What to expect from a band that names themselves as Neckbreaker? Well, you, my dear child of the night, I really don’t know but me I expect a hell of neckbreaking. I expect songs that will make me headbang all the time. No more, no less. As I always say it’s a big responsability to name a band.
To some extent, “Within the Viscera” keeps the promise. It’s not that frantic and relentless neckbreaking, but still a neckbreaking. I say that because Neckbreaker aren’t fast and furious at all, they are furious but with many elements of what is called today Groove Metal. “Within the Viscera” is a blend of the groove of Thrash Metal with some modern elements. The good thing is that by modern elements one can understand the good ones as the energy of the big guitars and the angry vocals, not the boring electronic buzzings that give me headaches. The album sounds hard as iron, not artificial as plastic. In fact, tracks as “SILO” adress to the good old Thrash Meta with some differences hidden here and there. But the stupid velocity is here. Interestingly, crowning finale “Face-Splitting Madness” brings some Hardcore features that spice up the mix the band does.
“Within the Viscera” commences with a cool and energetic drum solo of “Horizon of Spikes.” Well, strictly saying it’s not exactly a drum solo, but a drum passage. Anyway, it’s the second best way of opening a song – from where I sit, of course. Following track “Putrefied Body Fluid” presents all the groove Thrash Metal brought into Metal music. Here your nekc can rest a little after the assault “Horizon of Spikes” delivered. It also brings that metallic prominent bass lines Thrash Metal is used to. All this embellished by some awesome guitar leads. On behalf of the name of the band the song ends up with a neckbreaking finale. “Shackled to a Corpse” is a little more cadenced with some hidden drums’ tricks that drummer Anton ‘Hajn’ Bregendorf does here with all his proficiency. Never forget Christoffer Kofoed’s angry vocals what, in fact, is the glue the links all the songs in the album. And there goes the album with no surprises.
“Within the Viscera” delivers what the band name promises. It’s not that headbanging but still is a headbanging. The nicest thing of the album is the way how Neckbreaker update Thrash Metal. a hell of a responsability, if you allow me to say.
Neckbreaker “Within the Viscera” was released on December 06th via Nuclear Blast Records.
Track Listing:
- Horizon of Spikes
- Putrefied Body Fluid
- Shackled to a Corpse
- Nephilim
- Purgatory Rites
- Unholy Inquisition
- Absorption
- SILO
- Face-Splitting Madness
Watch “Face-Splitting Madness” official music video here:
I’m just a lucky guy who has chosen metal to live with for a long time. Metal changed my life for good. It made me more confident and stronger. Metalheads are naturally far away from the mass mediocrity and don’t accept impostures from anybody else. Metal is more than music, it’s a life changing oportunity!