist by any means, but he's also convincing at what he does, so I can live with that.

The aforementioned 'Fin De Siècle' marks the strategic halfway point, as it's the only episode where the tempo has a chance to slow down for more than 30 seconds. Quite the contrary, as Klimkiewicz still has the necessary tricks to keep it interesting. It is then mercilessly wiped away by some rather frantic songs, all between 2 and 3 minutes, which are about as friendly as a pitbull trained for cage fights, but also lack the longer and slower-burning arrangements of the opening trio ('Cry Of The Innocent', 'Suspended In Torture', title track), partially reprised only in the band's namesake anthem. All of which means I'm of two minds about "Blood Marks", as it's a great start and its sheer power is undeniably top-notch, but it also can't shake the feeling that it had the potential to be even more than that. Overall, it's certainly worthy of being in my list of warm recommendations for anybody already into the genre, although it certainly won't change the minds of those who are skeptical about the value of newer bands. Nevertheless, as the old saying goes: 'if it's 36 minutes long and flattens everything in its path, neither complain nor waste your wrath'. Or how was it?

Rating: 7.6 out of 10