There are two sides to a longstanding legacy: the pride of longevity and the weariness of survival. Lik, proudly carrying the tradition of Swedish death metal forward, explore both aspects of history on their new album. Necro is the grotesque next generation of classic Swedish death, underpinning the iconic buzzsaw sound of Entombed with the crusty grit of Dismember. The album plays loving tribute without repeating history, tracing the lineage of Swedish death metal and experimenting with various influences in the family tree for a sound that’s distinctly Lik. Standing proud as the next chapter in Swedeath history, Necro is 40+ years of gnarly heaviness writ large.
The thrash inspirations from Entombed’s Clandestine are extracted and supercharged with heart-pounding grooves that electrify immediately. Almost-progressive riffs arc across a grinding bass, juxtaposing broader European metal history against Sweden’s unique brutal punk heritage. Tomas Åkvik’s vocals suit Lik’s multi-faceted sound perfectly, racing from discernible growls that complement thrash influences to dark, hoarse howls for moments of pummeling grind. Don’t call it hero worship: Necro stands tall with an originality that can only come from a true appreciation for the Swedish death metal greats.
Like the icons that came before them, Lik explore the grotesque, the horrific, and the morbid with fearless abandon. Lik, after all, means corpse in Swedish. The album’s first single “War Praise,” was the first track written for Necro, predating the rest of the record by several years. Marrying mind-bending riffs with punk grind, the track is a high-energy race to the death, ruminating on the futility of life in the face of horrors unfolding around the world. The song is structured with Entombed-level fury and executed with brutal intensity as electric melodies and riffs are roughened by classic Swedish guitars. It is deliberately and horrifically timeless, but also serves as an anthem to the challenges that Swedish death metal itself had to overcome to become the global force it is today.
The early years of Swedeath were constrained by limited local scenes, a lack of access to studios and venues, bands that came and went without getting their due. And yet, as “War Praise” declares “only death prevails.” What was intended as a dark reflection of our current times (and past, and probably future) becomes a morbid rally cry. Similar bloody intensity runs thick across Necro, culminating in intense, almost sludgy tracks like “Morgue Rat” and “Rotten Inferno.” The former, inspired by Californian necrophiliac Karen Greenlee, features Linnea Landstedt (Ice Age, Trotoar, Tryanex) on vocals. “Morgue Rat” is the heavyweight counterpart of the high-octane tracks that open Necro, exploring the horrors of Karen Greenlee with disturbing glee. The traditional pummeling pace of old school death metal takes hold, giving the crust and punk influences of Dismember time to truly take hold.
Anchoring Necro’s conclusion, “Rotten Inferno” is the surprise psychological horror that transforms a slasher movie from good to great. While “War Praise,” “Worms Inside,” and “Shred into Pieces” zealously destroy, “Rotten Inferno” stalks its prey with terrifying patience. Åkvik’s growls are structured just enough to allow the grotesque lyrics to sink in (side note: Necro is not family-friendly), while buzzsaw guitars are dragged across ponderous melodies. The attention-grabbing riffs that crackled earlier in the album re-appear, but with darker, more measured intent. The furious energy that galloped throughout the first half of Necro is re-animated with a darker, murkier approach, revealing a new layer of Lik just before we fade into black …hopefully setting the stage for another grim journey through Swedish death metal before too long.