Review: Lik – Necro
Lik’s “Necro” is swinging with the kind of confidence that only comes from knowing exactly which grave you want to dig and how deep you intend to go. This is Swedish death metal as a practiced craft rather than a fever dream, a record that doesn’t pretend it’s reinventing the genre so much as sharpening its edges and pressing them firmly into familiar flesh. From the moment “Deceased” kicks off with that signature HM-2 buzzsaw tone, it’s clear Lik are here to finetune Swedish Death Metal. This record feels like a handshake from the grave, one that’s firm and purposefully filthy, a deliberate dial-back to the Stockholm sound that defined an era and never truly left it. Throughout the ten tracks Lik wear their influences proudly on their sleeves: Entombed, Dismember and Grave are names you’ll feel in every riff. But they manage to make it feel more like homage than cheap mimicry. The riffs here are dense and cannonball heavy, and while familiarity is the backbone of this style, Lik’s execution prevents “Necro” from ever feeling like a pale imitation.
What’s most striking about “Necro” is how confidently it balances brutality with songwriting that actually matters. When bands lean into old-school aesthetics, they often sacrifice identity for nostalgia; not so here. Tracks like “War Praise” and “Morgue Rat” carry a groove-laden stomp that’s as memorable as it is vicious, moments where Lik inject swagger into the crushing heaviness. The musicianship doesn’t flinch, making even the slower passages (like the creeping dread of “In Ruins”) feel deliberate rather than indulgent. The production harnesses that classic “buzzsaw” tone while keeping everything sharp and articulate, avoiding the muddiness that plagues many so-called retro death metal records.
There aren’t many outright weak points, but the band occasionally plays it safe, sticking close to textbook Swedish death metal tropes without dramatically subverting them. It’s a fine line between reverence and repetition, and “Necro” sometimes teeters there.
Lyrically and atmospherically, “Necro” lives up to its title. The themes are morbid and evocative, wrapped in gristly imagery that feels at home with the music’s sonic brutality. The vocals are appropriately guttural and aggressive and less about clarity, more about visceral punch. Whether it’s tales of war, death, or decay, the narrative tone doesn’t just support the riffs; it amplifies them, making the whole package feel cohesive and committed.
At its core, “Necro” is celebration and affirmation. Lik aren’t trying to dismantle death metal the swedish way; they’re trying to prove it’s still vital, still thrilling, still capable of delivering real gut punches in the modern era. And for the most part, they succeed; it’s undeniably one of the more satisfying Swedish Death Metal records in recent memory. If that’s your wheelhouse, “Necro” feels like home… just one with heavier boots and blood-soaked riffs.
