Review LIK “Necro”

Formed in 2014, Swedish death metal squad Lik has a line-up that includes some of the best-known names in Scandinavian extreme metal. The band debuted in 2015 with an album called ‘Mass Funeral Evocation’, which caused quite a buzz in the heavy metal world. The band from Stockholm released two more highly acclaimed albums with “Carnage” and “Misanthropic Breed,” which also helped establish the group’s position in death metal from the north.

Five years after ‘Misanthropic Breed’ saw the light of day, it is the new album ‘Necro’ that rises from the moist soil and finds its way onto record players. The first song the band wrote was “War Praise”. It was the moment when things started and the song paved the way for the whole album. It is a massive riff assault that shows the roots and inspiration of the four guys. Dismember, At The Gates and Entombed provided the blueprint for these ten songs, and it is the opener “Deceased” with its Entombed-esque aggression and sound that pays homage to the Swedish death metal pioneers.

Lik are firing on all cylinders from start to finish. Like the musical equivalent of horror movies, the four Swedes deliver a straight to the face death metal album that makes no compromises. The mercilessly pounding ‘They’ is just one example of the ferocity of Lik’s music, as the songs also feature filigree solo parts that add to the entertainment factor of these smashing death metal monoliths. The lyrics, however, are based on Brian Keene’s novel “Urban Gothic”, which tells of creatures living under a city, tormenting and killing its inhabitants.

Lik also show their musical range with songs like “Worms Inside” and the following “Morgue Rat”. While the former is a blazingly fast death metal crusher, the latter shows the four-piece playing slower without losing any of the intensity. “Morgue Rat” is a roaring death metal beast that also shows an unexpected twist when vocalist Linnea Landstedt adds some eerie screams in the last third of the track. This song is a well-oiled death metal machine that will roll over you without regret.

Another song worth mentioning is “In Ruins”. The track starts in an interesting way, with some gothic metal vibes being the dominant ingredient before all hell breaks loose and the song turns into a fast paced Lik smasher. The beginning of this song is not a coincidence as it is Nick Holmes (Bloodbath / Paradise Lost) who adds some vocals to this death metal stomper.

With “The Stockholm Massacre” the band lyrically refers to the Stockholms blodbad, a historical event that took place in November 1520, before a rather melodic intro starts “Fields of Death”, which deals with a more timeless topic – the horror of war through the eyes of a soldier.

Lik stands for oldschool death metal from Sweden, and “Necro” shows why the four-piece from Stockholm are among the established bands in the genre. “Necro” is raw and furious. It is a raging death metal album that fascinates from beginning to end. Even though it is a fierce metal performance, the band never loses focus on the individual songs, as each of them offers little twists and details that add to the thrill. Horns up.