Lik Necro CD Review
When it comes to death metal, there is nothing more satisfying to me than the classic Gothenburg/Stockholm sound. The melodic heaviness with the buzzsaw guitar tone and overall raw and unpolished atmosphere resonates fondly within my heart. Growing up with bands like Dismember, At the Gates and Entombed, I have always found myself drawn to this niche sub-genre that only the Swedes can perfect. I feel I’ve been pretty fortunate lately in that I have found some newer releases that I have really enjoyed. Some of these include Revolting’s ‘Night of the Horrid’ and Paganizer’s ‘Flesh Requiem’. But when I ran across LIK’s ‘Necro’, I damn near shit my pants! Even though this is a modern release, it takes me back to the 90’s and I am marinating and relishing in it all.
Even though LIK (meaning “corpse” in Swedish) have been around for about a decade, this is my first experience with them. I’m not sure where I’ve been, but I’ve been missing out. I ran across their video for “War Praise” and raged so fucking hard! Released through Metal Blade Records, ‘Necro’ is their fourth album and is damn near flawless! The opener “Deceased” is a hell of a way to commence the brutality and is one of my favorite songs on the album. The aforementioned guitar tone just gives me the warm and fuzzies and sets the table for the remainder of the album, which only gets better with each passing track. Next is the song that acted as a catalyst for my new found love of the band, “War Praise.” This and the following “They” remind me so much of Dismember that I can’t help but smile.
“Worms Inside” is one of my favorite offerings and is somewhat more complex with its heaviness, guitar solo and breakdown. “Shred Into Pieces” and “The Stockholm Massacre” double down on the influences with the former reminding me of At the Gates meets Deceased, while the latter hitting hard with a more groove oriented sound and bringing Entombed to mind. ‘Necro’ closes just as epically as it opens. “Fields of Death” and “Rotten Inferno” are more standout tracks with “Rotten Inferno” slowing down the tempo considerably and dialing up the dread and beauty with that piano piece winding down the residual moments of the album. 2025 has been a great year for death metal so far and ‘Necro’ is one of the shining examples of that. This is a top tier release through and through!
~TJ