Originating in 2020 and together for a few years under another name Nakkeknaekker, this Danish group smartly changed to a more English friendly (and discernible) Neckbreakker. They’ve made the rounds in the underground – so much so that Nuclear Blast scooped them up and now we have the debut album Within the Viscera on the streets. And what a potent slab of death-oriented groove metal you’ll hear come barreling across your favored listening device as these nine tracks pack a sledgehammer punch worth their weight in memorable hooks, transitions, and arrangements that you rarely hear at this point in the release calendar.
It’s fair to say that these lads appreciate everything from Morbid Angel and Suffocation to The Haunted, Lamb of God, and Machine Head when it comes to the sonic display, attention to deeper detail, and pounding conviction present. Credit guitarists Joakim Kaspersen and Johan Lundvig next to the energetic tempo mastery of drummer Anton Bregendorf for keeping the musical components tight next to some sick tremolo runs or heavier rhythm/groove interaction. It’s hard not to be swept away by the tornado-like swirls against a darker, tribal-like passage from “Shackled to a Corpse” – where the frantic, Machine Head-ish breakdown pummels you into a convulsed puddle scraping bodies off the floor. Or the crunchy roller coaster riffage throughout the longest track “Unholy Inquisition” – it’s 6:46 timeframe taking people through oddly shaped death parts, progressive double kick-fueled supplementation, before the mid-tempo transitional maneuvers once again encourage body movement of the largest kind no matter what size stage they play upon. Guitar feedback next to bassist Sebastian Knoblauch’s deliberate note plucking signals the opening sequence of finale “Face Splitting Madness” before the stunted, progressively energetic proceeding flow forth. It’s another highlight, especially when you take in the lower, forceful delivery of singer Christoffer Kofoed – his measured abilities and diverse outlook conjures elements of vocalists from bands like Napalm Death and Decapitated.
Thick production values keep the album moving along at a brisk pace – Neckbreakker possess all the ideal elements to take this debut record Within the Viscera into a solid global template to build a successful career out of. The younger brigade keeps metal alive and thriving, and those into any aspect of extreme or groove metal would be wise to invest copious amounts of time, energy, and resources for this group.